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On 6 January, violent insurrectionists attacked our democracy.
They descended upon our Capitol intent on stopping Congress from recognizing the results of the 2020 election.
They erected gallows and maniacally laid siege on the building.
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They descended upon our Capitol intent on stopping Congress from recognizing the results of the 2020 election.
They erected gallows and maniacally laid siege on the building.
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As violent insurrectionists attacked our Capitol and our very democracy, police officers like Officer Fanone literally fought to protect everyone inside the building.
Police officers like Officer Fanone literally fought to protect our Democratic Republic.
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Police officers like Officer Fanone literally fought to protect our Democratic Republic.
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Police officers were beaten and brutalized.
Insurrectionists - our fellow citizens incited by lies and conspiracies - attacked the police with bear spray, bike racks, broken scaffolding, fire extinguishers, and even American flag poles.
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Insurrectionists - our fellow citizens incited by lies and conspiracies - attacked the police with bear spray, bike racks, broken scaffolding, fire extinguishers, and even American flag poles.
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Officer Fanone joined the lines of police officers desperately trying to protect everyone inside the Capitol complex.
Members of Congress, legislative staff, custodial and food service staff, journalists, and the Vice President of the United States.
We were all in danger.
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Members of Congress, legislative staff, custodial and food service staff, journalists, and the Vice President of the United States.
We were all in danger.
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And brave police officers protected us. They fought to hold the line against the violence of the insurrectionists.
They fought to hold the line to protect our democracy.
Officer Fanone was beaten with fists and metal objects. He was stripped of his magazine and his badge.
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They fought to hold the line to protect our democracy.
Officer Fanone was beaten with fists and metal objects. He was stripped of his magazine and his badge.
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Officer Fanone was electrocuted multiple times with a taser, and suffered a heart attack.
More than 140 officers were injured with head injuries, cracked ribs, smashed spinal disks, gouged eyes, burns, irritated lungs, and lost fingers. Countless more suffer ongoing trauma.
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More than 140 officers were injured with head injuries, cracked ribs, smashed spinal disks, gouged eyes, burns, irritated lungs, and lost fingers. Countless more suffer ongoing trauma.
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I was in the House Chamber during the attack, and I was with a group that couldn’t evacuate because violent insurrectionists had already surrounded the Chamber and our egress routes.
Police officers fought to keep them from reaching us.
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Police officers fought to keep them from reaching us.
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I was in the Chamber during the assault on the Capitol.
I was there as colleagues prayed and cried, and as we deployed gas masks, climbed across the gallery seating, and took cover between rows of seats, following the commands of the police officers fighting to keep us safe.
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I was there as colleagues prayed and cried, and as we deployed gas masks, climbed across the gallery seating, and took cover between rows of seats, following the commands of the police officers fighting to keep us safe.
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During the insurrection, I texted my husband dark-humored updates as I tried to stay calm but worried about how he would tell my children about the attack.
I took a selfie of myself smiling so that in case things ended poorly, my kids would know I had been ok.
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I took a selfie of myself smiling so that in case things ended poorly, my kids would know I had been ok.
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Insurrectionists roamed the U.S. Capitol defacing its structure and defecating in its halls.
They went hunting for Members of Congress and the Vice President, prepared with flexicuffs and kitted up in tactical gear.
But their efforts to thwart our democracy failed.
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They went hunting for Members of Congress and the Vice President, prepared with flexicuffs and kitted up in tactical gear.
But their efforts to thwart our democracy failed.
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The insurrectionists failed to thwart our democracy because of the bravery of the US Capitol and DC MPD Officers who fought to save it, and they failed to harm lawmakers because they fought to protect us.
There can be no downplaying the violence or the traitorous intent.
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There can be no downplaying the violence or the traitorous intent.
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Every American should read Officer Fanone’s statement.
Like many officers, he risked everything and suffered greatly to protect the Capitol, everyone in it, and ultimately our democracy.
He knows how horrible that day was, and he knows how much worse it could have been.
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Like many officers, he risked everything and suffered greatly to protect the Capitol, everyone in it, and ultimately our democracy.
He knows how horrible that day was, and he knows how much worse it could have been.
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