Justice for J6: National Guard presence in Washington gets Pentagon’s nod

National Guard troops will be at the disposal of law enforcement officials on September 18 as the Justice for J6 rally will be conducted in Washington DC, according to US media report citing statements from Pentagon.

The Capitol Hill Police Board made the request to the country’s defense department as the federal officials projected possible violence at the Justice for J6 rally, which is being organised in support of those who have been in detention after the Capitol attacks on January 6 earlier this year.

In a statement on Friday, the Pentagon said, “Secretary of Defense Austin approved a request from the Capitol Hill Police Board to provide 100 members of the Washington DC National Guard”, according to reports from Business Insider.

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The statement added that the 100 troops commissioned by the Department of Defense will be stationed in Washington DC’s armory and have been tagged as a Physical Security Task Force “to augment law enforcement for the September 18th demonstration on Capitol Hill”.

The Washington Post reported that the National Guard, which can be deployed at the request of the US Capitol Police, will only be used as a fallback option. Local, state and federal resources would be the primary line of defense in case any violence breaks out at the Justice for J6 rally.

The National Guard troops would not be wielding any firepower and will only carry batons, the report added.

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Other security measures in Washington DC, ahead of the rally, include a fence erected on the parameters of the Capitol complex and boosted surveillance to keep track of any violent outbreaks.

‘Look Ahead America’, the lead organiser of the Justice for J6 rally, has vouched for the event to be violence-free. However, the Department of Homeland Security, in a statement earlier this week, highlighted the possibility of violence.

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The statement from the federal department’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis read, “We are aware of a small number of recent online threats of violence referencing the planned rally, including online discussions encouraging violence the day before the rally”, according to reports from CNN.

The statement also explained a threat posed by lone offenders and/or small groups who can resort to “violence with little-to-no warning, particularly in response to confrontational encounters with perceived opponents or calls for escalation by key influencers.”