NAHANT — It might have been a cold January night, but that didn’t stop residents from across the region traveling to the Nahant rotary on Thursday to commemorate the first-year anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Swing Left North Shore/Cape Ann and the Nahant Democratic Town Committee held the “January 6 Vigil for Democracy” to mark the insurrection, which involved armed, right-wing militants attacking the Capitol building.
“Jan. 6, 2022, marks the one-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol and the start of a very important election year,” said Alix Smullin, volunteer coordinator of Swing Left North Shore/Cape Ann. “Activists from the area are coming together in the community to commit themselves to the work for the year ahead.”
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton issued a statement about the anniversary on Thursday, which detailed his experience at the Capitol building while the insurrection was taking place.
“One year ago today, I was sheltered in the Capitol Complex with the rest of Congress,” said Moulton. “We were rushed there by Capitol Police as domestic terrorists, insurrectionists — Americans trying to overthrow our democracy — stormed the building to change the result of the election. Five people died as a result of that day, including four brave police officers. Today, many of our first responders, my colleagues, Capitol Hill staffers, and other public servants, are still dealing with trauma from the attack.”
Moulton went on to say that the events of Jan. 6, 2021, which took place two weeks before President Joe Biden was sworn into office, were much more than an attack on a building. At the time, Biden’s opponent, former President Donald Trump, had called into question the results of the presidential election.
“While, physically, this was an assault on Congress, principally it was an assault on the American people,” he said. “Changing election results by denying the truth and strong-arming democratic institutions is the stuff of totalitarianism, of places like Russia and China and Myanmar, of dictators and thieves.
“Since that fateful day, I am dismayed by how little has changed. As dark as Jan. 6 was for our nation, Jan. 7 offered hope that some semblance of bipartisanship would restore, repair, and safeguard our democracy for future generations. How quickly that evaporated among just about every Republican leader in Washington. Only a few brave Republicans remain willing to speak the truth in public that they all know in private.
“That is why the likelihood of another Jan. 6 happening in the future is stronger today than it was a year ago. In state legislatures across the country, many Republicans are working to install insurrectionist election officials to overturn results they don’t like at the local level. They are building the groundwork to undermine our future elections and transform our country into some sort of dictatorship or banana republic. Nothing could be less patriotic.”
Lynn’s Ward 3 Councilor Coco Alinsug was among those who attended Thursday’s vigil in Nahant. He recalled the shock he felt as he watched the events unfold last year in Washington, D.C.
“Everybody saw what happened last year,” he said. “It’s really important for us to be actively involved and actively remind people what happened. That should not happen anymore. If you just keep quiet and do nothing, then it will happen again.”
Alinsug, who immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines, said that at the time, he thought he might have to leave the country as a result of the attack.
“A lot of people come here because it’s America; you heard stories about America, and for you to see that; a lot of us coming from third-world countries that have unstable governments — for us to see that — it was just crazy,” he said.
Swampscott resident Emily Sherwood was proudly holding an American flag on the side of the road during the vigil. She remarked that she was concerned about the future of democracy in the United States.
“I agree with those who say there is a coup going on,” she said. “There are really bad things going on and I’m very concerned.”
Sherwood recalled that for a moment in time last year, Republicans and Democrats came together to denounce the attack on the U.S. Capitol. But it was a short-lived moment, she said, attributing the shift in attitude toward partisan politics.
Another Swampscott resident, Bob Baker, said that he thought the attack would be stopped before it escalated to the violent insurrection it ultimately became.
“I just assumed that the police and whoever would gain control and arrest these people, and life would go on,” said Baker. “Not that they would get so far, and that they would be so armed. That’s a little naivety on my part, I guess.”
Echoed by many people who attended the vigil was the sense that citizens should be concerned about the future of this country, with some stating that the fight for democracy didn’t end during the American Revolution in 1776; rather, the fight continues each and every day.
“American democracy does not exist on its own,” said Moulton. “It has always relied on brave, patriotic, truth-telling volunteers to fight for its preservation and success. I am eternally grateful to the Capitol Police, Metro Police Department, National Guardsmen, and all other first responders who served our institution bravely and kept us safe on that day. Now, we all need to step up to do our patriotic duty — to tell the truth, to demand accountability, and to foster change — to preserve America in this dangerous time.”
