Washington DC has this week mobilized the National Guard to help police protest protests by Donald Trump supporters leading a congressional vote to win congressional votes.
Amid fears of violence, Washington’s police chief and mayor have issued warnings that it is illegal to carry firearms for protests and urge residents to avoid areas where far-right groups, including the Proud Boys, gather Are planning to happen.
The time for the protests has arrived as the new oath is officially elected in Congress on Wednesday to count and confirm the ballot papers of the Electoral College, the final formal move before President-elect Biden’s swearing in on January 20.
Officials said 300 local National Guard members would be deployed to help the police, although they would not carry weapons.
Trump supporters plan to rally on Tuesday and Wednesday, trying to find baseless claims of widespread voter fraud from the president, and according to the following suggestions he could make an appearance at a rally – in Ellipse, the White House Close.
In addition to DC’s already strict firearms regulations, there is a ban on the carrying of guns from Monday to Thursday this week.
The mayor of DC, Muriel Bauser, also issued a warning that it was illegal to carry firearms, while protesters from two areas are expected to gather in the National Park Service areas, including the National Mall and Freedom Plaza. Open possession of a gun is also illegal throughout the city.
The move comes in the form of Enrique Tario, the leader of the Proud Boys, arrested in D.C. and charged with destroying property – an allegation related to a previous pro-Trump protest – and two counts of ammunition In order to be in possession of illegal magazines and a high-efficiency feeding device.
According to a report by the Washington Post last week, Proud Boys figures – which the FBI called a “connection to white nationalism” – to encourage members to avoid better detection of their signature black T-shirts Was encouraged.
“The Proud Boys will be out in record numbers on January 6, but this time with a twist,” Tario said on the messaging service Parlar before his arrest. “We will not wear our traditional black and yellow. We will go undercover and we will spread to the city of DC in small teams. “
Other anonymous figures discussed their hopes of violence at rallies on social media.
DC police have issued signs throughout the city warning that it is illegal to carry any type of firearms, and its acting police chief, Robert Conetti, asked residents to tell officers of anyone who may be armed . “We intend to have armed people in our city,” Contesti said on Monday.
Concern has been increasing since Trump’s earlier rallies at the end of last year, which ended with the stabbing of the same group and dismantling several churches with a history of black worship.
Far-south groups have also discussed on social media how to avoid laws banning carrying weapons openly on DC and federal lands to bring guns near the White House.
Trump repeatedly encouraged this week’s protest and hinted that he might be personally involved. Over the weekend, he requested a publicity for the rally with the message: “I’ll be there.” Historic day! “
The feudal mood in Washington was also heightened by newly elected Congress President Lauren Boebert, who said she intended to get her hands on Congress.
Republicans from the city of Colorado’s Rifle released a video on Sunday, in which they vowed to keep their guns around the city and Congress and roam various streets.
Lauren Boebert
(@Laurenboebert)Let me tell you why I will take my Glock to Congress.
The government does not need to tell me or my constituents how we are allowed to keep our families safe.
I promise to always be strong for my 2nd Amendment rights. http: //t.co/E75tYpdN4B pic.twitter.com/qg7QGenrNo
He was reminded by the chief of police that he would be “subject to the same punishment as anyone else caught on the DC streets carrying a gun”. A Congress spokesperson said that she was not actually carrying a gun during the video shoot despite appearances.
The District of Columbia had strict controls for years and it is illegal to openly firearm. Similarly, firearms are generally prohibited on the basis of capitol. According to a House source, members of Congress are allowed to carry guns in their congressional offices.
During a press conference on Monday, Bowser told local residents to stay away from downtown DC, and avoid confrontations with anyone who is “looking for a fight”.
Photo: Susan Walsh / AP
In a statement on Monday evening, DC’s Attorney General, Carl Racine, also condemned the groups that planned to incite violence in protests that referred to them as “promoting hatred on racial and religious grounds” We do.
He said: “While we respect their right to protest, we will not tolerate criminal behavior – and we should deny them the opportunity to create chaos.”
At previous pro-Trump protests, the police themselves sealed the Black Lives Matter Plaza, but the confrontation spread to the surrounding streets.
Organizers plan to rally throughout the day on Tuesday evening and again on Wednesday, including the Capitol at 1pm.
Expected attendees include high-status Trump supporters such as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Republican strategist Roger Stone, whose three-year prison sentence was observed by Trump. Stone was convicted of repeatedly lying to Congress during an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
During the Trump supporter protests on 12 December, BLM banners were torn and set on fire in at least two local black churches. Conte said hate-crimes investigations of those incidents were ongoing and that his officers would stay outside churches to prevent similar incidents.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
.