Majority of Americans say Jan. 6 riots were an ‘attack on democracy’: poll

The majority of Americans say they believe the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot was an “attack on democracy that should never be forgotten,” according to a Quinnipiac poll released Thursday.

According to the poll, 55 percent of those surveyed said the riot should never be forgotten, while 39 percent said it was “time to move on.” Among Republicans, 18 percent said it should be remembered and 74 percent said it was time to move on. 84 percent of Democrats said it should never be forgotten and 12 percent said it was time to move on.

“Does 1/6 warrant the same in-depth study as 9/11? It’s been an open question with an independent investigation being weighed, and more than half of Americans consider the violence at the Capitol an attack on the very foundation of the country,” Tim Malloy, Quinnipiac University polling analyst, said in the report.

Many GOP lawmakers have recently sought to diminish the severity of the riot that left five people dead including Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick.

“Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked through Statuary Hall showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes taking videos and pictures,” Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) recently said.

Republican lawmakers have also questioned whether the rioters were motivated by the support for former President Trump, despite rioters confirming as much in legal proceedings. Many rioters were seen wearing Trump apparel and waving MAGA flags.

The poll also found that support for abortion being legal in most cases was most popular among those surveyed. Thirty-two percent said abortions should be legal in most cases, 25 percent said they should be legal in all cases, 23 percent said illegal in most cases and 14 percent said they believed abortions should be illegal in all cases.

The Supreme Court recently agreed to take a case that has the potential to diminish Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that protects a woman’s choice to have an abortion. The court has a 6-3 conservative supermajority, leading many abortion rights activists to be concerned.

The poll took place from March 18 to 24 and surveyed 1,316 U.S. adults. The results had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.