Capitol Rioters Were Not "Low Class"

Tracy Davenport

Politics

16th February 2021

Many arrested were white collar professionals (Getty Images).

The Claim

Capitol rioters were "low class."

News posted on

Emerging story

In several reports since the January 6, 2021 riot on the U.S. Capitol, some have claimed that former President Trump was upset because the rioters appeared to be "low class." Social media users then repeated the claim that the rioters were low class.

Misbar’s Analysis

Merriam-Webster defines "low class" as “a social class occupying a position below the middle class and having the lowest status in a society.” According to Misbar’s investigation, the majority of the mob who stormed the U.S. Capitol was employed and most likely not below middle class.

A recent report issued by the University of Chicago, found that of 221 people arrested at the time of the report, 85 percent were employed.

Close to half of those so far arrested were either business owners or white collar professionals prior to the riot.

According to The Atlantic, the rioters included business owners, CEOs, state legislators, police officers, active and retired service members, real-estate brokers, and stay-at-home dads. The article states that while it's easy to assume that political violence simply comes from desperation, history is full of instances that contradict this assumption.

According to BBC.com, the Capitol rioters included a doctor from Beverly Hills, California, a real estate broker from Dallas, Texas who flew to DC by private jet, and a chief executive from an Illinois-based marketing company.

By definition of low class and from what is known so far about the demographics of the group, the Capitol rioters were not low class.