Four years ago, Cindy Young and Kirstyn Niemela entered the U.S. Capitol building, part of a larger wave of disorder seeking to disrupt the peaceful transfer of presidential power.
On Monday — the fourth anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack — they took to the grounds of the New Hampshire State House, where they helped lead a vigil for fellow protestors who died that day in Washington. Many of those in attendance claimed that the violent events were, in fact, peaceful and justified — a conclusion shared by President-elect Donald Trump but refuted by many others, including the U.S. Justice Department, which has called the Jan. 6 riot an act of domestic terrorism.
“We need justice, and we need to get restitution, and we all need to be compensated for everything we went through,” Niemela told the crowd of a few dozen people who gathered Monday, many of them waving American and Trump flags.
Niemela, a Hudson resident, served eight months in a West Virginia prison for illegally entering the U.S. Capitol building during the Jan. 6 riot, an act she maintains she had the right to do.
“The truth will come out very soon, and we will all be exonerated,” she told reporters Monday.
She also downplayed the violence of Jan. 6, and the injuries suffered by scores of Capitol police officers.
More than 1,200 people have been formally charged for their involvement in the breach, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office, including five residents of New Hampshire.
Young, who now lives in Bristol, was captured on surveillance footage inside the Capitol building, and told an FBI agent the scene was reminiscent of a “war zone,” according to court paperwork. On Monday, she wore the same jacket that is visible in the grainy footage from four years ago. Later this month, she’s due to report to prison in Philadelphia to serve a four month sentence.
Trump could keep her out of jail, though, if he carries through on a campaign promise.
“I’m confident he is going to pardon us,” she said. “I’m very confident in that.”
The crowd observed a moment of silence for Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed inside of the Capitol during the hours of chaos that delayed the peaceful transfer of power, and concluded the event with a rendition of God Bless America.
