The civil lawsuit accuses Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and more than 30 people associated with these groups to “conspire to terrorize” the US capital, the attorney general of the District of Columbia, Karl Racine, told a news conference.
It is aimed at “discouraging future acts of violence” and compensating victims, including Washington police officers, he said.
Most of the people named in the lawsuit are already the subject of federal criminal proceedings and could face trial in the coming months.
The civil suit is based on a law enacted in 1871 to protect the rights of African Americans after the abolition of slavery in 1865, particularly against extremist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.
In the 1980s and 1990s, lawsuits filed in this context by anti-racist activists brought various extremist organizations to their knees, forced to give up their properties to pay compensation set by the courts.
In November, far-right figures and organizations in the United States were ordered to pay more than $ 25 million to the victims of a protest they organized in Charlottesville in 2017, which led to a tragedy.
In February, Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson had already filed a civil lawsuit against the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, as well as former President Donald Trump and his attorney. Rudy Giuliani for his role in the January 6 attack on the seat of Congress.
But “this is the first time a local government” has tried to obtain redress, Racine said.
According to the lawsuit, “the January 6 attack was a coordinated act of internal terrorism” and the city of Washington was forced “to face the consequences” of this attack.
Trump supporters who invaded the Capitol sought to prevent the certification of the president’s electoral victory Joe Biden.
Source From: Ambito
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