(Newswire.net — January 6, 2021) —
Washington – thousands of Trump supporters gather in the capital city to protest the election results as Congress is set to announce Biden’s victory.
Many of Trump’s supporters were arriving to D.C. early sporting “Save America” slogans, but few of the protesters were wearing recommended face protection, those who were had red “Make America Great Again” masks. Among them were members of extremist and far-right groups whose conspiracies regarding the elections were echoed by Donald Trump himself. “Statistically impossible to have lost the 2020 Election. Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!” tweeted Trump.
Tensions were high even prior to the “Save America March”, as thousands of Trump supporters gathered in D.C. and had clashes with the counter protesters on a Sunday rally. One person was shot and four were stabbed.
A Washington judge banned Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio from entering the District of Columbia. The Proud Boys are a far-right group and their leader was arrested two days prior to the protest scheduled for January 6. Tarrio was arrested by Washington Metropolitan Police Department officers for burning a Black Lives Matter banner. Besides being charged for destruction of property for burning the banner that was torn from a historic black church in Washington he was also brought up on weapons charges for carrying rifle magazines with the Proud Boys logo on them.
The Washington Metro Police Department has also taken precautions to prevent further escalations. They have erected signs warning against open carry of weapons, which is illegal in Washington. Police have warned locals to stay away from the downtown area, as Metro PD officers will be joined by members of the National Guard who are there to help stop violent clashes. On Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday D.C. police have made 10 arrests.
Prior to the 1 p.m. Electoral College legislator meeting, Trump took the stage at the Ellipse at noon and was greeted by a roaring crowd of thousands. Trump again claimed he won the election, saying “they” used the “China Virus” to steal the presidential election. His claims were not supported by the courts, as there were dozens of lawsuits that were dropped.