AUSTIN, Texas — On Thursday, the one-year anniversary of the U.S. Capitol insurrection, several local and state leaders gathered for a vigil at the Texas Capitol in Austin.
Indivisible Austin hosted the vigil starting at 6 p.m. "to remember the events of the Jan. 6 insurrection, honor the victims who lost their lives defending our nation’s capitol, and stand up for our democracy."
It was also set to include speeches from the elected officials and activists listed below.
- Lloyd Doggett, U.S. Congressman for Texas District 35
- Gina Hinojosa, Texas House Representative for District 49
- Viki Goodwin, Texas House Representative for District 47
- Celia Israel, Texas House Representative for District 50
- Joe Jaworski, former mayor of Galveston, Texas
- Kim Gilby, chair of the Williamson County Democratic Party
- Mark Trahan, chair of the Hays County Democratic Party
- Clayton Tucker, chair of the Lampasas County Democratic Party
- Ash Hall, founder of Justice Strategies LLC
- Nancy Thompson, founder of Mothers Against Greg Abbott
The event marks the anniversary of the attack when supporters of former President Donald Trump pushed past U.S. Capitol Police and other agencies to storm the Capitol building, breaking windows and forcibly entering congressmembers' chambers, all in an effort to interrupt and stop the certification of then-President-elect Joe Biden's victory. Protesters were then claiming that Biden had illegally won the 2020 election.
The deadly event left more than 100 law enforcement officers injured and caused more than $1 million in property damage.
After protesters were removed, Congress reconvened that night to certify Biden's victory in the 2020 election. The president spoke Thursday morning, blaming Trump for the attack at the Capitol.
"For the first time in our history, a president not just lost an election, he tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob breached the Capitol," Biden said Thursday morning. "But they failed."
Vice President Kamala Harris, who was at the Capitol the morning of the attack, recalled the events and also looked ahead, calling for the passage of voting rights bills to ensure free and fair elections.
"We cannot sit on the sidelines," Harris said. "We must unite in defense of our democracy in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and to our prosperity and posterity."
To prevent this kind of attack from happening again, advocates are demanding that elected leaders pass urgent legislation, including the Freedom to Vote Act, the Protecting Our Democracy Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and D.C. statehood.
The anniversary event in Austin is one of more than 300 events that will take place across the country, including one at the U.S. Capitol. The vigil was held at the front steps of the south main entrance of the Texas Capitol.
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