We looked through hours of footage from the Capitol riot to decode the symbols that Trump supporters brought with them, revealing some ongoing threats to US democracy. 👇
One symbol belongs to the #OathKeepers, one of the largest antigovernment militia organizations in the US today. Members of the group showed up armed to #BlackLivesMatter protests and polling sites in recent months. https://www.insider.com/louisville-protesters-militia-clash-following-breonna-taylor-grand-jury-2020-9
Another symbol belongs to #QAnon, a movement that believes, groundlessly, that a cabal of Satan worshipping child abusers control the world, which Trump is working to dismantle. https://www.businessinsider.com/qanon-senator-sasse-says-conspiracy-is-destroying-the-republican-party-2021-1
Jacob Chansley, otherwise known as "Q Shaman," had tattoos of Viking and Norse symbology inked on his torso. While these symbols don't necessarily have racist origins, they have been appropriated by white-supremacist and neo-Nazi movements. https://www.businessinsider.com/prosecutors-qanon-shaman-capitol-rioters-meant-to-capture-assassinate-pence-2021-1
The #DontTreadOnMe flag was used during the American Revolution as a call for unification against outside oppressors. However, it has now assumed a new political meaning of rebellion, intolerance, and hate by Republicans at protests. https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-history-and-meaning-of-yellow-gadsden-flag-2021-1
One Capitol insurrectionist wore a "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt, referring to the concentration and death camp in Poland that was used by Nazi Germany to kill 1.1 million Jews, Poles, Roma, and more. https://www.insider.com/man-wearing-camp-auschwitz-sweatshirt-capitol-siege-arrested-2021-1
A simple hand gesture has been used among Trump supporters that at first glance appears to be an "OK" hand sign, but is actually a common symbol among the far-right and white supremacists to mean "White Power." https://www.businessinsider.com/video-man-at-trump-rally-florida-makes-white-supremacy-gesture-2020-10
Some symbols, like the Confederate flag, had never been seen inside the US Capitol. New footage reveals just what it was like to be among the insurrectionists as they took the building.
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