Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is sharing that the recent U.S. Capitol riot is like what she saw in Charlottesville, Virginia, when violence broke out on Aug. 12, 2017.
Harris was asked during an interview with NPR on Thursday what went through her mind when she saw “racist symbols, Confederate flags, parading through the Senate hallways” where she had worked as a lawmaker.
“Well, I mean, it was the same thing that went through my mind when I saw Charlottesville,” she said. “I mean, it’s the same thing that went through my mind when I saw a picture of Emmett Till.”
The incoming vice president continued, “Sadly, it is not the first time I have seen a demonstration like what you are describing in the history of our country. And and it is — it is a reminder that we still have a lot of work to do.”
Listen to Harris’ remarks (starting at 1:00):
Calling the violent protests that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 “horrific,” Harris told NPR, “It was a day that wherein we witnessed an assault on America’s democracy, a day when we witnessed the terror that a few can wreak on so many. And it was probably, you know, it will be in history recorded as one of the worst days in terms of an attack on the integrity of our democracy.”
Harris also spoke on troops assigned to the U.S. Capitol — for the first time since the Civil War — ahead of Inauguration Day and why the ceremony and taking the oath will still be outside.
Harris said, “I think that we cannot yield to those who would try and make us afraid of who we are.”
Inauguration Day will be on Jan. 20. There is expected to be about 20,000 National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C., amid security concerns.