Washington D.C. - the Insurgency, 207 years on
(Note from Robert Tyabji: I believe that nobody in our families played a role in this story; but its outcomes will certainly be felt by those of us who live in the US, as well as the rest of us, and that is why I've included it here)
BBC News, 6 January 2021 (edited)
Violent Trump supporters surged past barricades and into the US Capitol, news agency photographers - who were there to document the vote certifying Joe Biden's election win - captured extraordinary scenes.
Another man, identified as Jake Angeli, an ardent Trump supporter who has attended a number of the president's rallies, shouts as he makes his way to the Senate Chamber.
His incongruous garments set him apart from other protesters wearing black hoodies. These Trump activists stand by taking selfies, but he has clearly come here to be photographed by others.
The apparent lack of a security presence is in sharp contrast to other Washington protests where there is a highly visible presence of heavily armed security forces protecting US institutions.
Another Trump supporter, identified as Richard Barnett, sits with one boot disrespectfully on a desk that is at the very centre of power in Congress. It is in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In the scene, unimaginable days earlier, Barnett in his baseball cap and checked shirt resembles a raconteur regaling friends with tales of his exploits.
The image went viral as did pictures of the notes he and others left on Ms Pelosi's desk.
The final image shows how the formal proceedings came to a violent halt as Capitol police officers drew their guns on doors being attacked by protesters intent on entering the House Chamber.
Many commentators asked if they were watching a coup unfold as doors were barricaded and firearms brandished.
The composition is reminiscent of a scene in a Hollywood Western, the lawmen bracing for the doors to be breached.
US President-elect Joe Biden made an impassioned TV address describing the scenes as "an assault on democracy" - these pictures encapsulate what he meant.
Images are subject to copyright (Reuters, Getty Images, AFP).