Small crowd gathers near the Capitol to protest the treatment of those jailed in the January 6 riot

WASHINGTON – A small, peaceful crowd gathered in Washington on Saturday to protest what organizers say was the unfair treatment of those charged in the Jan.6 riot on Capitol Hill.

The rally ended less than 90 minutes after starting around 12 p.m. ET in Union Square, a small park just west and prominent in the Capitol.

Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee said the crowds were “about what we expected” and the increased police presence may have reduced the numbers. “I hope it had some impact,” he said in a pre-rally interview.

In the afternoon, the United States Capitol Police estimated that, excluding law enforcement, 400 to 450 people were inside the protest zone.

Matt Braynard, executive director of Look Ahead America and organizer of the event, wrote on Twitter that he expected “a 100% peaceful event in support of non-violent offenders … who have been charged.”

Addressing the crowd on Saturday, Braynard said, “It’s not about President Trump or Biden or your political party. It’s about human rights and civil rights.”

More than 600 people have been arrested in the eight-plus months since the Jan.6 attack, more than 50 of whom have pleaded guilty to various federal crimes. Six were found guilty by the court, according to the Ministry of Justice.

Lori Smith, 58, an Atlanta-area paralegal, was among the group in attendance. She said she opposed the storming of the Capitol but believes some of those charged are political prisoners and that the officer who shot Ashli ​​Babbitt should be tried like Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis officer who was convicted of the murder of George Floyd in police custody.

The officer who shot Babbitt was cleared by the Justice Department and Capitol Police.

Smith said she expected better turnout and had a low opinion of members of both parties in Congress.

“If a nuclear bomb were to fall on this Capitol building,” she said, pointing to the dome behind her, “I would celebrate.”

Mary Beth Cronin, 56, drove eight hours overnight from outside Hartford, Connecticut, arriving early with a friend.

She said the media misinterpreted what happened on January 6, rounding up nonviolent protesters with “a few bad apples.”

“I don’t condone violence,” Cronin said. “Anyone who was violent that day, I condemn. “

As she surveyed the sparse crowd an hour before the scheduled start, she said it was important to attend because she believes the Tories have too often been silent.

“Even though we’re the only two people here,” she said, “I still believe what we’re doing is right. “

Law enforcement officers wore riot gear during the rally in case of violence, gear that many police officers did not have on January 6.

On Saturday afternoon, Capitol police announced four arrests. During a traffic stop on Saturday morning, two people were arrested on felony arrest warrants outside of Texas.

About 40 minutes after the event began on Saturday, USCP said officers arrested a man with a knife for a weapons violation.

The other arrest took place around 1:30 p.m., police said, when someone saw what appeared to be a handgun on a man in the crowd. He was detained and charged with illegal activities.

Law enforcement coordinated their response to the protest in an attempt to avoid the chaos of the Jan.6 attack on the Capitol. Authorities were also organizing a police presence at events scheduled for Saturday in other parts of Washington, including an annual street festival northeast of the Capitol.

Authorities had erected fences earlier in the week around the Capitol and the Supreme Court, held “tabletop” rehearsals to plan to fight the violence and promised that police would be visible throughout the city.

Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said on Friday there had been intelligence “talks” about possible violence on Saturday and said he was most concerned about clashes between protesters participating in the rally and counter-demonstrators.

Before the rally, Karen Irwin, 46, a counter-protester, rolled a cart with homemade signs, including one that read: “Terrorists are not political prisoners.”

“We are back for their Insurgency 2.0,” Irwin said. “We must have dissenting voices. “

Asked about an antifa sign, she replied that she was not part of a group.

“I don’t know of any organization,” she said. “If you are American, you are an antifa member – you are an anti-fascist.”

The potential for chaos made the rally politically toxic to leading Republicans, many of whom keep the lie at the heart of the assault on Capitol Hill: Former President Donald Trump’s defeat was the result of election rigging.

Trump, who was impeached by the House in January for his role in inciting violence, said Thursday that rioters had been “persecuted” by the Justice Department.

“Our hearts and minds are with those so unjustly persecuted in connection with the January 6 protest over the rigged presidential election,” Trump said in a statement. “On top of everything else, it has conclusively proven that we are a two-tier justice system. Ultimately, however, JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!”

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But the former president, who was acquitted by the Senate, and other Republican officials keep their distance from gatherings. Neither he nor any member of Congress attended the protest in Washington.