Mood in Washington morphs from shock to anger following Capitol riot

S The streets were quiet in Washington DC this weekend as the city processed what unfolded in the nation’s capital this week.

Around Capitol Hill, the iconic marble dome of the US Capitol continued to loom majestically over the cityscape, a reminder that American democracy will endure.

On every street corner around the building, armed law enforcement personnel in camouflage gear protected the site. “A bit late,” was the sentiment of locals who took a moment to stop as they cycled or jogged by on Saturday morning. But, for most, the sense of relief was palpable as the towering dome glistened gloriously in the sun.

In the wake of Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol, a two-metre fence had been erected around the perimeter of the Capitol grounds.

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Across the street on the east side of the building, one lone guard stood outside the supreme court, so recently the site of vigils for the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A row of three-foot high metal fencing was protecting the site – a pitiful reminder of the fragile barriers that Capitol police had in place on Wednesday. Now, workers were beginning to put in place new two-metre fencing around the court, leaving nothing to chance as the city braces for possible further protests.

Closer to the Capitol, I approached the now heavily-fortified perimeter with my press identification. A group of polite US army personnel permitted me to enter. Walking up the stately marble steps, I was mindful of the two soldiers holding weapons and watching closely. After passing through the small metal detector, manned by a member of the US Capitol police, I entered.

The familiar hush of the formal interior descended, the air rich with the smells of polished mahogany and ancient books and files.

The cavernous building was virtually empty. On the main corridor linking the Senate rooms to the Rotunda, the silence was broken by a man vacuuming smashed glass under the windows where rioters broke through on Wednesday. Nancy Pelosi’s office was no longer identifiable, the sign over the door carried out by looters on Wednesday.

As my footsteps echoed through the labyrinthine corridors I entered the famous Rotunda.

Trump flags

Beneath the enormous dome, designed to recall the Roman Pantheon, the space was virtually empty. A painter spoke in Spanish on the phone as he held his brush aloft, his chatter ricocheting off the curves of the sandstone walls.

Just days before, one of the most famous buildings in America had been ransacked by a mob of frenzied supporters of Donald Trump. For more than two hours, the rioters roamed the corridors of the Capitol, breaching the legislative chambers, ransacking offices and terrifying lawmakers, congressional staff, journalists and police.

The floors were strewn with smashed historic artifacts mingled with cigarette butts and Trump flags after the riots were eventually quelled.

Staff and even members of Congress worked for hours to clean up the evidence of the assault on the Capitol. But the memory of the events of January 6th will take longer to fade.

In the days following the storming of the complex, the mood in Washington has morphed from one of shock to anger, much of it directed towards Trump, who encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol.

As more detail has emerged about the events of Wednesday, the call for accountability has intensified.

A photograph shows at least one rioter with plastic flexi-cuffs, often used by police in riots for mass arrests, in the Senate chamber, prompting speculation that some were planning to restrain members or take them hostage.

Chants of rioters shouting “Hang Mike Pence” have shaken lawmakers. Others shouted “Where’s Nancy?”

A graphic video of a police officer’s head being crushed in a door has also emerged.

As the gravity of Wednesday’s events becomes even more clear as the days pass, the people who work in the literal and symbolic heart of American lawmaking are demanding answers – from law enforcement, from Republicans and from Trump.

Whether this leads to the removal of the US president in his final days in office remains to be seen.