I remember watching the live news coverage of the storming of the Capitol Building on January 6th as it was relayed on TV late at night into my home. It seemed incredible that such a thing was actually happening in the perceived great bastion of Western Democracy, but there it was, in front of my own eyes, a large mob taking over the American parliament during the session at which the recent election result was to be ratified, confirming the end of Donald Trump's highly controversial presidency.
As the day begins, we hear Trump's address to his followers, promoting his belief that the election had been fixed against him and encouraging his supporters to march to "stop the steal" to coin his own phrase. And so a massive crowd estimated at 15000, from different parts of the country gathered to make their dissent known to their own lawmakers. Meanwhile, of course, Trump was out on the golf-course and besides the provocative speeches he'd made since the dusputed election count, had already stated he wouldn't do the traditional thing and attend new president Biden's inauguration ceremony...talk about lighting the fuse and then turning away!
This gripping 90 minute documentary showed what happened at first hand that day with mobile phone, police body-cam and interior CCTV footage showing the rioters' violent rampage into the once-hallowed building, overrunning in the process the thinly-spread official police protection on duty that day. Chronicled as it happened, with contributions from all sides of the divide, this was riveting to watch as the viewer is effectively given a box-seat at the heart of the action. There is actual footage shown of the shooting of the female insurgent although surprisingly nothing of the widely publicised break-In to the office of the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi.
At one point, I was actually reminded of nothing so much as the famous defence at Thermopylae by the 300 Spartans as the police strove man and woman-fully to hold back the teeming mob intent on entry and causing them harm in the process. This contrasted with the cowardly use of improvised weaponry and sheer weight of numbers the protesters employed against the building's defenders. We get verité accounts from some of the acting police personnel, none more arresting than that from the obviously tough, army-hardened officer who was dragged out of his position and who feared he was about to be lynched. Beaten and tasered, he miraculously survived, but in a telling statistic, six other of his fellow-officers who fought a brave rearguard action alongside him, were revealed to have committed suicide as a result of the trauma suffered, although the balancing point was made that about the same number of attackers had also died that fateful day.
It was amazing and not a little outrageous to hear the assorted ragbag of marchers justifying their actions. Absolutely no respect was shown for the building, its staff, politicians and by extension its symbolism of democracy to the people. Contrast this with the commentaries by the building's office staff, senators and security staff, many of whom feared for their lives. I personally believe that it's impossible to absolve Trump from at least some blame in this sorry incident which shamed a nation.
I felt the film at times tried too hard to balance up the opposing views, allowing some of the MAGA interviewees to promote their own agenda with some incredibly blinkered views. The camera doesn't lie however and this was mob-rule in action, at times genuinely distressing and frightening to watch, it did almost seem as if a coup was under way.
Thank goodness law and order was eventually restored but at what cost to the democratic ideal of the United States of America...
