[ad_1]
WASHINGTON: Thousands of red-hatted protesters filled the streets of Washington on Saturday (December 12) to support Donald Trump’s allegations of election fraud, undeterred by the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of what may have been his last chance to void results.
Thousands of people gathered around Freedom Plaza, a few blocks from the White House, in a festive atmosphere earlier in the day, while later brawls broke out between protesters and counter-protesters.
Police, some in riot gear, used their bodies and bicycles to keep the groups apart. There was also at least one confrontation between the police and the counter-protesters.
Six people were arrested, following five arrests Friday night related to a fight, local media reported.
A protest in Washington on December 12, 2020 drew several thousand supporters of President Donald Trump; many insisted, without proof, that he defeated Democrat Joe Biden in the November election. (AFP / KATOPODIS TASOS)
Some pro-Trump protesters showed up in tactical gear, shouting “USA.” and “four more years” for the outgoing president.
It was a sizable crowd, but notably smaller than a similar rally a month ago when 10,000 people gathered near the White House to support Trump.
“We are not going to give up,” said Luke Wilson, a 60-something protester who had come from the western state of Idaho.
READ: Trump lashes out at Supreme Court and Barr as election rollback efforts fail
“I think a great injustice is being done against the American people,” added Dell Quick, a regular at Trump’s political rallies. He brandished a flag defending gun rights.
The protesters offered many explanations about the results of the Nov.3 election won by Democrat Joe Biden, even though it has been confirmed by state election officials, several of them Republicans, and by judges in several key states.
All states have certified Biden’s victory, giving the Democrat 306 votes in the Electoral College to Trump’s 232, with 270 needed for the election. Voters will formally cast their votes on Monday.
But protesters insisted, as Trump has repeatedly done, that there was widespread election fraud.
Some pointed to “foreign interference,” others to software that supposedly erased millions of votes for the president, but not those of other Republican candidates on the same ballots.
Quick told AFP that “it is not possible” for Biden to be elected.
Protesters, including some in Donald Trump masks, marched in Washington on December 12, 2020, to protest Joe Biden’s victory in the November election and insist that Trump lost only to widespread fraud. (AFP / KATOPODIS TASOS)
READ: Comment: How Joe Biden Won the 2020 US Presidential Election
Susan Bowman, a 62-year-old woman from Hampton, Virginia, said “this is not a banana republic. We need to fix the elections.”
Among those who addressed the crowd was Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser who lied about his Russian contacts and was recently pardoned by the president.
“STOLEN” CHOICE
Dozens of court cases alleging fraud or contesting the outcome have been resolved, virtually all in favor of Biden, with some judges harshly criticizing the lack of evidence.
But that wasn’t enough for Darlene Denton, 47, who wore a “Trump 2024” badge on her sweatshirt.
“Nobody wants to hear evidence, nobody wants to hear cases, everything just gets thrown away,” said Denton, who had come from Tennessee to support a president who said he had given “a voice to the people.”
READ: US Supreme Court Quickly Ends Trump-backed Texas Offer to Change Election Results
Trump, in complete defiance of the clear result and American tradition, has refused to give in to Biden.
“Wow! Thousands of people are forming in Washington (DC) for Stop the Steal,” he tweeted early Saturday. “I didn’t know about this, but I’ll be watching!”
Not long after, his helicopter took off from the White House grounds and passed the crowd, many singing the United States national anthem, as Trump headed to New York to attend the annual Army and Navy football game. .
Among the protesters, members of the far-right militia Proud Boys were clearly visible, in their distinctive black and yellow outfits, some in bulletproof vests, and often elicited cheers from others in the crowd.
A few blocks away, supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement staged their own, much smaller rally, shouting “Nazis out!”
Occasional violent clashes with counter-protesters during the November demonstration left some people with stab wounds. The police made about 20 arrests related to this event.
