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Barricades are being built in the American capital. The windows are nailed back. The streets are almost deserted. Cars are driven out of the city center. Two and a half meters of straight iron barriers have been erected around the congress building and much of the city center.
20,000 soldiers are deployed to defend Washington, DC for fear of further unrest.
Margareth and Robert Sides live in the city. They have taken a bike ride to enjoy the unreal sight.
SHOCKED RESIDENTS: The Margareth and Robert Sides couple were shocked by the riots on January 6. Photo: Fredrik Græsvik
– I almost started laughing, this is so sad. A military zone in the heart of DC. It’s absolutely terrible, says Margareth Sides.
Feeling insecure
The takeover of Congress on Wednesday of last week changed a lot. Your hometown doesn’t feel so safe anymore.
– It was shocking. It was difficult to assimilate. It’s hard to understand, it’s just hard to find the words for what happened, says Robert Sides.
PREPARED FOR NOISE: The particle board is positioned against the winds in case of noise in the streets. Photo: Fredrik Græsvik
There is a bad mood in the city. Many are excited and concerned about what the next few days will bring.
– They say there are more soldiers here than in Iraq. Perhaps even more so than Iraq and Afghanistan combined, says Margareth Sides.
The soldiers are not deployed in the city to defend the United States from an external enemy.
SOLDIERS AND BARRIERS: Downtown Washington, DC is closed. Photo: Fredrik Græsvik
They are deployed to defend the Americans against their own compatriots. Against those who have listened to President Donald Trump and refuse to believe that he lost the November elections. Those who embrace the president’s conspiracy theories and believe their democracy and freedom are being stolen from them.
PROVE AGAINST TRUMP: A woman clearly expresses what she thinks about the man who has ruled the United States for the past four years. Photo: Fredrik Græsvik
– This is what I wanted. He is a sick man. He should be admitted to a psychiatric hospital, says Margareth Sides.
The husband laughs and continues:
– He should at least be jailed, he says.
Ask people to stay home
The people of the city are alert, with an uncomfortable and painful feeling that something is going to happen.
The mayor of the capital, Muriel Bowser, has asked people not to enter the city in connection with the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20. He has also asked city residents to stay away from the city center.
According to the FBI, armed demonstrations are planned in Washington, DC, and in every state capital in the United States in the days leading up to the inauguration.
