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Armed protesters gathered outside state capitals on Sunday as all 50 states and Washington, DC braced for possible violence ahead of inauguration day – but events were muffled and devoid of violence.
In Columbus, Ohio, around 50 supporters of President Trump – some carrying assault rifles and other firearms – escorted a “Freedom or Death” flag to the Statehouse around 11 a.m., according to USA Today.
The group was greeted by counter-protesters, at least one of whom displayed a Black Lives Matter flag, according to local media outlet WBNS.
But no violence or arrests were reported and most participants had left by 2:30 p.m.
About 200 miles away, in Lansing, Michigan, a handful of gun-carrying protesters affiliated with various right-wing and anarchist militias gathered outside state headquarters, according to The Detroit Free Press.
But this event was even less crowded than the Ohio protest, with only about 20 people showing up, the newspaper reported.
At 4 p.m., there were no reports of violence or arrests – and cops on duty were packing their riot gear, according to the Free Press.
At the Texas Capitol in Austin, about 100 demonstrators showed up. One, carrying an AR-15 rifle, condemned those who stormed the US Capitol in Washington.
“All we came here today was to chat, get together, network and hang out. And it was blown out and twisted completely out of proportion, ”Ben Hawk said.
And in Oregon’s capital, Salem, a dozen men in black – and some in Hawaiian shirts, the favorite outfit of the far-right “boogaloo” movement – stood outside the headquarters with long guns, reported the Oregonian.
The FBI had issued warnings of possible unrest in state capitals last week in the wake of the deadly U.S. Capitol riot on January 6.
Several state and DC capitals have called on the National Guard to step up security in the days leading up to – and potentially beyond – Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.
In the Beltway alone, around 21,000 National Guard troops are expected to be in place by Wednesday, bolstering a massive perimeter around the U.S. Capitol, where Biden is to be sworn in as president – two weeks to the day after the invasion by supporters of Trump in a murderous attempt. to disrupt Congressional certification of Biden’s victory.
With pole wires
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