WASHINGTON – Tens of thousands of people dressed in red, white and blue piled up and marched toward outgoing President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, on Saturday afternoon to protest so-called “voter fraud” in the 2020 presidential election. fell, skirmishes between protesters and counter-protesters broke out across the city.
At least 10 other people were arrested Saturday night, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, four others were arrested for gun violations, two for assault, one for not being licensed, one for assaulting a police officer and two for disturbing public order. to public affairs official Alaina Gertz.
The solar light hours rally, announced through several names including Million MAGA March, Stop the Steal and March for Trump, began at Freedom Plaza, where chants from the crowd of “four more years” and “stop the steal” largely drowned the event’s speakers. Then part of the organization marched to the Capitol.
The crowd protested widely against “electoral fraud” to “show their favor to our president” and “preserve the integrity of the vote,” according to various pages of events. Trump refused to give in and made unfounded accusations of voter fraud to falsely claim that his election had been stolen.
Most rally participants were not dressed in masks, which helps prevent the spread of COVID-19. The giant crowd, filled with Make America Great Again red hats and giant flags with Trump’s call, was a place in the nation’s capital, a liberal city. Biden won D. C with 93% of the vote, according to the Associated Press.
I’m at Freedom Plaza, a block from the White House, Trump supporters are organizing an election rally and countermanifestants are expected. USATODAY https://t. co/d7vPCAj4zM pic. twitter. com/2s8EvzKyyL
Many of the attendees traveled from all over the United States to attend the event, some from Texas, North Carolina, Indiana, Wisconsin, New York and New Jersey.
Tracy Lavis, dressed in a red Trump flag as a cloak, waved a giant American flag in the square with others who traveled with her from Michigan for the event.
“I wanted to be here. We all want to show something for our president,” Lavis said, explaining that she had taken a night bus to Washington for the rally. “He wishes it. He wants us. It’s been ringing through the bell. “from day one. “
Lavis, like other supporters, denounced the integrity of the election and the media noted that former Vice President Joe Biden was the winner. “It’s not fair. Every legal vote will have to be counted,” he added.
Jeremy Cleary and his mother, Lois, left Pennsylvania to the president. “It’s far from over,” Jeremy Cleary said of Trump. ” He’s still on it. “
He noted that he had not noticed any violence and said he hoped it would continue.
“No matter what happens with the election, I hope we can all unite after that,” he said. “I have a lot of confidence in other Americans so we can do that. “
Background: We investigate allegations of voter fraud in elections. Here’s what we found.
More: Most republican demands that defy the effects of elections on battlefield states went far
A look at Trump’s rally at the Capitol, the total street in front of SCOTUS was filled with other people and many Trump flags. Pic. twitter. com/AaF0S1yKDb
Marcello Milone, who traveled with his family, his 15-year-old son from South Carolina, said they were there to “demand the truth. “
“I don’t see how the country doubled with Trump with tons of votes on election night, and then, a few days later, Biden is called the winner,” he said, waving an American flag. “It doesn’t make any sense. “
Biden reappeared in several undecided states after counting millions of ballots by mail and was delayed due to a significant increase in the number of votes by mail amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Milone argued that a vote count in many states is mandatory and that this would reassure the country about the results.
“If you can do that today, whether you like Biden or Trump, what happens when you don’t like the next one,” he added. “We want the fact because it’s a basic facet of American democracy. “
Few counter-demonstrators were seen near the original demonstration, but several D. C. citizens showed symptoms that said “TRUMP LOST. “The small organization caught the attention of some Trump supporters, who mocked the organization and shouted things like “you’re a joke” and “the rigged choice. “
Jan Bisaga, 27, waved a black sign that read “ATOUT IS FINISHED” to Republicans marching around the Capitol. shouted as he greeted Trump’s supporters: “Trump lost!Woo!” Trump supporters threw things at him, broke his signal and shouted profanely and “brainwashed through the media!”
Bisaga, who lives in the D. C. area, said she had to faint and oppose Trump’s supporters. “I sought to celebrate Biden’s wonderful victory and, to be honest, drag Trump’s supporters,” he said with a laugh. walking does not replace the result, like me, being here does nothing. “
Later Saturday, Trump supporters clashed with an organization of about 20 counter-combatants near the Supreme Court, where liberals held symptoms of support for Biden and Black Lives Matter. One sign read: “We did it on November 3rd!
Dozens of officials, many on the move, and steel barricades separated the two teams as they shouted profanities through megaphones. Police had to push back counter-combatants several times when Trump supporters shouted threats and challenged them to go head-to-head.
Near Union Station, Trump supporters and counter-combatants fought and a guy bleeding. The guy, wearing an American flag mask, punched several times in the face through at least two other people dressed in black. Police and doctors temporarily provided assistance to the guy, who collapsed to the ground.
At Black Lives Matter Square, a block from the White House, Trump supporters and counter-supporters clashed in a series of tense clashes. Liberals take conservatives out of the square, some rip the flags of Trump supporters and yell at them for megaphones to “get out of town. “
Counter-supporters ripped off a red Trump flag from a Trump supporter and lit it in the square. In some other altercation, a Trump supporter used a long white PVC pipe and addressed the counter-supporters after someone passed his hat. Police increased their presence and were bicycles to make a line of coverage around Trump supporters looking to leave the area.
On Saturday night, an organization of several dozen people, a guy dressed in black, went out on the streets, targeting anyone dressed in Trump’s outfit. A Trump supporter organization dined at PJ’s Clarke near the White House, and someone from the organization threw a firework at them, which exploded near a couple’s table as they walked away. A guy who was having dinner took a chair and threw it at reporters.
Some others exchanged punches, punches and slaps, as noted through videos on social media. A guy with a megaphone screaming “Get out of here!”driven and driven into the street through a guy who then surrounded several other people and driven and beaten until he fell sharply into the street. Bloody and dizzy, he was arrested and taken to a police officer.
After several arrests, the organization and police clashed and police used a chemical agent in the crowd, several others graffitied a van with a MAGA hat on its board outside the doors of the Hilton Capitol and cut off one of its tires. wept through the chemical while others washed their eyes with water.
VIDEO: An organization of Trump supporters dined on Clarke de P. J. near the White House and the countermanifestants began throwing bottles and fireworks at them. USATODAY pic. twitter. com/8DiNMp5lmO
Although the event was not considered an extremist event, it caused a stir in right-wing circles on social media, adding Talk and Telegram, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Like the social networking site Gab, Parler temporarily attracted the extremist crowd in addition to the self-proclaimed centre-right conservatives.
Oren Segal, vice president of the Anti-Defamation League Extremism Center, told USA TODAY that he did not believe the occasion represented a public safety risk. “I would say the DC march is a kind of physical manifestation of online platforms like Talk, where other people come up with more excessive concepts,” Segal said. “That’s the danger. “
History of today’s rallies: Trump supporters plan rallies in Washington DC, experts warn extremists can attend
Among Saturday’s crowd were several large 20- or 30-foot flags that enthusiasts held from above. “LOI AND ATOUT ORDER 2020” is read on a blue and black flag.
The cargo carts were scattered on almost every corner of the square, and the merchants shouted “Buy your T-shirts to prevent theft!”Some have distributed posters with Trump portrayed as Superguy. , “Keep your germs to yourself!”
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Twitter that the crowd was “more than a million protesters,” and Trump said on Twitter that “hundreds of thousands more people” ended. But the hounds at the site estimated that there were tens of thousands of people. other people at the rally.
“We’re going to win!” Trump on a series of tweets Saturday afternoon.
Trump said Friday that he could avoid the rally, but he left the White House early Saturday to play golf. As the presidential caravan was heading down Pennsylvania Avenue and Freedom Plaza, many covered Trump supporters on either side of the street cheered: he clapped, greeted and whistled.
‘Abuse of the rule of law’: 1,000 former judges criticize Trump’s false allegations of voter fraud
Earlier this week, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Metropolitan Police Department said they were tracking the events but would not provide an estimate of the crowd. prohibited from carrying a firearm within 1,000 feet of any demonstration, adding those with hidden port permits.
Meanwhile, 500 Trump supporters, almost all unmasked, gathered Saturday in Delray Beach, Florida, to insist on voter theft and inspire Trump to remain in office, regardless of the results. The occasion marked through a march and a speech through provocateur Roger. Stone, who forgave through Trump.
A week ago on Saturday, after states spent days counting the ballots, several media outlets projected biden to be the winner of the 2020 presidential election, but USA TODAY did not discover evidence of widespread voter fraud. See below:
Contributing: The Associated Press