Trump supporters, protesters clash at 'Million MAGA March' in Washington
Anti-Trump protesters and Trump supporters clashed on Saturday evening in Washington DC, United States. Thousands of supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump had gathered on the streets in support of his unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in the recent US elections. Democratic rival Joe Biden's victory in the November 3 election denied President Trump a re-election. Here are more details.
The massive rally witnessed thousands of Trump supporters gathering near the Freedom Plaza. The crowd later headed towards the Supreme Court. Far-right group Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers militia were among those marching, while conspiracy theorist Alex Jones addressed the crowd. Trump's motorcade also passed by the demonstration on Saturday morning as he headed to his golf club in Sterling, Virginia.
The crowd was seen supporting Trump's claims of voter fraud as they carried placards saying "Stop the Steal" and "Trump 2020." Trump has accused the Democrats of "stealing" the US election. The demonstrators drew criticism for the lack of face masks even as the US is the worst-hit country in the coronavirus pandemic with 10.9 million infections and over 240,000 deaths.
The daytime event went by peacefully, however, it turned violent as counter-demonstrators showed up. Visuals from the scene showed members of the two groups breaking into fights. Officials said 20 people have been arrested on various charges, including assault and weapons possession. Notably, one stabbing was also reported from the scene. Two police officers were also reported to have sustained injuries.
Biden, who will turn 78 on Friday, won the US election with 306 electoral votes, well above the 270 vote threshold that he needed to reach. The Democrat is set to take office in January 2021. However, Trump has refused to concede. White House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany recently told Fox News, "President Trump believes he will be President Trump, have a second term."
After the vote-counting commenced, it became apparent that Biden was projected to win. Trump then filed a batch of lawsuits in several battleground states where he lost. Trump's legal challenges to the election result have faced several setbacks, making it unlikely that he will win. Chiefly, a manual recount will also be conducted in Georgia considering the slim margin by which Trump lost.
