What we know about possible protests before Joe Biden’s inauguration

What we know about possible protests before Joe Biden’s inauguration

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One week after a pro-Trump mob looted the U.S. Capitol, federal officials repeated a warning in a call with law enforcement leaders across the country, saying they were still concerned about the prospect of extremists appearing at planned rallies and violence.
Security is also on the rise in the battlefields that were crucial to President-elect Joe Biden’s presidential victory, with governors activating the National Guard, closing capitals, erecting fences and barriers and, in at least two cases, windows saved.

Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, said Thursday that authorities are holding a call for possible armed protests and activities leading up to the inauguration. ‘

“We are monitoring all incoming leads – whether calls for armed protests, potential threats arising from the January 6 invasion of the Capitol, or other forms of potential threats leading to inaugural events and various other targets,” Wray said. .

It all contributes to an inauguration unlike any other, with no crowds in DC and security maximally across the country.

How to prepare DC

Hundreds of National Guard troops are in the Capitol Visitor's Center to step up security at the Capitol this week.
A week after the tampered Trump gang stormed the US Capitol, the area around Capitol Hill is under strict security. Members of the National Guard were present everywhere, including in the Capitol, and new fences cordoned off the perimeter of the area.

Robert Contee, DC police chief, said Wednesday that more than 20,000 members of the district’s national guard can be expected for Biden’s inauguration, though he noted that the U.S. Secret Service will provide the final numbers.

Feds warn extremists may be encouraged to carry out additional attacks after Capitol uprising

Officials added that there was no concern that there would be a shortage of guards to meet the requirements of the 50 States and the District of Columbia.

Contee told reporters he remained concerned amid a “major security threat” ahead of the inauguration and planned demonstrations in the district over the weekend.

“I was worried before and will be through this weekend and beyond,” Contee said Wednesday.

He also praised the safety position of Mayor Muriel Bowser, among other things to discourage people from coming to the DC for the inauguration.

“There is a major security threat, and we are working to mitigate the threats,” he added.

Bowser said Wednesday she is trying to persuade the U.S. Department of the Interior, David Bernhardt, to cancel public licensing permits and deny future applications during the period through the inauguration.

How to prepare statements

Georgia State Troopers stand guard in front of the Capitol building in Georgia on the first day of the 2021 Legislative Session in Atlanta, Monday, January 11, 2021.

States across the country increase security and call on the National Guard to protect Capitol buildings from possible protests, including in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. .

A number of states use heavy fencing and additional crowd control measures around their Capitol buildings, including in Arizona, California, Georgia, Michigan, New Mexico, Virginia and Washington, while Pennsylvania has built barriers and increased security.

Although many Capitol buildings have been closed due to coronavirus restrictions, the warnings are particularly laden in states that allow people to openly carry firearms and those where Trump has falsely claimed fraud.

How key states plan to secure their capital buildings from possible armed pro-Trump protests
In Michigan, where heavily armed protesters got stuck in the state Capitol in Lansing in the spring, the open carrying of firearms inside the building was banned. Still, the mayor of Lansing asked the governor to call in the National Guard to protect the Capitol, and the state’s attorney general said the new ban on firearms in the state there is not enough.

“The state capital is not safe,” said Attorney General Dana Nessel.

In Virginia, a state of emergency has been declared in Richmond and Capitol Square will be closed before the expected protests at the Capitol building. The state is expecting a rally on Monday for ‘Lobby Day’, an annual protest event that brought thousands of proponents of gun rights to the Capitol last year.

Governors in Utah and New Mexico have also declared a state of emergency.

In Oregon, the FBI instituted a commando post to gather information with law enforcement and share about possible threats of violence for the state Capitol.

In Florida and Oklahoma, lawmakers and staff are being told to work from home this weekend because of the likelihood of protests. Pennsylvania and Utah completely close their capitals. In Wisconsin and Virginia, workers climbed their Capitol windows on the first floor before possible protests.

Several large states are also strongly prepared. In New York, state police took steps to step up security in and around the State Capitol in Albany ahead of Biden’s inauguration. And in California, more than 1,000 National Guard troops were deployed and fences erected around the Capitol after the governor called it an ‘unscrupulous attack on our Republic’.

CNN’s Amanda Watts, Alison Main, Nicky Robertson, Barbara Starr and Ryan Nobles contributed to this report.

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