The U.S. capital has mobilized the National Guard ahead of planned protests by Donald Trump supporters ahead of the congressional vote confirming Joe Biden’s victory in the election.
Trump supporters plan to convene Tuesday and Wednesday, seeking to bolster the president’s unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud.
Police in DC have placed signs in downtown warning that the transportation of any type of firearm is illegal, and acting police chief Robert Contee has asked residents to warn authorities about anyone who may be armed. “There are people who want to come to our city armed,” Contee said Monday.
That comes when Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the violent far-right group the Proud Boys, was arrested in DC and charged with property destruction – linked to a previous protest against Trump – and a firearms violation.
Trump has repeatedly encouraged the protests this week, hinting that he may become personally involved. Over the weekend, he tweeted a promotion for the protest with the message: ‘I will be there. Historic day! ”
The marches are scheduled to coincide with the official congressional vote Wednesday to ratify the Electoral College’s votes from the November presidential election and declare Biden the winner.
A newly elected congresswoman on Sunday raised the issue of firearms in the capital and promised to carry her pistol in Congress. Republican Lauren Boebert, from the city of Rifle, Colorado, was reminded by Contee that she “will undergo the same punishments as anyone else caught in the DC streets with a firearm”.
While businesses in the city center climbed up their windows, Mayor Muriel Bowser called for a limited deployment of the national guard to strengthen the Metropolitan Police Department. During a news conference on Monday, Bowser called on local residents to stay away from downtown DC and to avoid confrontations with anyone seeking a ‘fight’. But she warned: “We will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city.”
Photo: Susan Walsh / AP
According to a U.S. defense official, on New Year’s Eve, Bowser filed a motion to have guards on the streets from Tuesday through Thursday to help with the protests. The officer said the additional forces would be used for traffic control and other assistance, but they would not be armed or wearing armor.
About 340 DC National Guard members will be activated, with about 115 on duty in the streets at the given time, the defense official said, providing details on condition of anonymity to discuss internal discussions. The officer said Guard members will be used to set up traffic control points in the city and stand by district police officers at all the metro stops in the city. Contee said the guard troops will also be used for some crowd management.
Contee said: “Some of our intelligence certainly indicates that there will be larger crowds.”
Because DC does not have a governor, the designated commander of the city’s National Guard is Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. Any requests for the deployment of the guard must be approved by him.
The defense official said there would be no military troops in the city, and that the army would not provide any aircraft or intelligence. The DC Guard will provide specialized teams prepared to respond to any chemical or biological incident. However, the official said there will be no DC Guard members at the National Mall or at the Capitol.
During previous pro-Trump protests, police closed Black Lives Matter Plaza itself, but the confrontations simply washed into the surrounding streets. Contee said Monday the sealing of the area is a “very real possibility”, but said the decision depends on the circumstances. “We know that BLM Square has been a focal point over the past few demonstrations,” Contee said. “We want to make sure this is not a problem.”
The national park service received three separate applications for pro-Trump protests on Tuesday or Wednesday, with an estimated maximum attendance of about 15,000 people, spokesman Mike Litterst said. On Monday, there is a stage for one of the protests at The Ellipse, just south of the White House.
Organizers plan to gather Tuesday night and again all day Wednesday, including a march to the Capitol at 1 p.m. Expected participants include high-level Trump supporters, such as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Republican strategist Roger Stone, a longtime Trump activist whose three-year prison sentence was changed by Trump. Stone was found guilty of repeatedly lying to Congress during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
During pro-Trump protests on Dec. 12, BLM banners of at least two local black churches were torn down and set on fire. Contee said the investigation into hate crimes following these incidents continues and that its officials around churches will be in place to prevent similar incidents.
With Associated Press