News

The Capitol Hill Insurrectionists Had Some Trouble Staying on Message

VICE News compiled clips of the rants, chants, cries, and pleas from the crowd as the insurrection proceeded, reflecting the range of motivations and ideologies at play.

In one of the most surreal events in American history, a mob of the defeated president’s supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington last week to try to stop the certification of the Electoral College vote. They broke down barriers, destroyed windows, attacked police, and threatened the lawmakers inside the building with death. By the end of the day, one police officer and four protesters had died in the carnage.

Advertisement

But it seems not everyone in the crowd was on the same page.

If you listen to their comments, cries, and chants as the invasion unfolded, there was quite a range of motivations and ideologies at play. A study of the footage recorded of the event shows a pattern common to protests that devolve into chaos: an incoherent and inconsistent message. Here’s a selective compilation of some of the more bizarre and nightmarish things overheard at the Capitol Hill insurrection.