On Jan. 6, 2021, rioters breached the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory, encouraged by President Donald Trump's false claims of a stolen election.
Where does the threat of far-right violence in America stand a year later?
This updated version of the April 2021 documentary “American Insurrection” examines the latest developments and where the movement may be headed, building on four years of reporting by FRONTLINE and ProPublica on far-right extremism in America.
Drawing on timely new interviews with law enforcement and members of Congress, as well as on-the-ground reporting, the documentary finds that while arrests of those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection temporarily quieted protests and splintered some organized far-right groups, that trend was short-lived.
One year later, correspondent A.C. Thompson reports, the false idea that the election was stolen remains a powerful motivator for crowds that include some of the same extremist characters and groups FRONTLINE and ProPublica have been tracking for years — and Thompson says their ideas appear to be moving into the mainstream as the 2022 midterms approach.
