Five dead, dozens injured and serious damage to American democracy. This is the record of the violent attack by Donald Trump supporters on the US Capitol, which houses both the Senate and the House of Representatives. A Florida man has now been sentenced to eight months in prison for participating in the attack. Paul Hodgkins, 38, was found guilty of obstructing an administrative process. He broke into the Senate Chamber of the US Capitol on January 6th. Among other things, you can see him on images with an American flag and a Donald Trump T-shirt next to the “shaman”. The prosecutor had asked for 18 months in prison.
According to observers, this judgment is considered to be groundbreaking for other rioters who also have to answer in court. He is the first participant in the storm on the Capitol to go to jail. In total, more than 500 people have to answer in court for participating in the attack.
According to the English newspaper The Guardian, Hodgkins read a prepared text in court. He apologized and protested that he was ashamed of his behavior. “If I had any idea that the protest would escalate like this, I would have dared no further than the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue,” Hodgkins told District Judge Randolph Moss. “That was a foolish decision of mine.”
However, the judge did not follow this line of argument. He told the US news magazine Buzzfeed that Hodgkins was “actively and deliberately” involved in the attack. Americans should be aware that attacking the Capitol will have “grave consequences”.
Prior to Hodgkins, an Indiana state woman had been sentenced to three years probation and damages of $ 500. However, she did not go to jail because she reportedly pleaded guilty to the court and apologized.
Five people died in the violent attack on the heart of US democracy in January. Around 800 supporters of ex-President Donald Trump had penetrated the Capitol – also heated by a speech by Trump immediately before the attack. To this day, Trump untruthfully claims that the election was stolen from him. However, this claim has already been refuted by several courts.