A new Democrat-backed bill recently introduced in Virginia’s House of Delegates would require public school teaching about the storming of Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, to describe it as an “unprecedented, violent attack” and would prohibit schools from describing it as a “peaceful protest.”
House Bill 333, which was introduced last week by Virginia Delegate Dan Helmer, a Democrat, outlines requirements for any public schools in the state that teach students about January 6.
The legislation would require public school teaching on January 6 to “describe the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the United States Capitol as an unprecedented, violent attack on United States democratic institutions, infrastructure, and representatives for the purpose of overturning the results of the 2020 presidential election.”
The proposed bill states that teachers cannot “describe, portray, or present as credible a description or portrayal of the actions precipitating or involved in the events of the January 6, 2021, insurrection as peaceful protest” or “state, suggest, or present as credible a statement or suggestion that there was extensive election fraud that could have changed or actually changed the results of the 2020 presidential election.”
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Fox News reported that the legislation introduced by Helmer would only be applicable to public schools in Virginia. The outlet noted that while the legislation would not force any public schools to provide teaching on January 6, it would require any public school that offers teaching on January 6 to follow the mandated guidelines.
In a press release obtained by Fox News, Helmer said, “The attempted violent overthrow of our elected government on January 6th, 2021, was a tragedy with no precedent in American history.”
“Trump and MAGA Republicans across the country are trying to rewrite this history — turning traitors into patriots,” the Virginia delegate added. “But Virginians remember our history. We remember the Virginia State Police and National Guard who protected our democracy as Donald Trump egged on a violent mob.”
The Democrat-backed legislation comes after President Donald Trump’s administration published a new webpage pushing back against the Democrat narrative regarding the events that occurred on January 6. The White House webpage highlights how the president pardoned January 6 defendants after his inauguration last January, claiming that they were “unfairly targeted, overcharged, and used as political examples.”
The webpage states, “The Democrats masterfully reversed reality after January 6, branding peaceful patriotic protesters as ‘insurrectionists’ and framing the event as a violent coup attempt orchestrated by Trump—despite no evidence of armed rebellion or intent to overthrow the government.”