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Comment by bradford | Hacker News Reader

I've watched the video and I agree. My take:

there's a large security perimeter that's already been breached, and the video shows one chokepoint of the perimeter that hasn't yet been breached.

The officers at that checkpoint know what the situation is: They aren't going to do any good in an open space surrounded by a mob of thousands. They are moving back to a more defensible position (presumably where they can buy time to evacuate the Congress floors). They are calmly walking because breaking into a jog could incite the mob further.

I don't see them opening the gates.

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> I don’t see them opening the gates.

Without reviewing the video, again (I watched it several times, but not in the last few minutes), I do recall officers repositioning a fence section in a way that allows the mob through, but on reflection that could be a shrewd psychological tactic: if the crowd can walk past the fence piece without grabbing and moving it, they (or at least the front line in close contact with officers) may be less likely to grab it to move and, having hold of it, decide to use it as battering weapon against the outnumbered officers.

> They are calmly walking because breaking into a jog could incite the mob further.

Right, and while some are turning they back on the main crowd, its mixed, and that is necessary because, again, there are already groups of rioters in their rear.

While it looks bad at first glance, I think it is quite likely the least-bad response by that group of officers to a situation that is well and truly FUBAR.

This is also basically what happened right at the beginning when the rioters very violently broke through the first fence badly injuring at least one cop. As soon as it was obvious the mob was overwhelming things and the police had rescued their colleagues they fell back at a run to the next line. Pretty standard defensive tactics from time immemorial. That there were only three officers and a fence that was easy for the rioters to lift and batter the police with is concerning.

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