(Some of the flags and signs outside the Utah State Capitol. Credit: Paul Nelson)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Hundreds of President Trump’s supporters in Utah gather on the Capitol grounds to protest what they call the stealing of the presidential election. Meanwhile, elected officials in Utah condemned the breach of the US Capitol in Washington D.C.
“Stop the Steal” rallies took place in states like Georgia, New Mexico, Minnesota. In Utah’s rally, hundreds of people chanted “USA” while waving pro-Trump flags and carrying signs protesting the results of the election.
“My vote was stolen from me and taken away. I’m here to take it back,” said protester Braxton Southwick.
Southwick was joined by others saying they have extreme doubts about the integrity of the ballot counting process in states like Georgia and Pennsylvania.
“In the middle of the night, when everybody was kicked out and we woke up the next morning and Biden was ahead by a couple hundred thousand votes in only the swing states,” he said.
Other protesters, like Michael Dixon, believe they have doubts all of the spikes in votes could have gone in Biden’s favor.
Dixon reported, “Ever since November 3rd, most of us have been doing nothing but reading and living and eating and dying what has been going on with this election.”
State houses in other states had to be evacuated because of the number of protesters, but no such evacuation happened in Salt Lake City. Workers at the Capitol were allowed to leave early if they felt unsafe. No physical damage was done to the Capitol grounds.
After the doors of the U.S. Capitol were breached, elected officials like Governor Spencer Cox and Attorney General Sean Reyes made statements condemning the violence.
Governor Cox tweeted a video with the statement, “We are better than this, America.”
Reyes issued a statement saying, “”I condemn, in the strongest terms, the acts of violence at our nation’s Capital Building today. I pray for the safety of law enforcement working to keep order, for legislators of all parties as well as other civilians who are protesting peacefully. There is no place for violence in our political discourse, even over the most serious issues and disagreements. We are a nation of laws. This is not how Conservatives and Republicans behave. This is absolutely unacceptable.”
The strongest words came from Senator Mitt Romney, pointing the blame for the protests squarely on President Trump.
He stated, “What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States. Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy. They will be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy.”
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