To the Journal editor:

The recent attempts to portray the January 6, 2021, riots at the Capital as “mostly peaceful chaos” and levy criticism at the justice applied to those involved are two of the worst examples of mass-produced dishonesty I have seen in my lifetime.

True, tens of thousands of protesters at the capitol that day remained personally peaceful in their actions. However, it is a deplorable action to downplay the violence actions committed by hundreds of people that day by trying to emphasize the number of people who remained nonviolent.

On Jan. 6, 2021, tens of thousands came to Washington to express their concern that the 2020 Presidential Election was stolen.

They assembled at the capitol and could have remained peaceful and made their voices heard. But the situation did not remain peaceful.

They broke windows, kicked in doors, massed their bodies and surged forward to crush the police and gain entry into the building. Chemical irritants and melee weapons were used during an intense assault on the officers.

Unfortunately, there were not nearly voices of reason saying, “Don’t cross those police lines or destroy public property!” (Or) “I will stand in your way before you attempt to cause (harm) to any one.” (Or) “We are not chanting ‘Hang Mike Pence'” or “Take down those gallows.”

As a result, Jan. 6, 2021, will be remembered for the hundreds who committed assault and property destruction. It will be remembered for the false claims that triggered a violent attempt to obstruct the election certification process of the most famous democratic institution in the free world.

It will be remembered for all of the orderly and meek who made no attempt or an insufficient attempt to hold their brethren in check.

For verification look into “What Parlor saw during the attack on the Capital” or “Video evidence shown in the Capital Insurrection Criminal Trials” — from www.propublica.org.

Efforts to deny the violence of Jan. 6, 2021 and claim injustice is occurring are reprehensible. Will these claims and those that propagate them spoil the conservative movement?