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From: TT
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Photo: Jeff Chiu / AP / TT
A store in San Francisco is nailing store windows out of fear of riots in connection with the US elections.
The shop windows are covered with masonite boards, the streets are closed and the police are mobilized by riots. The mood before the US elections is tense and firearms sales have risen sharply.
With the violent riots this summer following the shooting death of African American George Floyd in recent memory, authorities in many places are taking steps to prevent riots and looting. In Los Angeles’ Beverly Hills, posh Rodeo Drive is closed to both pedestrians and motorists, and store owners are urged to close or limit opening hours, writes the Los Angeles Times.
The mood before the elections is described as unusually tense and gun sales have risen sharply. More than 95 million Americans have voted early, which can lead to a long and complicated vote count. If the result is delayed or if doubts arise about the conduct of the elections, the risk of violent protests may increase.
“Dangerous threat”
– It’s such a polarized atmosphere and a lot of people are angry. “I have never seen such a dynamic, complex and dangerous threat as the one that prevails now,” John D. Cohen, former coordinator of counterterrorism at the Department of Security, told The New York Times.
Among the clouds of unrest is also the risk that groups will try to disrupt the electoral campaign from the opposition camp or scare voters away from polling stations.
The federal police FBI is investigating an incident Friday in which Trump supporters allegedly surrounded and harassed one of Biden’s campaign buses in Texas. On the bus was the Democratic candidate for Congress Wendy Davis, who interrupted the trip and canceled several events with reference to security, reports the AFP news agency.
On Sunday, Trump posted a video of the incident on Twitter with the words “I love Texas.” During a campaign rally in Michigan later, he said protesters were trying to “protect” the campaign bus. Later, again on Twitter, he criticized the police for investigating the incident. “These patriots did nothing wrong,” he wrote, urging police to focus instead on “terrorists, anarchists and agitators in Antifa (left-wing extremist).”
Ambiguous Trump
The president has been accused of flirting with far-right armed groups such as the Proud Boys. When Trump in a debate with Biden in September was asked to condemn the white power group, he urged them to “back off and be ready (back off and stand by).
He later told reporters that what he meant was that right-wing militant groups would resign and let the police do their job. But the members of the Proud Boys interpreted his words as support.
The United States police have gathered forces to deal with the unrest. In Washington, several blocks around the White House will be cordoned off and large amounts of tear gas will be purchased.
Michigan authorities are on the alert for the arrest of 14 members of a paramilitary group accused of conspiring to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer due to the coronation. State Attorney Dana Nessel says there will be large police forces at the ready.
“They will not have cops at the polls, but they will be ready to intervene if malicious people show up and behave in a threatening or intimidating way,” he told The New York Times.
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