Jan. 6 rallies to demand accountability for Trump and 'urgent action to protect our democracy'

Democracy defenders will mark the second anniversary of the deadly January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol with nationwide rallies to demand accountability for former U.S. President Donald Trump and push for "reforms to protect our freedom to vote."

The Not Above the Law and Declaration for American Democracy coalitions will lead the nationwide day of action on the anniversary of the right-wing insurrection by supporters of former President Donald Trump and his "Big Lie" that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen."

"Election deniers still threaten our democracy. On the second anniversary of the insurrection, we're fighting back."

"We need all hands on deck to make this January 6th national day of action as big as possible," said the coalition's Jan. 6 Justice: Our Freedoms, Our Vote website.

"We know that even though some of the most prominent election conspiracists lost their midterms, they are already looking to 2024 for ways to overturn the will of voters," the coalitions continued. "They are working to sabotage future elections by changing state laws, threatening election officials, and packing election administration offices so that they can have the final say over election results even when they lose."

Organizers of the #OurFreedomsOurVote demonstrations say the "next phase" in their work involves:

• Passing local, state, and federal legislation to protect our freedoms;
• Pushing back against the potential sham investigations the new Congress is planning; and
• Uplifting the findings of real critical investigations like the January 6th investigation.

Last month, the bipartisan congressional committee probing the Capitol insurrection unanimously voted to recommend that Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Justice Department investigate Trump and some of his associates for four crimes in connection with the attack.

"Almost two years after the insurrection, we see our democracy is still in danger from Trump, his allies, and their sympathizers in office," coalition member Free Speech for People tweeted. "It's time to show our political leaders that there are still serious threats to our democracy."

New polling published Thursday by Data for Progress revealed that just 57% of respondents believe President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election. That figure is dramatically skewed by the two-thirds of Republican respondents who said the election was "stolen" from Trump. Ninety-two percent of Democrats said Biden won the contest fairly.

More than 170 candidates for U.S. House, Senate, and key statewide offices who deny that Biden fairly won the 2020 election were elected or reelected in November.

The survey also found that 59% of voters believe Trump bears "a lot of" or "some" responsibility for the Capitol attack—with 90% of Democrats, 57% of Independents, and 28% of Republicans agreeing. Nearly half of GOP respondents said Trump is not at all responsible for the insurrection.

Additionally, half of all survey respondents said Trump should be prosecuted for his role in the January 6 attack. Support for prosecution soared to 88% of Democrats, while 50% of Independents and just 13% of Republicans believe the former president—who's seeking the 2024 nomination—should face charges.

Noting that the new Republican majority in the House "has made clear that they have no interest in accountability for the attack on our Capitol," the Declaration for American Democracy coalition said that "it's up to us to show our political leaders that we demand urgent action to protect our democracy."

Scheduled speakers at the noon EST Union Square rally in Washington, D.C. include Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.); Martin Luther King III and Andrea Waters King of the Drum Major Institute; Stand Up America executive director Christina Harvey; Sierra Club democracy campaign representative Tishan Weerasooriya; Women's March D.C. spokesperson Noor Mir; and March for Our Lives board member Mariah Cooley, among others.

"The event comes as Trump and extreme politicians continue to spread false claims about the 2020 election results and undermine our Constitution, pass state laws to place new barriers to voting—disproportionately impacting communities of color—and prepare to launch a sham investigation into the January 6 committee so that they can stay in power to push their unpopular agenda: to destroy reproductive rights, steal our Social Security and our Medicare, and stop our ability to access affordable higher education, address the climate crisis, or prevent gun violence, among others," the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen said in a statement.