The Justice for J-6 rally started in Washington DC in the shadow of a fortified Capitol on Saturday, with just a few hundred demonstrators turning up  for the rally to support those charged in the January 6 Capitol riot. In the end nothing much really happened apart from a man, who was carrying a knife, being arrested by the police.

With the Capitol Police taking no chances this time, the demonstrators were vastly outnumbered by the media and a heavy police presence.

Hundreds of officers have been brought into the capital city so that the pre-inauguration attack is not repeated again. The fence around the Capitol, that was seen after the Capitol riots, was put back up, and Capitol Police had requested assistance from the National Guard.

There were a few scuffles as the rally started and one person was arrested for carrying a knife, police said, but no details were provided yet.

Even so,the rally kept the law enforcement officials on edge. There were concerns about the possibility of violent protesters and counterprotesters.

According to Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger, the chatter was similar to the one in January. But he also added that it was difficult to say whether threats of violence at the event were credible.

According to reports before the rally, extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were expected to turn up. But the Associated Press reported that far-right online chatter has been generally tame, and Republican lawmakers are downplaying the event.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved a request for about 100 members of the D.C. National Guard to be stationed at a city armory near the Capitol, to be called if needed as backup. They’ll be without firearms, but will be equipped with batons and protective vests for self-defense.

Congress is out of session and no lawmakers were expected to be in the building Saturday. Biden was in Delaware for the weekend.

Many commenters on online platforms like Telegram that are popular with the far right disavowed the rally, saying they believed law enforcement was promoting the event to entrap Trump supporters. Some urged their followers not to attend an event they said was secretly organized by the FBI.

At the same time, however, some commenters continued to promote rallies planned in cities and state capitals across the country.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump was still using his platform as the most popular leader in the GOP to express sympathy for those who were arrested and continue spreading election misinformation, ratcheting up his attacks as the week wore on.

The rally, organized by former Trump campaign staffer Matt Braynard, was aimed at supporting people who were detained after the January 6 riots. There are about 63 people held behind bars out of the more than 600 charged. It’s just the latest attempt to downplay and deny the January violence. In an MSNBC interview, he downplayed the low numbers in attendance, saying instead the media coverage of the event helped get the message out.

(With inputs from the Associated Press)