The District of Columbia has filed civil lawsuits against two extreme far-right groups, the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, for their actions during the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection on the Capitol.
Filed by the district’s attorney general, Karl Racine, the lawsuit accuses the groups, their leaders, and more than two dozen members of coordinating and plotting violence in order to disrupt what is supposed to be a peaceful transfer of power.
The lawsuits specifically allege that the groups conspired against D.C., its law enforcement offices, and its residents by enabling violence on the Capitol and in the streets of Washington.
This is not the first lawsuit for the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. The extremist groups are already facing civil lawsuits surrounding the Jan. 6 riot. One lawsuit was filed by members of Congress. Another, filed by police officers.
The groups in the lawsuits are accused of violating the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act, which was a law passed to protect citizens from violence and intimidation. The lawsuits claim the groups used violence and intimidation on Jan. 6 to terrorize citizens.
This latest lawsuit identifies specifically the groups’ leaders as defendants. Henry “Enrique” Tarrio for the Proud Boys, and Stewart Rhodes for the Oath Keepers are listed as defendants, as well as several suspected members of each organization. They are all facing criminal charges in connection with the insurrection.
The lawsuit says that following the election loss of former President Donald Trump, the two groups worked together to plot, publicize, finance, and recruit participants for a planned attack on the Capitol. The planning and coordination was achieved when they stormed the Capitol, forcing their way through police lines and security. Police officers were threatened and assaulted, as well as individuals inside the Capitol.
The lawsuit also says that the insurrection left a path of destruction behind it, with D.C. left to clean up the violent aftermath. Therefore, the district is deserving of punitive and compensatory damages.
Racine said it is the goal of the district to hold the violent groups and individuals accountable, and for the city to have justice for the amount of damage done to it.
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