Fox News Flash top headlines for September 18
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In a city still on edge after the Jan. 6 insurrection, law enforcement bore down in large numbers on the Capitol on Saturday over concerns that a rally in support of the jailed rioters would turn violent. It didn’t.
The crowd was sparse and incidents were few. The only clear parallels to the riots more than eight months ago were the false claims put forth by the rally organizers about the violence that January day when Congress met to certify the election of Joe Biden.
Saturday's rally turned out to draw more press and police than protesters.
The low turnout also called into question whether such rallies will have any staying power as the organizers attempt to tap into the rage of Jan. 6 without the presence of the former president. Turnout was so low that the media ended up having a larger presence than the protestors, which is an underwhelming number compared to what law enforcement thought originally.
People attend a rally near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
COPS AND PROTESTERS GATHER AT US CAPITOL FOR ‘JUSTICE FOR J6’ RALLY
Law enforcement had prepared for a confrontation by erecting temporary fencing around the Capitol and deploying heavy dump trucks to ring the rally site. Local police departments and the U.S. National Guard were on standby.
The security might have been unnecessary in the end, but the volatility around the lie that the 2020 election was stolen and the presence of extremists and white nationalist groups on Jan. 6 have made it impossible to predict how such events will go.
U.S. Capitol Police said they received intelligence information leading up to the weekend that was similar to what was missed in January, when law enforcement was only expecting a free speech protest and Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol.
Republican lawmakers, including those who had voted that day to challenge Biden’s election, avoided Saturday’s rally. Rally organizer Matt Braynard took elected officials to task for not backing up those now in jail and introduced candidates who are running for elected office.
CAPITOL POLICE RECOMMEND JAN. 6 OFFICERS FOR DISCIPLINE
Police stage at a security fence ahead of a rally near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
CAPITOL POLICE BRACING FOR ‘JUSTICE FOR J6’ RALLY IN SUPPORT OF JAN. 6 ALLEGED RIOTERS
Counterprotesters stood by and jeered. Some held anti-Trump signs and one man who had confronted some of the pro-Trump protesters was quickly removed by police, who used bicycles to shield him from the crowd as they escorted him down the street.
One person was arrested in the crowd for carrying a knife and a second man was arrested after someone reported to officers that they saw him carrying what appeared to be a handgun, police said. Two other people who police say were wanted in Texas – for a firearms charge and probation violation – were also arrested after being pulled over near the Capitol Saturday morning.
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Police circle a man, center with glasses, during a rally near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. The rally was planned by allies of former President Donald Trump and aimed at supporting the so-called "political prisoners" of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
