New Dem bill would force schools to label Jan 6 Capitol breach as ‘unprecedented, violent attack’

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New Dem bill would force schools to label Jan 6 Capitol breach as ‘unprecedented, violent attack’

Legislation would prevent teachers in Virginia from framing Jan 6 to their students as either justifiable, or peaceful

Alec Schemmel Fox News

Published

January 14, 2026 4:08pm EST

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Jack Smith questions reliability of Jan 6 key witness's testimony

Former special counsel Jack Smith said explosive claims by Cassidy Hutchinson were largely hearsay and that he would move to preclude some of it if he were a defense lawyer. (Credit: House Judiciary Committee)

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A new bill introduced in Virginia would prohibit public schools in the state from describing the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., as a "peaceful protest."

Democrat Virginia Delegate Dan Helmer of Fairfax pre-filed House Bill No. 333 ahead of the start of this year's legislative session that began Wednesday.

The bill, if passed, would require any public school district that wants to teach about Jan. 6 to describe the event "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."

Meanwhile, the bill would also prohibit schools from teaching students that the events of Jan. 6, 2021, were justified due to allegations of election fraud, or from describing the incident as a "peaceful protest."

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Scene from the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. (Jose Luis Magana, File/AP Photo)

Helmer's bill would only apply to public schools, and it does not compel any schools to teach about it in the first place. However, if they do, then they would have to follow H.B. 333's guidelines.

Fox News Digital reached out to Helmer for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

"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," Helmer said in a press release announcing the new bill. "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."

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(Valerie Plesch for The Washington Post)

Helmer described the bill as an effort to "make sure that our history is protected" in Virginia.

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The Virginia State Capitol is seen in Richmond. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

In 2023, on the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 capitol riot, Helmer also introduced legislation aimed at banning anyone convicted of a crime related to the riot from serving in public office. The bill never gained enough support to make it out of committee, however.

Helmer, a Democrat who oversees Northern Virginia's Fairfax County, also pre-filed a bill that would impose an assault weapons ban ahead of this year's legislative session in the state.

New Dem bill would force schools to label Jan 6 Capitol breach as ‘unprecedented, violent attack’