USA. Assault on the Capitol. Joe Biden honored the policemen defending Congress

On January 6, 2021 it happened the attack on the Capitol. The supporters of the ending President Donald Trump, who had previously surrounded the building, burst into the building. There was a brutal riot. The meeting of the US Congress, which met to approve Joe Biden’s election victory, was temporarily interrupted.

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On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed a bill awarding Congressional Gold Medals to the Capitol Police (USCP) and Washington Police (MPD) for defending Congress’ buildings.

As the US President said, January 6 was a historic event in the history of the United States, because even during the Civil War, the Congress building was not attacked as it happened on that day.

“A mob of extremists and terrorists has carried out a brutal and lethal attack on the people’s home and a sacred ritual to validate the election results,” said the president. As he added, it was an “existential threat” and “a test of whether democracy would survive”.

– Our democracy has survived. Truth overcame lies. It’s thanks to the men and women of the Capitol Police and Washington Metropolitan Police, Biden said.

“Like many Americans, I watched in absolute shock as our Capitol was under siege and the people inside feared for their lives. We know that countless acts of courage have taken place during this attack, said Vice President Kamala Harris, who attended the ceremony, during the signing ceremony. The policemen who defended the Capitol “defended democracy”, she said.

– These are heroes. These are patriots – she added.

According to the law, four medals were minted: one for the Metropolitan Police and the Capitol Police, and two others, containing the names of all the agencies involved in the events of January 6, which are to be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution museum complex and inside the Capitol.

The awarding of Congressional Gold Medals to police officers – one of the highest awards in the USA – was passed by law in August by the American parliament. While the bill was passed unanimously in the Senate, 21 Republican MPs voted against. Some of them justified their vote with the objection to the term “insurrection” in the act for describing the events of January 6.

One Capitol police officer, Brian Sicknick, was killed in the riots and more than 240 were injured. Four officers committed suicides in the weeks after the events.

– We know that there are many officers who are still struggling with injuries, both visible and invisible. We want you to know that you are not alone, Harris said.