According to CNN, this was the first time in history that the Confederate flag has ever reached the Capitol; even during the Civil War, the flag never reached the building. Roma Jha ’22 expressed her reaction. “What some of [the flags] symbolize, in general, was just really disturbing to me … I find that so upsetting because that is just a symbol of hatred to so many people and a symbol of threat to millions of Americans,” said Jha.  

Jha also acknowledged the historical contradictions of the rioters waving Confederate flags next to American ones. “The Confederacy seceded from the United States, so holding both of them meaning you represent both of them is just very contradictory because they represent two opposing forces, and you are supporting both of them … It just makes no sense,” said Jha.

A Trump supporter carries a Confederate battle flag on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol near the entrance to the Senate, as a mob breached the building Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/u2MPKffapr

— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) January 6, 2021

Janiah McRae ’22, a Diversity Clerk, also found symbolism within the flag choice of the rioters. 

“The Blue Lives Matter flag is extremely ironic, and it seems stupid that it was used, and the same thing with the American flag, because [the rioters] are denouncing the country, the legal systems, and the federal government. Both those [flags] are supposed to support [those institutions], but their protest denounces [those institutions]. It is just really weird and kind of ironic,” explained McRae.

Pictures circulated of rioters carrying a flag with the phrase “Don’t Tread on Me,” a phrase popularized during the American Revolution. McRae said, “The ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flag also feels weird. I guess it makes sense to them because they consider this a revolution, which provides insight into the goals of a lot of people who went there … They wanted to be a revolution, not a protest.” 

Inside Offices

During the attack on the Capitol, many of the rioters reached the offices located inside the building. One of the most circulated photos from Wednesday is of a rioter comfortably reclining with his feet up at the desk of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. He also took an envelope from the desk, replacing it with a quarter.   

Man seen sitting at Nancy Pelosi's desk arrested in Arkansas https://t.co/3U7CtuTbCP

— News19 WLTX (@WLTX) January 8, 2021

“Who entitled them to think that it is okay to break into a government building and proceed to put their feet up on [Nancy Pelosi’s] desk and then write a threatening note on a folder and leave it on her desk?” asked Roma Jha ’22, who was disturbed by the images. 

She also described her confusion behind these rioters’ actions.

“What was the point of that? Ultimately the election ended up getting certified, so whatever their goal was, which still remains unclear besides to just be hateful and undermine democracy, it was not accomplished,” explained Jha.

Another perspective is that these rioters were purposefully occupying seats that represent positions of power. Sara Chesnick ’22 said that “sitting in the office, you are putting hatred in a position of power. It is just really upsetting that people were able to put themselves in a position of power and threaten our democracy like that.” 

Jha described her thoughts as she saw the rioters reach the chambers.

“It is just disrespectful. As I saw those pictures, all that could run through my mind was just why were they not stopped? Who was in charge of restraining them? Who allowed them to get into the chambers? Why was the capitol building so vulnerable to destruction and vandalism and this threat all of sudden?” said Jha. 

Apparel 

The hatred displayed on Wednesday extended to the apparel worn by the rioters. One rioter wore a sweatshirt reading “Camp Auschwitz” on the front and “Staff” on the back, while many others donned matching t-shirts with the phrase “MAGA Civil War January 6, 2021.” 

A website linked to anti-Semitic apparel worn during the U.S. Capitol riot last week has been traced to New York City. After an outcry from the public, lawmakers are now moving to identify the people who run the site. @LisaRoznerTV reports. https://t.co/7GFTao4TJg #CapitolChaos

— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) January 11, 2021

Upper School Director Noah Rachlin highlighted a nuanced perspective on the apparel of the rioters at the Capitol.

“We at times make really continuous decisions about how we present our bodies and how we adorn our bodies: the symbolism of a lot of weaponry and military style clothing, the symbolism of carrying the flags, the symbolism of the antisemitic shirts … the gaiters that some individuals were wearing and the active choice to not wear some sort of face covering. That’s a statement, and I can’t help but think about the ways they are presenting themselves and what they are choosing to both wear and not wear … those are all active choices,” said Rachlin.

Rachlin then touched on the similarity of the rioters’ clothing: “I think that so many of them looked so similar; it is almost as if there was a uniform,” said Rachlin. 

Chesnick, a Jewish Culture Club officer, also shared how seeing the images of antisemitic apparel impacted her.

“It broke my heart that this hatred is normalized in America right now. As a Jew, it obviously makes me very upset, but also scared that there are people out there who obviously target Jews and people of color and other groups.” Chesnick continued, “I feel like for a long time people looked at America as a melting pot, but today, especially after Wednesday’s events, it’s really obvious that there is a lot of division and hatred.”