Commotion: Rioters With Onions

At the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2020, a 31-year-old rioter known as “Elizabeth from Knoxville” was interviewed. In a video that has since gone viral, she said that she had been “maced” and “pushed out” out of the capital building, all the while sobbing. Upon scrutinizing the video further, some have pointed out that she’s carrying an onion. They conjectured that she may have just rubbed the onion on her eyes to make herself cry. This theory has been written about on TMZ, the Florida News Times, and a few other news organizations.

Misbar’s investigation found that it’s impossible to know the woman’s true motivation for carrying the onion. While she may have brought it to rub in her eye, she could have brought it for other reasons. Most likely, however, is that she was using the onion to help with the tear gas.

While it may seem counterintuitive, using onions to help alleviate the effects of tear gas is a common practice. It is supposed to reduce the irritation on the eyes and nasal cavity. You do so by breaking in half, sniffing it, and holding it close to your eyes. She seems to have broken it in half in the picture. Since we cannot know the true reason she brought the onion but discussion about it has gone viral, we rate this claim as commotion.