- Several groups including QAnon, the Proud Boys and the Three Percenters were among the crowds of rally attendees and rioters in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
- An expert compared the riots to the rise of a left-leaning insurgency in the 1970s that bombed the Capitol building.
- People mostly carried and wore pro-Trump memorabilia and American flags.
Several different groups were represented at President Donald Trump’s rally and the protests and riots at the Capitol Building later in the day in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
Flags from the Three Percenters, Confederate flags and other emblems and slogans associated with other organizations were present throughout the day.
“It appears that it was mixed collection of individuals that included militant Trump supporters, election deniers, Liberate movement followers, Alt right, Nazis, neo-Confederates, conspiracists, Proud Boy supporters, Q Anon adherents, Second Amendment and insurrectionists, and groypers,” Director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism Brian Levin told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The majority of flags carried by rally attendees, protesters, and rioters were in support of Trump. Several of the flags donned Trump’s popular slogan “make America great again” and many others said “Trump 2020.”
Pro-President Donald Trump supporters gathered at the U.S. Capitol building for a “stop the steal” protest in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Pro-President Donald Trump supporters headed to The Ellipses to hear the president speak at a rally in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
TOPSHOT – Crowds of people gather as US President Donald Trump speaks to supporters from The Ellipse near the White House on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. – Thousands of Trump supporters, fueled by his spurious claims of voter fraud, are flooding the nation’s capital protesting the expected certification of Joe Biden’s White House victory by the US Congress. (MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Pro-Trump demonstrators scaled the media tower set up for Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
There were several flags displaying messages opposing President-Elect Joe Biden and his supporters. (RELATED: PHOTOS: The ‘Stop The Steal’ Pro-Trump Rally Turned To Riots In Washington DC)
Pro-President Donald Trump supporters gathered at the National Mall for Trump’s speech in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Pro-President Donald Trump supporters gathered at the U.S. Capitol for a “stop the steal” protest in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
A protester who self-identified as a member of the Proud Boys, an all-male organization, wore an “anti-Antifa” shirt, according to Getty. A sticker was put on a road sign that said “I [heart] my Proud Boys.”
The leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, was banned from Washington, D.C. until his next court hearing scheduled for June, the DCNF reported. Tarrio was charged with stealing and destroying a Black Lives Matter banner from a church and for possessing two high-capacity firearm magazines.
Protester who claim to be a members of the Proud Boys gather with other supporters of US President Donald Trump protest outside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. – Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. (Photo by ALEX EDELMAN / AFP) (Photo by ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Pro-Trump protesters march in front of the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. A pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, breaking windows and clashing with police officers. Trump supporters gathered in the nation’s capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
Another member of the Proud Boys, known as “Big John/Jon,” was apprehended immediately after arriving in Washington for carrying an AR “upper” a witness told the DCNF. The witness said the firearm had been modified in a way that would not allow the gun to fire.
“Big John/Jon” was arrested for having an AR-15 “upper” in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Several APIII flags, also known as the “American Patriots the III%,” were flown around Washington on Wednesday. The group describes itself as inclusive of all races and political affiliations and stresses a belief in the Constitution and “the freedoms and liberties our Founding Fathers intended,” according to their website.
APIII lists the group’s mission as uniting the “Silent Majority and Patriots” to “prepare for an uncertain future,” according to their website. APIII denies being a militia and says the group exercises its rights to share knowledge, practice the second amendment, and peacefully assemble.
A Three Percenters flag flew with a Trump flag ahead of his rally in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: Protesters gather on the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol building after mass demonstrations in the nation’s capital during a joint session Congress to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
A man wearing a khaki jacket embroidered with the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers seal was seen slashing the tires of two government-owned SUV’s parked outside the east side of the Capitol. The Boilermakers are a union of industrial workers who represent over 50,000 people who work in shipbuilding, manufacturing, railroads, mining and similar industries, according to their website.
A demonstrator slashed the tires on law enforcement vehicles in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
A Facebook page associated with the Chinese American Alliance For Trump doesn’t appear to have been active since December 2016, though the group was out with several identical banners Wednesday morning.
Several people were passing out “End CCP” brochures throughout the day and asking people to sign a petition to “eliminate the demon Chinese Communist Party.”
The brochures also said that “this pandemic could have been prevented if the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) did not lie. Their cove-up has led to a global pandemic with hundreds of thousands of deaths and over 10 million confirmed.”
The same informational pamphlets were handed out during Trump’s Town Hall event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 16, the DCNF reported.
Thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump gathered to hear him speak in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
“Super Fun Happy America’s” Sue Ianni and Mark Shady along with other supporters of US President Donald Trump march through the streets of the city as they make their way to the Capitol Building in Washington DC on January 6, 2021. – Donald Trump’s supporters stormed a session of Congress held today, January 6, to certify Joe Biden’s election win, triggering unprecedented chaos and violence at the heart of American democracy and accusations the president was attempting a coup. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
Several people carried Gadsden or “don’t tread on me” flags, which has recently been associated with gun rights, along with several other pro-firearm flags.
A “don’t trad on me” flag flew with a Trump flag ahead of his rally in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Protesters gather on the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol building after mass demonstrations in the nation’s capital during a joint session Congress to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Supporters of President Donald Trump scaled various landmarks around the city attempting to get a better angle of the stage before his speech in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Pro-President Donald Trump supporters gathered at the U.S. Capitol building for a “stop the steal” protest in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Several protesters carried Confederate flags, photographs show. One man mounted a statue of a horse near the Capitol Reflecting Pool while holding a Confederate flag for a picture.
A man mounted a horse statue in front of the U.S. Capitol while holding a Confederate flag in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. (Kaylee Greenlee – Daily Caller News Foundation)
Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the US Capitol Rotunda on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. – Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
A supporter of US President Donald Trump display a Confederate flag next to Black Lives Matter Plaza as supporters from around the country rally in the US Capital to protest the upcoming electoral college certification of Joe Biden as President in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. (ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
At least one person was seen wearing a QAnon leather vest, a photograph shows. The conspiracy theory around QAnon alleges a group of Satanic pedophiles, with a high concentration of Democratic figures, attempt to undermine Trump through a “deep state,” the Wall Street Journal reported.
Crowds arrive for the “Stop the Steal” rally on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Trump supporters gathered in the nation’s capital today to protest the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory over President Trump in the 2020 election. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The Chinese American Alliance For Trump nor the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers responded to the DCNF’s request for comment.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.