MAGA rioters destroy television cameras and chase down news crews at the US Capitol
MAGA rioters have turned on the media, destroying television cameras and chasing down news crews trying to report on the ongoing carnage at the US Capitol that has so far left one woman dead.
An angry mob of Donald Trump supporters were caught on camera swarming a media crew set up outside the capitol building and smashing up thousands of dollars worth of equipment on Wednesday.
Journalists and TV crews were forced to abandon the area and flee as the violent thugs wielding sticks pushed over metal barricades and entered the area they had set up in.
The mob roared with cheers as they kicked over lights and cameras, battered the equipment with flags and sticks and poured water over the electrical gear.
MAGA rioters have turned on the media, destroying television cameras and chasing down news crews trying to report on the carnage at the US Capitol that has so far left one
An angry mob of Donald Trump supporters were caught on camera swarming a media crew set up outside the capitol building and smashing up thousands of dollars worth of equipment
Journalists and TV crews were forced to abandon the area and flee as the violent thugs wielding sticks pushed over a barricade and entered the area they had set up in
The mob roared with cheers as they kicked over lights and cameras, battered them with flags and sticks
Some of the crowd then made a noose from the camera cord and hung it from a tree while one man was seen trying to set fire to equipment as it lay in ruins on the ground.
‘We are the news now,’ shouted one man, according to Buzzfeed reporter Paul McLeod.
Another Trump supporter then congratulated the vandals on their work, who told him it was ‘beautiful’.
‘You’re all patriots! I love all of you,’ he said.
One of the culprits replied: ‘You missed it bud. We bum rushed it all. It was beautiful.’
Separate footage of the incident shared by Julia Rosas on social media showed one man swinging a flag pole at the media crew, while others shouted threats to ‘get out of here’ as the crew quickly backed away.
Some of the equipment that was left destroyed was branded Associated Press while reports on social media said Fox – once Trump’s favorite outlet – had also been targeted.
The attack on the press comes as Trump has repeatedly blasted what he calls the ‘lamestream media’ and called journalists ‘the enemy of the people’.
Even Fox has felt the president’s wrath of late, after the outlet was first to call Arizona for Joe Biden on November 3 – setting off a furious phone call between Trump and media magnate Rupert Murdoch.
Some of the crowd
then made a noose from the camera cord and hung it from a tree, according to Buzzfeed reporter Paul McLeod
‘We are the news now,’ shouted one man, according to Buzzfeed as another Trump supporter then congratulated the vandals on their work
A vandal is seen destroying the equipment in ongoing scenes of chaos in Washington DC Wednesday
Some of the equipment that was left destroyed was branded Associated Press while reports on social media said Fox – once Trump’s favorite outlet – had also been targeted
People – some sporting MAGA hats – surveyed the damage as the capitol building looms in the background
One Trump supporter is seen trying to set some of the equipment alight outside the Capitol building
One man is seen dowsing water over the gear in an effort to ruin it further after news crews fled
While chaos ensued outside the US Capitol Wednesday, it was nothing compared to the unprecedented violence that broke out inside the seat of government.
MAGA supporters stormed inside the building and violently clashed with police in a bid to stop Joe Biden’s victory being certified, causing lawmakers to take cover and flee to an undisclosed location for safety while the building went into lockdown.
One female Trump supporter, identified as US Air Force veteran Ashli Babbit of San Diego, died after being shot in the chest.
It was not immediately clear who shot the woman and an investigation is ongoing.
Dozens of police were also reportedly injured and at least one pipe bomb was found on the grounds.
Several prominent Trump supporters posed for photos at the Senate dais moments after Vice President Mike Pence delivered his rebuke to Donald Trump there while others broke into Nancy Pelosi’s office, with one man later boasting about looting an envelope from the House Speaker’s desk.
President-elect Joe Biden addressed the nation in a speech telling the ‘mob to pull back’ and urging President Donald Trump to tell his fans to stop the violence and leave the Capitol building.
Supporters of Donald Trump are seen inside the US Capitol after rioters breached security and entered the Capitol
Capitol police officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress
An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while Trump supporters gather in front of the Capitol on Wednesday
Trump finally gave an address from the White House later in the afternoon telling his ‘very special’ supporters that he loves them and understands their pain but asking them ‘to go home’.
This came just hours after he held a rally where he had encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol in protest at the certification of Biden’s win and where his personal attorney and the man who spearheaded his failed election legal battle – Rudy Giuliani – told supporters to pursue a ‘trial by combat’.
The National Guard was deployed to help police enforce a 6pm curfew in Washington DC to stem the violence and the building was briefly secured.
Another lockdown was issued in the evening due to an ‘internal security threat’ after an officer was reportedly found unconscious.
At around 8pm lawmakers flanked by armed guards began arriving back at the Capitol to resume the Joint Session to certify the Electoral College count of the presidential election.
Vice President Mike Pence condemned the violent siege as he reopened the Senate telling the perpetrators ‘violence never wins. Freedom wins. And this is still the people’s house.’
