USA coup attempt and riots: What is happening at the Capitol building and where to stay updated

WORDS Ella Jane PHOTOGRAPHY Courtesy Instagram PUBLISHED Thu, 7 Jan 2021 - 10:53 am

On Wednesday, January 6, a mob of angry Trump supporters gathered outside Washington's Capitol building and stormed the premises, putting a halt to Congress's counting of the electoral votes. The counting of the electoral votes is a key day in the election calendar, as the result will confirm President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s victory into office. As chaos and violence broke out amongst rioters who stormed the building and destroyed property without reprimand or arrest, the act of violence against democracy was a stark contrast to the way Black Lives Matter protests were met with earlier in the year - one of the worst displays of mass police brutality we've seen in the past decade.

Midway through the afternoon, as the House and Senate debated the election results - shortly after the Democrats captured control of the Senate with Jon Ossoff defeating David Perdue in the Georgia State Runoff election - the Capitol building was placed on a complete lockdown after MAGA mobsters invaded, seeming to breeze past law enforcement to seize the Capitol building.

The unrest taking place is not only a grave display of violence and fascism, but the lack of action taken by the police in the face of blatant white supremacy only affirms everything the Black Lives Matter movement has been tirelessly telling people for months if not years: police know exactly how to avoid violence and brutality when they want to.

With constant developments currently happening in Washington D.C, it can be hard to sift through all of the noise to stay updated with reliable news sources. Below, is a guide to staying updated on the situation as the events develop.