Civil War in U.S.
Trump Supporters, Police Clash in Washington
WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – Donald Trump’s supporters clashed with police as they descended on Washington DC Wednesday to back the outgoing president’s claims of election fraud.
Thousands of people lined up before sunrise to show their support for Trump who was expected to address his supporters later in the morning during a rally on the Ellipse, just south of the White House.
Trump summoned supporters to this week’s gatherings, saying on Twitter on Sunday that "I will be there,” and on Friday that "it will be wild.”
At an outdoor rally Monday night in Georgia, Trump declared he would "fight like hell” to hold on to the presidency and appealed to Republican lawmakers to reverse his election loss to Joe Biden.
Organizers planned an afternoon march to the Capitol, where Congress would be voting to affirm the Electoral College results, which Trump continues to dispute.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Freedom Plaza on Tuesday evening. Videos shared on Twitter showed police holding back the crowds of protestors. Police officers used pepper spray as they clashed with the president’s supporters.
The protesters waved Trump’s campaign flags and wore red hats with the president’s "Make America Great Again” slogan.
Trump tweeted his support for the protesters: "Washington is being inundated with people who don’t want to see an election victory stolen by emboldened Radical Left Democrats. Our Country has had enough, they won’t take it anymore! We hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
In another tweet, Trump called on Democrats and fellow Republicans to look at the "thousands of people pouring into DC”.
Many businesses in downtown Washington boarded up their windows, fearful that the protest could follow the unrest seen in May and June when dozens of businesses were vandalized.
Officials said there were six arrests by Tuesday night for a variety of offences including weapons and ammunition possession, assaulting a police officer, simple assault and possessing a stun gun.
District of Columbia mayor Muriel Bowser called in National Guard troops to help bolster the city’s police force.
She urged residents to stay away from downtown Washington and to avoid confrontations with anyone who is "looking for a fight”.
But, she warned, "we will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city”.
In addition to the National Guard, federal agents were on standby, in case they were quickly needed in the city this week.
The federal Bureau of Prisons said about 100 "specially trained officers” were sent to the Justice Department headquarters to assist other security personnel but would remain "in a reserve capacity unless needed.”
A pro-Trump rally in December ended in violence as hundreds of Trump supporters — some wearing the signature black and yellow of the
Proud Boys faction — sporadically fought with anti-Trump demonstrators attempting to bar them from Black Lives Matter Plaza, an area near the White House.
At least 33 people were arrested after the rally and a 29-year-old man was arrested in connection to reported stabbings near the protests.
Police Chief Robert Contee said the protests could be bigger than November and December rallies marred by stabbings and brawls as hundreds of Proud Boys, a group of self-described "Western chauvinists,” and other Trump loyalists clashed with counter-protesters, and sought fights with antifa, or anti-fascists, and Black Lives Matter activists.
On Wednesday morning, as demonstrations ramped up for a second day, D.C. police said they recovered a rifle found inside a vehicle parked at L’Enfant Plaza in the 600 block of Maryland Avenue SW.
Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two challenges rejected by the Supreme Court.
Thousands of people lined up before sunrise to show their support for Trump who was expected to address his supporters later in the morning during a rally on the Ellipse, just south of the White House.
Trump summoned supporters to this week’s gatherings, saying on Twitter on Sunday that "I will be there,” and on Friday that "it will be wild.”
At an outdoor rally Monday night in Georgia, Trump declared he would "fight like hell” to hold on to the presidency and appealed to Republican lawmakers to reverse his election loss to Joe Biden.
Organizers planned an afternoon march to the Capitol, where Congress would be voting to affirm the Electoral College results, which Trump continues to dispute.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Freedom Plaza on Tuesday evening. Videos shared on Twitter showed police holding back the crowds of protestors. Police officers used pepper spray as they clashed with the president’s supporters.
The protesters waved Trump’s campaign flags and wore red hats with the president’s "Make America Great Again” slogan.
Trump tweeted his support for the protesters: "Washington is being inundated with people who don’t want to see an election victory stolen by emboldened Radical Left Democrats. Our Country has had enough, they won’t take it anymore! We hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
In another tweet, Trump called on Democrats and fellow Republicans to look at the "thousands of people pouring into DC”.
Many businesses in downtown Washington boarded up their windows, fearful that the protest could follow the unrest seen in May and June when dozens of businesses were vandalized.
Officials said there were six arrests by Tuesday night for a variety of offences including weapons and ammunition possession, assaulting a police officer, simple assault and possessing a stun gun.
District of Columbia mayor Muriel Bowser called in National Guard troops to help bolster the city’s police force.
She urged residents to stay away from downtown Washington and to avoid confrontations with anyone who is "looking for a fight”.
But, she warned, "we will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city”.
In addition to the National Guard, federal agents were on standby, in case they were quickly needed in the city this week.
The federal Bureau of Prisons said about 100 "specially trained officers” were sent to the Justice Department headquarters to assist other security personnel but would remain "in a reserve capacity unless needed.”
A pro-Trump rally in December ended in violence as hundreds of Trump supporters — some wearing the signature black and yellow of the
Proud Boys faction — sporadically fought with anti-Trump demonstrators attempting to bar them from Black Lives Matter Plaza, an area near the White House.
At least 33 people were arrested after the rally and a 29-year-old man was arrested in connection to reported stabbings near the protests.
Police Chief Robert Contee said the protests could be bigger than November and December rallies marred by stabbings and brawls as hundreds of Proud Boys, a group of self-described "Western chauvinists,” and other Trump loyalists clashed with counter-protesters, and sought fights with antifa, or anti-fascists, and Black Lives Matter activists.
On Wednesday morning, as demonstrations ramped up for a second day, D.C. police said they recovered a rifle found inside a vehicle parked at L’Enfant Plaza in the 600 block of Maryland Avenue SW.
Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two challenges rejected by the Supreme Court.