TORONTO -- Lawmakers trapped inside the U.S. Capitol during the pro-Trump riots felt a swirl of emotions, according to an Associated Press photojournalist who was inside with them.
“There was real fear. There was real anger and also some sense of sadness and disappointment that you could see on members of Congress as this happened,” Andrew Harnik, an Associated Press photojournalist in Washington, D.C., told CTV News Channel on Sunday.
“I was close enough to members of Congress to hear conversations. And to be honest, there was some cursing under people's breaths,” he said, noting that people were also calling and texting people with their cell phones.
On Wednesday, pro-Trump extremists, rioters and members of far-right hate groups stormed the U.S. Capitol, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump and his allies held a rally in Washington, D.C. During his speech, Trump urged supporters to "fight like hell" to "take back our country" and to march towards the Capitol.
Photographers and video journalists outside the building snapped as much of what was happening outside that day. But Harnik hadn’t expected to cover any demonstration, and certainly not the subsequent lockdown of the U.S. House Chambers.
He’d initially been assigned to photograph a joint session of Congress assembled to count the electoral votes, formalizing Joe Biden's election victory as President of the United States. A process that, before this year, had largely been ceremonial.
As rioters attempted to break into the building by smashing windows and doors, Capitol security evacuated the Senate and House of Representatives chambers. And while rioters broke through interior security, occupying the evacuated Senate chamber, federal law enforcement officers prevented them from reaching the U.S. House Chambers where Harnik and lawmakers were.
“I had a chance to look out the window and make some photographs of the group that was gathering,” he said.
Harnik described being fairly close to U.S. legislators who’d been forced into the third-floor gallery by law enforcement officers.
“I found myself shoulder-to-shoulder with members of Congress as security asked us to, basically, to get down on our hands and knees and keep our heads down,” he recounted. “Usually, [that area is] reserved for members of the media or guests of members of Congress who want to watch proceedings.”
After several hours, law enforcement eventually managed to regain control of the building, but the aftermath included a police officer and four rioters being killed.
In the days since the rioting, approximately 80 people have been arrested , with widespread condemnation falling on Trump who many blame for inciting the riots in the first place.
Harnik hadn’t expected what unfolded before his eyes.
“Protesting in D.C. is not really anything out of the ordinary. Americans come from all over the country to have their voice heard peacefully -- sometimes, even a little emotionally,” Harnik said.
“But what we saw on Wednesday was just something that nobody has ever experienced in generations.”
