Amid tight security — armored vehicles, riot gear, the District’s entire police department on duty — a couple hundred people gathered on the west side of the U.S. Capitol for a rally in support of the defendants facing charges related to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

In addition to a small crowd in attendance for the “Justice for J6” rally and the large police presence, a frenzy of journalists were also present, with reporters outnumbering protesters in some areas. The U.S. Capitol Police estimated there were between 400 and 450 non-law enforcement people inside the protest area.

Capitol Police said they arrested four people: One person who was carrying a knife, another who was carrying a handgun, and two people in a car with outstanding arrest warrants from Texas. The department also reported that it had separated groups of protesters and counter-protesters “without incident.” The day has otherwise remained peaceful — a stark contrast to the events on Jan. 6 itself, when swarms of people overwhelmed security forces and breached the seat of the U.S. government.

Speeches lasted about an hour and a half, after which some of the crowd, and law enforcement officials, lingered.

“It is kind of sad, the small amount of people,” said Casey Crawford, a 29 year-old who came from Alaska to attend the rally. “I’m glad that there was a turnout but I think that a lot of people were scared away, saying it was gonna be a false flag.”

Elsewhere around the city, life has carried on as normal with a series of large events: the annual H Street Festival is underway just a few blocks away, the Nationals play a home game this afternoon, a section of downtown D.C. was been turned into a temporary roller-skating rink, and Harry Styles is performing tonight at Capital One Arena.

Matt Braynard, the event’s organizer and a former Trump campaign staffer, asked participants to be kind and respectful toward law enforcement officers and the media in his opening speech.

“We condemn all violence, political violence,” Braynard told those gathered. “This is about justice and disparate treatment and equal treatment under the law.” He argues that some of the defendants are being mistreated in solitary confinement and ought to have their charges dropped. Former president Donald Trump lent his words of support to those “persecuted so unfairly” earlier this week.

A number of federal judges, meanwhile, have posited that defendants are actually being treated too leniently — not paying hefty enough fines and serving minimal jail time. In May, the Guardian reported that at least 70% of defendants were released before trial; nationwide, only 25% of defendants are released before a trial on average.

More than 600 people have been arrested and charged with crimes related to the Capitol insurrection (at least 58 defendants have pleaded guilty). Fewer than 40 are currently held at the D.C. Jail, according to D.C. Department of Corrections.

Look Ahead America, Braynard’s group, has also organized protests at the D.C. Jail in support of the defendants. Florida Rep. Matthew Gaetz, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, and other GOP congress members showed up and unsuccessfully demanded to be let in at one point this summer — though they didn’t attend today’s rally.

“There’s a handful of Congress, like Congresswoman Green, who talks about January 6th political poisoners all the time — she could have shown up and made a presence. She didn’t; I mean maybe she’s busy,” Crawford said. “But it is sad to think that there’s people that say they care about it that didn’t show up for it. We haven’t had a big rally for Jan. 6 because of what happened Jan. 6, so this was kind of a chance to show, in numbers, the people that care about the cause.”

Meanwhile, Isabella Rizzo and Hannah Pilgrim, George Washington University freshmen students, told DCist/WAMU they came to the Capitol on Saturday to show that there are people who are opposed to the rally.

“January 6 was really scary and I definitely want to show that there’s a counter force against some of these people,” Pilgrim said. “I’m just glad it’s not scary here right now.”

Rizzo, wearing a t-shirt with the word ‘vote’ on it, added that many of those participating in the rally were being led astray by politicians.

“It’s the importance of voting for candidates who believe in truth, in science, and in facts,” Rizzo said. “In my opinion, a lot of the leaders right now who represent these people don’t have their interests in mind, or anyone’s interest in mind, but power.”

A counterprotest in Freedom Plaza was held about a mile from the Capitol, intentionally far apart in the hopes of preventing the two groups from coming together, according to Chris Geldart, D.C.’s deputy mayor for public safety and justice.

Local mutual aid groups and other activist groups gathered about 75-100 people with snacks and beverages to express opposition to the Justice for J6 gathering and far-right groups. Speakers highlighted local groups that work to provide direct support to unhoused residents.

In the run-up to the rally, experts who monitor extremism online told DCist/WAMU that they did not expect a crowd anywhere near the likes of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Leaders of the Proud Boys, a classified hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center with a history of violence, reportedly told members not to come. Trump has also told supporters to stay away, calling the rally a “setup.” (After the sparse crowd showed up on Saturday, Rolling Stone put it succinctly: Right-Wing Conspiracy Rally Collapses Under Weight of Right-Wing Conspiracies.)

Still, researchers and law enforcement officials did not rule out the potential of violence — and the city prepared accordingly.

The Capitol fence was reinstalled, and the entire D.C. police force has been activated for the day. Police departments in the surrounding D.C. suburbs were also asked to send officers for assistance, and military-style police trucks from Prince George’s County were stationed near the U.S. Botanic Garden. Several roads downtown are closed until midnight tonight.

On Wednesday, U.S. Capitol Police requested the ability to receive National Guard support, “should the need arise.” Chief Tom Manger later dropped the request, and the Department of Defense instead approved a request for unarmed Guard soldiers to be stationed at the D.C. Armory and deployed if needed, according to the Washington Post.

D.C. officials also asked businesses and residents to remain alert in case far-right demonstrators bring illegal firearms into the city.

Months before the Capitol insurrection, pro-Trump supporters and white nationalist groups sowed chaos throughout the city on two different occasions.

In November, Trump supporters and right-wing activists descended on D.C. to protest the results of the 2020 election. The demonstrations ended in violent clashes with counter protesters. One person was stabbed, 21 people were arrested, and D.C. police recovered eight firearms. About a month later, pro-Trump supporters and white nationalists came back for the “Million MAGA March” — a day that again ended in violence. Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio admitted to stealing and burning a Black Lives Matter banner belonging to a D.C. church during the day’s rallies.

Since Jan. 6, there have been two major incidents of individuals threatening Capitol security. In April, a 25-year-old man rammed his car into the Capitol’s security perimeter injuring one Capitol police officer and killing another. The man then exited the vehicle with a knife and lunged at officers, according to Capitol police, and officers opened fire and killed him. And last month, a 49-year-old North Carolina resident was arrested by Capitol police after he claimed to have a bomb in his pickup truck in front of the Library of Congress.