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A police officer at the Capitol was seen appearing to take a selfie with a protester after the U.S. Capitol was evacuated. Earlier, members of Congress were told to wear gas masks as they were evacuated, and President Donald Trump tweeted and asked supporters to act peacefully.
A Capitol Police Officer Posed for a Selfie with a Protester
The moment was captured on a live stream video from within the U.S. Capitol, showing a man dressed in a yellow vest that read “POLICE” posing for a selfie photo. A Capitol Police officer can be seen posing for a selfie with a protester inside the Capitol. Neither man has been identified, but the man in the police vest appeared to be in uniform and wearing a patch that said Capitol Police.
Here’s a screenshot of that moment.
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One person on Twitter referred to the selfie moment as being “white privilege.”
Others had a different take, saying the cop was trying to de-escalate the situation by allowing the selfie.
The full live stream from inside the Capitol is still ongoing and can be watched below. It was shared by a YouTube account called PaulyFrog.
Trump supporters successfully breached the U.S. Capitol after a Stop the Steal rally in Washington D.C. that Trump spoke at. While at the rally, Trump had encouraged them to march on to the Capitol, but later asked them to act peacefully after videos emerged of protesters fighting with federal police. You can see one of the videos below.
This is another angle showing some supporters clashing with police.
News also circulated earlier that some Capitol police officers had been injured and had to be evacuated.
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to ask supporters not to fight the federal police. He wrote: “Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!”
Ivanka Trump tweeted a similar sentiment, calling the protesters American Patriots but asking them to stop. She wrote: “American Patriots – any breach or disrespect to our law enforcement is unacceptable. The violence must stop immediately. Please be peaceful.”
She later deleted the tweet, Business Insider reported, and said that only peaceful protests are patriotic.
Trump Released a Video on Twitter Asking Protesters to Go Home
Trump released a video on Twitter in the late afternoon asking protesters to go home. He still claimed the election was stolen in the video and claimed the opposition knew it too. But then he encouraged protesters to go home.
“But you have to go home now,” he said. “We have to have peace. We have to have law and order. We have to respect our great people in law and order. We don’t want anybody hurt. It’s a very tough period of time. There’s never been a time like this.”
He repeated more claims about the election and then said, “Go home. We love you. … I know how you feel, but go home and go home in peace.”
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