If the truth shall prevail, here is how history will remember January 6: peaceful demonstrators were finally fed up with a government that had become outwardly tyrannical. The following commentary was adapted from remarks delivered at an event in Toms River, New Jersey, by the Patriot Freedom Project, an organization committed to shedding light on the plight of January 6 defendants and their families.
Today we commemorate the third anniversary of one of the darkest days in our country’s recent history—though not for the reasons the Left believes. The tragedy of January 6, 2021, was not that it was an “attack on our democracy,” let alone an “insurrection.” Rather, it was an opportunity for the deep state to finally remove its mask and begin the persecution and imprisonment of American citizens, innocent patriots labeled domestic terrorists merely for exercising their First Amendment right to peaceably assemble on public property. The vast majority of these individuals did not commit any acts of violence on Capitol grounds. As later disclosed through footage from Capitol grounds that day, many of these peaceful demonstrators only entered the Capitol after being waved on by Capitol police, who actively enabled them to make the alleged breach before turning around and scapegoating them as trespassers and insurrectionists when it became politically convenient.
Federal agents were also seeded throughout the crowds, both outside and within the Capitol, tasked with openly inciting demonstrators to violence. Despite this, an exceptionally small number of them committed any violence. Absolutely zero engaged in the act of insurrection, a legal term with a very specific meaning: preventing Confederate War Generals from returning to government after waging war against the Union. Nobody who showed up on the Capitol steps on January 6 engaged in a rebellion—hardly any were armed, and those who were carried only pepper spray. Show me an example of a successful armed insurrection done with pepper spray.
The tragedy of January 6 continues through the present, on the third anniversary, and will remain a tragedy so long as innocent Americans remain locked up, denied due process. This will likely continue until Donald Trump is reelected this November. Many January 6 prisoners still languish behind bars—some in the DC Gulag, others in horrific conditions of solitary confinement. The media has demonized these political prisoners as domestic terrorists, subjecting them to cruel and inhumane treatment, deprived of legal assistance, food, and basic necessities. All for merely showing up on the Capitol, a public forum where Americans have long exercised their rights to assemble and speak.
The 2020 presidential election saw unprecedented rule changes, late-night ballot drop-offs, “water main” breakages disrupting the process, and rampant government-instigated censorship of stories like the Hunter Biden laptop scandal and political candidates, including the President himself, who was forced off every major social media platform. The regime took away the President’s First Amendment right to speak and the people’s right to peacefully demonstrate. Those who arrived at the Capitol on January 6 did so out of desperation for their political situation—what felt like a last-ditch effort to have their voices heard.
The cause of January 6 is ultimately the cause of the American republic: will it survive or be relegated to history? That will depend on whether President Trump is re-elected this November. So far, there is reason for cautious optimism. He has never polled this well before, and momentum behind him seems to grow stronger despite a weaponized justice system increasingly belligerent in its desperation.
We are living through historic times, not just for America but for the world, as the 2024 presidential election will have global consequences. The dwindling light of freedom, which America long stood for, may be rekindled depending on what happens soon. It is our duty to spread the truth, the perennial enemy of tyranny, in the lead-up to the election. We must expose the fake narrative about J6, discredited by the partial release of January 6 footage.
We need to keep momentum strong behind President Trump and remain vigilant against left-wing fraud and scheming, which will grow more desperate as they lose control of the narrative. Let us send a clear message that we cannot be broken. We are stronger than ever before, and resistance will meet any attempt to stop our momentum. Victory is the only acceptable outcome, as it will bring true justice for political hostages and their families.
Paul Ingrassia is a Constitutional Scholar; a two-time Claremont Fellow, and serves on the Board of Advisors of the New York Young Republican Club and the Italian American Civil Rights League. He writes a widely read Substack that is regularly re-truthed by President Trump. His X handle is @PaulIngrassia.