Kathimerini interview: ‘I never thought that the Capitol would be breached’

For the past 19 years, Gus Papathanasiou has been an officer of the United States Capitol Police. He is currently the chairman of the force's union.

"When you are a police officer, especially in Washington, DC, you go to work every day and you don't know what to expect," Papathanasiou told Kathimerini in an interview, switching between English and fluent Greek. But there was no precedent to what happened on Wednesday. "I never thought that the Capitol would be breached," he says, his voice still echoing the sound of disbelief.

It all began shortly after midday on January 6.

"We're going to walk down and I'll be there with you," a hoarse voice could be heard saying from the podium. "We're going to walk down to the Capitol," he told his most ardent supporters, and his words were greeted with loud cheers. Donald Trump was addressing them from behind a wall of...

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