Overview
2021 “Save America” Rally D.C. Protest refers to the riots and demonstrations that occurred around Washington D.C. in early January 2021 due to supporters of Donald Trump alleging that there was widespread voter fraud or sabotage during the 2020 presidential election in order to help Joe Biden win. Although evidence disproved many of these claims, supporters asserted that Trump was robbed of the election due to vote-counting fraud they believe took place in several swing states. A decentralized network of groups, including the Stop the Steal movement, began hosting rallies in D.C. on January 5th ahead of the Electoral College certification, which erupted into violent clashes with police near the Capitol Building the following day that caused a lockdown in the senate and an evacuation of Vice President Mike Pence.
Background
On January 5th, 2021, supporters of President Trump, organized by the Stop the Steal movement and other groups, began holding rallies and demonstrations in Washington D.C. a day before the Electoral College certification took place in Congress, which would certify that Joe Biden won the presidential election. Demonstrators asserted that the election was stolen as speakers in the crowd repeated election conspiracy theories throughout the night, which were initially mostly peaceful into Wednesday morning with few arrests made.
Developments
Protesters Storm Capitol Building
Around 1 p.m., coverage on social media of the supporters storming the grounds of the Capitol as they tore through fences and barricades began sweeping the web. One such video was tweeted by Twitter user Julio Rosas, which received half a million views, 4,500 likes and 3,000 retweets in three hours (seen below).
Trump supporters are storming the grounds of the Capitol Building and tearing down fencing. pic.twitter.com/rEBIC9IUJq
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) January 6, 2021
This is going to get bad.
Patriots and Capitol Police continue to face off.
Look at all the blood on the ground…. #WashingtonDC #DCProtests pic.twitter.com/28hodMm1aK— Kitty Boomhauer (@KBoomhauer) January 6, 2021
Cops are taking selfies with the terrorists. pic.twitter.com/EjkQ83h1p2
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) January 6, 2021
Senate Shooting
As a group of protesters attempted to break through a door of the Capitol, reports emerged of shots fired in the building resulting in one woman being shot in the neck by police. Twitter user TaylerUSA tweeted footage of the shooting shortly after, which was viewed over 2.1 million times in one hour (seen below).
Warning Graphic Content NFSW
A young woman was just shot in the neck right besides me in the Capitol Building pic.twitter.com/hLQo4IP8J1
— Tayler Hansen (@TaylerUSA) January 6, 2021
Trump’s Statement and Response
After continued violence between protesters and police, Trump tweeted a video of his response where he told protesters to go home while also continuing his rhetoric that he won the election. The video received over 10.5 million views in an hour, as well as a disclaimer that his statements of election fraud were disputed (shown below).
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021
Nancy Pelosi’s Computer
One such viral image was shared by Twitter user ElijahSchaffer who claimed they were inside Nancy Pelosi’s office viewing her computer screen (seen below, left). The tweet has since been deleted but became an exploitable meme format where users swapped various images onto the screen (seen below, right).
Protesters In Senate Chamber Dias and Lounging In Desks
Other images of protesters in the chamber or in offices were also widely spread online, including someone shouting from the dais shared by Twitter user igorbobic, which was similarly used in memes (shown below, left). Numerous images of people lounging at desks in the Capitol were also spread, including one from Twitter user PUNISHEDASH (shown below, right).
Man Carrying Podium
A photo of a man walking in the Capitol Building while stealing a podium adorned with a U.S. seal was similarly memed by many online after Twitter user AnthonyQuintano tweeted a photo of them, receiving over 300 likes and 400 retweets in roughly two hours (shown below).
Viking Protester
Another man photographed wearing a fur hood adorned with horns also went viral after his image was shared, including a tweet from Twitter user BDSixsmith that received over 13,000 likes and 3,600 retweets in two hours (seen below, left). Memes depicting the “Viking Protester,” such as a Wojak variant (seen below, right), spread online shortly after.
Meme Examples
Search Interest
Know Your Meme Store
External References
Source: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/2021-save-america-rally-dc-protest