PHOTOS: Biden Honors 12 Persons for Defending Democracy on Jan 6
By Boniface Ihiasota, USA
On Friday, US President Joe Biden held an awards ceremony to honor those who defended the US Capitol during the January 6, 2021, insurrection and those who resisted pressure to overturn the 2020 election results.
In his speech, Biden said, “On this day two years ago, our democracy held, because we the people — as our Constitution refers to us — did not flinch; we the people endured; we the people prevailed.”
During the attack, supporters of former President Donald Trump had breached police barricades at the Capitol and entered the building in an attempt to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.
Trump had baselessly claimed that the election had been stolen from him due to voter fraud.
Biden presented the Presidential Citizens Medal, the country’s second-highest civilian award, to 12 honorees whom he referred to as ‘patriots who have performed exemplary deeds in the service of this nation.’
The recipients included seven members of law enforcement, including a posthumous award to Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died following the attack.
