On January 6, 2021, supporters of the outgoing President Donald Trump occupied the Capitol in Washington. The much-discussed crisis of democracy suddenly had its symbol, thanks to the images that went around the world in real time. But what exactly did they show and what did we see?
Charlotte Klonk examines some of the images that circulated and designations that eyewitnesses and commentators have suggested, from storm to coup to terrorism. She shows that all of these terms substantially fail to capture what really was at stake on the day: The events of January 6th were an attack on popular sovereignty carried out in the name of the sovereign people.