Virginia just made it illegal for schools to call Jan. 6 a peaceful protest, but every single Republican in the state Senate voted against it

Virginia has passed a new law that makes it illegal for schools to teach false information about the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot. Under this law, schools cannot describe the events of that day as a “peaceful protest.” It also bans any suggestion that widespread election fraud changed the results of the 2020 presidential election.

According to CBS News, the law specifically requires that if schools teach about January 6, they must describe it 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.” This is not a mandate to teach about January 6, but a rule that ensures the facts are accurate if schools do choose to cover it.

The bill was sponsored by State Delegate Dan Helmer, a Democrat from Northern Virginia. It passed the state Senate with a 21-19 vote, with every single one of the chamber’s 19 Republicans voting against it. Helmer stated that “The White House has tried to rewrite history,” and that he does not “want to celebrate traitors in our public schools.”

Republicans voting against this bill shows the political divide over how January 6 is remembered

President Trump and his allies have repeatedly described January 6 as “patriotic” and claimed that the prosecutions of those involved were a “weaponization” of the Justice Department. On January 6, 2026, the White House posted a series of false claims about the events, including the claim that police were responsible for the attack.

Helmer pointed out that Virginia has a history of trying to rewrite history, such as previously teaching about the “lost cause of the Civil War” and celebrating the Confederacy in schools. He argued this bill provides “guardrails” to prevent similar historical inaccuracies from being taught again. 

Virginia passes bill prohibiting schools from teaching falsehoods about the January 6 riot, such as portraying it “as peaceful protest.” https://t.co/DG8ZPVW1Jx

— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 6, 2026

At the same time, tensions in Washington have been running high, as seen when a former Marine was forcibly removed from a Senate hearing after speaking out against U.S. military involvement overseas.

Harry Dunn, a former Capitol Police officer who responded to the attack on January 6, strongly supported the bill. He called it a “no-brainer,” saying opponents are the ones making it political. He stressed that “The world saw what happened that day and who was responsible for it.”

Former Justice Department prosecutor Brendan Ballou, who handled January 6 cases, said it is “absolutely essential that the reality of Jan. 6 not be forgotten and the history of the day not be rewritten.” Another former prosecutor on January 6 cases, Mike Gordon, gave “kudos to Virginia for pushing back on the relentless gaslighting about January 6th and the 2020 election,” adding, “Kids should learn the truth.” 

Senate hearings have also been making headlines recently, with Kristi Noem’s disastrous Senate appearance reportedly leading to her dismissal as DHS chief. The bill now goes to Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat who was serving in Congress during the Capitol attack. 

Her spokesperson confirmed she will review the legislation, and she is expected to sign it. New York is also considering a similar bill, with Democratic state Representative Chuck Lavine proposing that all public school students receive instruction about the insurrection. He said, “We can’t sweep history under the rug,” and added, “People are entitled to their own political beliefs, but they are not entitled to change facts.”

---