WORCESTER, Mass. - On the second anniversary of the January 6 Capitol riot and insurrection, protestors gathered in Worcester and across Massachusetts, calling for former President Donald Trump and his allies to be held responsible.
A group gathered at Elm Park at noon on Friday, organized by the Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition. The group believes the findings of the January 6 Committee prove Trump is an insurrectionist, and thus the Justice Department should bring criminal charges against the former president and his co-conspirators.
Mary Sacksteder, who is on the steering committee of Indivisible Worcester, believes it's important for these demonstrations to be held in order to press for accountability.
"It's very relevant to today and to the future that we remember January 6 and do everything in our power to prevent it from happening again," Sacksteder said. "We want our democracy to continue for our children, our grandchildren, our great grandchildren and it's our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power that's set us aside from other countries."
Rep. Jim McGovern was scheduled to speak at the rally in Worcester, but was unable to attend due to the lengthy delays in Congress appointing a new speaker of the House. On Tuesday, he said changes have been made in the months since to improve security at the Capitol, but some things haven't changed.
"There is a group within the Republican Party that continues to cheer on the insurrectionists," McGovern said. "I said last year before the election, if Republicans take control of the House, it's a victory for the insurrectionists. We're seeing that right now. People who defend the indefensible, people who continue to cheer on those who attacked the Capitol, those are the people who are calling the shots in the Republican Party."
Last October, the Worcester City Council adopted a resolution to “fiercely defend our Constitution and our democracy from unlawful insurrection.”