The capital of the United States mobilized the National Guard before protests planned by supporters of Donald Trump before the vote in Congress claiming Joe Biden’s victory.
Trump supporters plan to demonstrate on Tuesday and Wednesday, seeking to reinforce the president’s unproven allegations of widespread electoral fraud.
DC police have posted signs across the city center warning that carrying any type of firearm is illegal and their police chief, Robert Contee, has asked residents to warn authorities about anyone who might be armed. “There are people who intend to come to our city armed,” said Contee on Monday.
Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the violent far-right group, the Proud Boys, was arrested in DC and accused of property destruction – related to a previous pro-Trump protest – and a firearm offense.
Trump has repeatedly encouraged this week’s protests and has hinted that he can get personally involved. Over the weekend, he retweeted a promotion for the rally with the message: “I’ll be there. Historic day! “
The rallies are planned to coincide with the official congressional vote on Wednesday to certify the electoral college votes in the November presidential election and declare Biden the winner.
A newly elected congresswoman raised the issue of firearms in the capital on Sunday, promising to carry her weapon in Congress. Republican Lauren Boebert, from Rifle, Colorado, was reminded by Contee that she would be “subject to the same penalties as anyone else caught on the streets of Washington carrying a firearm.”
While downtown DC companies closed their windows, Mayor Muriel Bowser requested a limited deployment of the National Guard to help strengthen the metropolitan police department. During a press conference on Monday, Bowser asked local residents to stay away from downtown DC and avoid confrontations with those “looking for a fight”. But, she warned, “We will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city.”
Photography: Susan Walsh / AP
According to a US defense officer, Bowser made a request on New Year’s Eve for members of the Guard on the streets Tuesday through Thursday to help with the protests. The official said the additional forces will be used for traffic control and other assistance, but will not be armed or wearing body armor.
About 340 members of the DC National Guard will be activated, with about 115 on duty on the streets at any one time, said the defense officer, who provided details on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The official said that members of the Guard will be used to install traffic control points around the city and to accompany district police at all metro stations in the city. Contee said that Guard troops will also be used to control the crowd.
Contee said: “Part of our intelligence certainly suggests that there will be an increase in the size of the crowds.”
Since DC doesn’t have a governor, the city’s designated National Guard commander is Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. Any D..request for Guard deployments must be approved by him.
The defense official said there will be no active military troops in the city, and the military will not provide aircraft or intelligence. DC Guard will provide specialized teams that will be prepared to respond to any chemical or biological incident. But the official said there will be no members of the DC Guard at the National Mall or Capitol.
In previous pro-Trump protests, police cordoned off the Black Lives Matter Plaza, but clashes simply spread through the surrounding streets. Contee said on Monday that sealing the area again was “a very real possibility”, but said the decision would depend on the circumstances. “We know that, historically, in the last few demonstrations, the BLM square has been a focal point,” said Contee. “We want to make sure that 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 participation of around 15,000 people, said spokesman Mike Litterst. On Monday, a stage was being set up for one of the protests at The Ellipse, south of the White House.
Organizers plan to meet on Tuesday night and again all day on Wednesday, including a 1 pm march to the Capitol. Expected participants include high-profile Trump supporters such as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Republican strategist Roger Stone, a former Trump devotee whose three-year prison sentence was commuted by Trump. Stone was convicted of repeatedly lying to Congress during an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.
During the pro-Trump protests on December 12, at least two local black churches had BLM strips dropped and burned. Contee said that the hate crime investigation into these incidents was underway and that its officers would be in place around churches to prevent similar incidents.
With the Associated Press