Violence breaks out at Million Maga March as thousands of pro-Trump protesters rally in Washington DC

Law enforcement personnel keep an eye as supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump and  supporters of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden exchange words on a street, in Washington
Law enforcement personnel keep an eye as supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump and supporters of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden exchange words on a street, in Washington
REUTERS

Clashes broke out with counter-protesters after thousands of  supporters of US president Donald Trump descended on  Washington DC.

Flag-carrying demonstrators were joined by members of far-right groups including the Proud Boys, some wearing helmets and bullet-proof vests.

Cries of “stop the steal” and “count every vote” continued in spite of a lack of evidence of voter fraud or other problems that could reverse the result.

After the first reports of violence emerged, the president accused “Antifa scum” for stoking unrest and called on the DC police to “do your job.” 

Earlier his press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had falsely claimed that a million people had attended the so-called Million Maga March.

But The Washington Post and Sky News reporters on the ground estimate that is more likely to be a few thousand people.

During the day Mr Trump’s motorcade had driven past supporters and  gave an approving nod before rolling on to his Virginia golf club.

It was after night fell that the relatively peaceful demonstrations in Washington turned from tense to violent.

Videos posted on social media showed fistfights, projectiles and clubs as Trump supporters clashed with those demanding they take their banners and leave.

A member of far-right militia Proud Boys reacts during a scuffle following a protest against election results, in Washington, U.S.
REUTERS

The tensions extended into Sunday morning. A variety of charges, including assault and weapons possession, were filed against those arrested, officials said. 

There was one stabbing, 20 arrests and two police officers injured, with several firearms were recovered.

People chanted “USA, USA” and “four more years,” and many carried American flags and signs to show their displeasure with the vote tally and insistence that, as Mr Trump has baselessly asserted, fraud was the reason.

“I just want to keep up his spirits and let him know we support him,” said one loyalist, Anthony Whittaker of Winchester, Virginia.  

He was outside the Supreme Court, where a few thousand assembled after a march along Pennsylvania Avenue from Freedom Plaza, near the White House.

A broad coalition of top government and industry officials has declared that the November 3 voting and the following count unfolded smoothly with no more than the usual minor hiccups — “the most secure in American history,” they said, repudiating Trump’s efforts to undermine the integrity of the contest.

Several other US cities saw gatherings of Mr Trump supporters unwilling to accept Democrat Joe Biden’s win.

In Delray Beach, Florida, several hundred people marched, some carrying signs reading “count every vote” and “we cannot live under a Marxist government”.

In Lansing, Michigan, protesters gathered at the Capitol to hear speakers cast doubt on results that showed Biden winning the state by more than 140,000 votes.

Phoenix police estimated 1,500 people gathered outside the Arizona Capitol to protest against Biden’s narrow victory in the state. Protesters in Salem, Oregon, gathered at the Capitol.

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