The US Capitol Police are bracing for potential violence at an upcoming far-right rally by followers of former President Donald Trump, amid fears of the repeat of the deadly January attack on the Capitol building.
A report said earlier this month that far-right extremist groups such as the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys are slated to attend a rally on Sep.18.
The demonstrators intend to call for “justice” for those who are facing charges for storming the Capitol on January 6, when lawmakers were in the process of confirming Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election.
The attack resulted in the death of at least five people, including a police officer who was guarding the Congress building.
As the far-right rally draws closer, law enforcement agencies have noted that they are on high alert.
The Capitol police are, in the meantime, planning to reinstall fencing around the Capitol building.
Following the Jan. 6 riot, police installed protective fencing around the complex for months. The fencing was taken down after at least over 40 Republican lawmakers asked for its removal.
The lead organizer of the event, Matt Braynard, however, said there would be no violence coming from his group and that the rally would be peaceful.
“This is a completely peaceful protest,” he told CNN. “And we have told people that when they come, we don’t want to see any messaging about the election, we don’t want to see any messaging on T-shirts and flags or signs about candidates or anything like that.”
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Braynard also tweeted on Wednesday that all members of Congress are welcome to speak at the rally.
Around 500 people have indicated they plan to attend the rally, dubbed “Justice for J6.”
According to an internal Capitol Police memo, reviewed by CNN, there’s been a noticeable uptick in violent rhetoric around the event, on social media.
At least one Proud Boy leader has encouraged followers from across the country to show up.
There have also been multiple instances of white supremacy imagery being used in online chats about the rally, the memo notes.
Meanwhile, concerns are on the rise across the country as the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches.
Thousands of people gather every year for rallies in large US cities, including New York City, Washington DC, to remember the victims of the attacks, which killed almost 3,000 people.
Saudi Arabia’s name came to the fore soon after the attacks, as investigators concluded that 15 of the 19 hijackers involved in the raids were of Saudi origin.
More Americans now say they are concerned about domestic extremism than threats posed from overseas, according to a survey by The Associated Press (AP) and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The survey found 65 percent of US respondents were either extremely concerned or very concerned about US-based extremist groups, while 50 percent said the same of extremist groups based outside of the country.
US law enforcement authorities have formerly warned that domestic violent extremist groups, particularly those who advocate for the superiority of the white race, pose the greatest threat to the nation.
