As pro-Trump protesters stormed the Capitol building, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a citywide curfew starting at 6 p.m today, Wednesday.
Announcing the curfew in a tweeted statement, the Mayor said it will remain in effect until 6:00 a.m. Thursday.
The Electoral College certification vote has since been paused after protesters incited by US President Trump breached the Capitol building.
The Mayor stated;
Today, I’m ordering a citywide curfew for the District of Columbia from 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 6, until 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 7.
Today, I’m ordering a citywide curfew for the District of Columbia from 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 6, until 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 7. pic.twitter.com/lp6Pt3DcYC
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) January 6, 2021
The US House and Senate were forced into emergency recess on Wednesday after protesters supportive of outgoing President Donald Trump breached security cordons and entered the Capitol building after clashing with police.
Congressman Jim McGovern while banging down the gavel as loud shouts and disturbances could be heard in the public galleries in the chamber, said; “Without objection the chair declares the House in recess”.
Ms Bowser, a Democrat, on Twitter added;
Public, COVID-19 testing sites are closed this evening. If you are experiencing symptoms, please stay home, isolate, and call your doctor.
Public, COVID-19 testing sites are closed this evening. If you are experiencing symptoms, please stay home, isolate, and call your doctor.
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) January 6, 2021
As she spoke, thousands of protesters who had overwhelmed police officers continued to cheer outside of the Capitol building and waved flags on the steps. She said the order did not apply to “essential workers,” including reporters.
Protesters with Trump flags breached the Capitol, forcing the closure of the Senate chamber. Senate pages were herded to the back of the room, as Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, could be heard yelling, “Lock the door”.
Dozens of Trump supporters rushed to the East Front entrance to the Senate side of the Capitol, including some who repeatedly hit the locked doors with batons and poles.
One played a recording of President Trump’s false claims of election fraud on a speaker. Another shouted, “We will not take it anymore”.
Officials at the US Capitol declared a lockdown, and lawmakers said on Twitter that they were sheltering in place in their offices, as protesters — some of them holding Trump flags — were seen walking through the building.
