The City of Washington filed a complaint on Tuesday against far-right groups, the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, and against some thirty of their officials, accused of having “planned, promoted and participated” in the assault on the Capitol on January 6.
This civil complaint aims “to discourage future acts of violence” and to obtain compensation for the wrongs inflicted on the American capital, declared its attorney general Karl Racine at a press conference.
He said he hoped “to inflict the greatest possible financial punishment” on these two extremist organizations. “If we could bankrupt them, it would be a great day …”
Most of the individuals named in the complaint are already the subject of federal criminal proceedings and could face trial in the spring.
The City of Washington’s complaint is based on a law enacted in 1871 to protect the rights of African Americans after the abolition of slavery in 1865, notably against extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
In the 1980s and 1990s, complaints lodged in this context by anti-racist activists brought several extremist organizations to their knees, forced to cede their property to pay the compensation set by the courts.
If we could bankrupt them it would be a great day …
In November, American far-right figures and organizations were ordered to pay more than $ 25 million to victims of a protest they organized in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, which had turned into drama.
In February, Bennie Thompson, elected Congressional Democrat, had already filed a civil lawsuit against the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, as well as against former President Donald Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani for their role in the attack on the January 6 against the seat of Congress.
But “this is the first time that a local government” tries to obtain redress, said Karl Racine. “It is a question of withdrawing its means to hatred”, he launched.
According to her complaint, “the January 6 attack was a coordinated act of domestic terrorism” and the City of Washington then found itself forced “to deal with the consequences” of this coup. In particular, this caused significant medical costs for the town’s police officers injured in the clashes.
After a speech by President Donald Trump evoking without proof “massive electoral fraud”, hundreds of his supporters stormed the Capitol, when elected officials certified the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election.