Fencing To Be Reinstalled Around Capitol Ahead Of ‘Justice For J6’ Rally

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Capitol Police approved a plan Monday to put up a fence around the U.S. Capitol building for Saturday’s demonstration in support of the jailed suspects in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

The Capitol Police Board also issued an emergency declaration that will go into effect at the time of Saturday’s demonstration. The declaration allows the Capitol Police to deputize outside law enforcement officers as U.S. Capitol Police Special Officers.

“We want to reassure everyone these are temporary measures to ensure everyone’s safety,” Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said in a statement Monday. “We are extremely grateful for the support we continue to receive from the local community and our Congressional stakeholders as we carry out our critical mission.”

The Capitol Police said it is aware of “concerning online chatter” about Saturday’s demonstration.

“We are here to protect everyone’s First Amendment right to peacefully protest,” Manger said. “I urge anyone who is thinking about causing trouble to stay home. We will enforce the law and not tolerate violence.”

Manger's announcement came a few hours after the Capitol Police arrested a California man outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters who had a machete and bayonet in his pickup truck and had a swastika painted on the side of the vehicle.

Since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, the Capitol Police said it has improved training, created a Critical Incident Response Plan, acquired additional equipment and technology, and launched a department-wide operation planning process.

Over the past month, the department also said it has held planning meetings for the demonstration and is sharing intelligence information with officers, law enforcement partners and Congress.

In March, the Capitol Police removed the outer fencing around the complex that had been put in place after the Jan. 6 insurrection. In July, the inner fencing installed around the Capitol the day after the Jan. 6 insurrection was fully removed.

The "Justice for J6" rally is scheduled to take place at noon Saturday on the west lawn of the Capitol. The rally is being organized by Matt Braynard, a former Trump campaign staffer who estimates the permitted event will attract about 700 people.

Many Trump supporters claim that people arrested in connection with their involvement in the insurrection are political prisoners who are being unfairly prosecuted.

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