Congress Holds Moment of Silence to Honor US Capitol Defenders on January 6 Anniversary

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US House of Representatives and Senate on Thursday reflected on the first anniversary of the January 6 riot by holding a moment of silence to honour the police officers who defended the Capitol.
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"I want to acknowledge our fallen heroes of that day: US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, US Capitol Police Officer Howard Livingood, Metropolitan Officer Jeffrey Smith, US Capitol Police Officer Billy Evans, [who died] of a later assault," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said during remarks in the chamber. "Now I ask all members to rise for a moment of silence in their memory."
Several Democratic senators gave remarks in the upper chamber of Congress, recalling their experiences inside the Capitol while Trump supporters breached the building to protest the lawmakers certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election from several US states.
Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy said Americans turned into a mob on 6 January and turned their back on the US Constitution.
On 6 January 2021, a group of Trump supporters entered the US Capitol building to protest lawmakers for certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election from several states that the former president claimed were fraudulent. The proceedings were interrupted but the lawmakers returned and certified the results of the election that then-candidate Joe Biden won the race. One protester was shot dead by police and numerous law enforcement and protesters were injured.
The 6 January siege was the biggest attack on the US Capitol since the British army burned the building and other landmarks down in the War of 1812.
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