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From: TT
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1 of 3 | Photo: Jae C Hong
Trump supporters during a protest in Las Vegas Thursday night.
Demonstrations have broken out in the United States after repeated claims by the president that the elections are rigged. Both Democrats and Republicans have taken to the streets. For the most part, things have gone well, but below the surface, unrest is spreading in a divided country.
– They are trying to manipulate an election and we cannot allow that to happen.
President Donald Trump’s remarkable statement lacks evidence, but his repeated questioning of the election has prompted his supporters and opponents to react.
Facebook has shut down a group that brought together some 300,000 Trump supporters who called for demonstrations, violence and the overthrow of the government.
On Thursday, Trump supporters gathered at polling stations in various parts of the country to demand a halt or re-counting of votes.
Hundreds arrested
In Milwaukee, about 50 Trump supporters waved flags and banners with the slogans “Recalculate” and “Rigged” in front of an electoral college. Philadelphia police are also investigating an alleged planned attack on a polling station. A man has been arrested and a weapon seized, according to Reuters.
Demonstrations against Trump have also been held in major cities in various places, under the slogan “Every vote counts.”
In Minneapolis, more than 600 protesters were arrested for disturbing public order when they blocked a road during a protest against Donald Trump’s statement. The effort went smoothly, reports AP.
In part it has become chaotic when protesters and counter-protesters clashed and police arrested several people across the country who behaved violently.
For the most part, however, they have been minor protests that have been carried out peacefully, various media outlets report.
“Terrifying to see”
Fears that major clashes and violence would break out during the elections do not appear to have come true, until now. But the vote count is still ongoing, and with Biden taking an ever-increasing advantage over Trump, the president has stepped up the rhetoric in his remarks and on social media.
And anxiety about what will come when a result is ready hangs in the air.
“It is reassuring to see what has not happened so far. The polling stations did not notice any significant violence or armed threat, foreign opponents were unsuccessful in any cyberattacks against our voting system,” writes David Ignatius, columnist for The Washington Post.
“But after the days go by without any results, it is scary to see militant protesters gathering around polling stations,” he continues.
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