January 6 Capitol attack documentary: date, time, channel and how to watch

THE US is commemorating the one-year anniversary of the devastating attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

One year ago, rioters assaulted law enforcement officials, destroyed property, and stormed the Capitol; five people died immediately before, during, or after the attack.

What happened in the US on January 6, 2021?

In an effort to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election results, insurrectionists assaulted the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

The insurrection happened while Congress was gathering to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. 

While members of Congress and staff were escorted to secure locations or barricaded behind closed doors, rioters pushed past heavily armed Capitol Police officers, smashing windows and vandalizing offices

There were also many people any with violent intentions toward members of Congress and former Vice President Mike Pence for refusing to give in to Former President Donald Trump's attempts to rig the election in his favor. 

Five people were killed, one of which was a Capitol Police officer who was beaten by protesters.

When and how can I watch the January 6 attack documentary?

This new documentary, titled Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union, premieres on PBS on the one-year anniversary of the Capitol insurgency on January 6.

It examines the goals and weaknesses of American democracy, as well as what appear to be repeated cycles of racial equality advancement and resistance against those advances forward. 

Actress Tamara Tunie, 62, is the narrator of the two-hour documentary. 

Academics, authors, activists, and former and current government officials are interviewed, such as former senior presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett, former Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Robert Costa, and others. 

Viewers can watch the documentary on Thursday, January 6 on PBS at 9pm.

What have the president and vice-president said about the anniversary of the insurrection?

President Joe Biden has spoken on the attacks made to the US Capitol a year ago, and he accused Trump of being responsible for the mob's conduct, saying that he "has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election."

“He has done so because he values power over principle,” he said, “because he sees his own interests as more important than his country’s interests. Because his bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our constitution. 

“He can’t accept he lost, even though that’s what 93 United States senators, his own attorney general, his own vice president, governors, and state officials in every battleground state have said: he lost.”

Vice President Kamala Harris also commemorated the sixth anniversary of the attack on the US Capitol. 

On that day, Harris was vice-president-elect, but she was also a senator. Despite the fact that she had left the office when the crowd broke through the gates, she described how her staff was forced to protect themselves.

According to Harris, the day is remembered as one of the darkest days in American history along with the events of 9/11 and Pearl Harbor.

She also spoke about the meaning of democracy. 

“You see, the strength of democracy is the rule of law,” she said. “The strength of democracy is the principle that everybody is to be treated equally, that elections should be free and fair, that corruption should be given no order. 

“The strength of democracy is that it empowers the people. The fragility of democracy is this: if we are not vigilant – if we don’t defend it – democracy will not stand. It will falter. And it will fall.”