Authorities on high alert as pro-Trump supporters flood DC in election protest

One after another, speakers claimed that the elections had been stolen, imploring people to “fight” for victory on Wednesday. Trump’s loss has been reaffirmed by courts and state election officials dozens of times since the election.

“We don’t trust the media crystal ball” on the election results and the finalization of the Electoral College count by Congress on Wednesday, said Dustin Stockton, one of the organizers of the march. But, he said, “it is clear that Wednesday will be historic.”

“(Trump) still has cards to play that he hasn’t played,” Stockton said. “We won’t stop fighting until the president does.”

A number of rallies are scheduled for Wednesday, including one in the morning Trump announced he would speak.

Gun-free areas

In the days leading up to Wednesday’s planned march, police posted signs indicating areas where protesters expect gun-free zones between Monday and Thursday. “ALL firearms are prohibited within 1,000 feet of this sign,” they read, stuck to light poles.

DC Police spokesman Sean Hickman did not comment on the police staffing for the protests or did not say if they would attempt to separate pro-Trump supporters from cons -demonstrators. It is also unclear how aggressive the police will be in enforcing the district’s gun laws.

As with any large known event, we will continue to monitor and evaluate each activity and plan accordingly with our local and federal law enforcement partners, said Hickman.

Over the summer, federal agencies created confusion during protests by sending officers to participate in protests in unmarked vehicles and without names, agencies or other identifiers on uniforms. Congress passed a law requiring federal agents to wear a unique identifier on their clothing during protests.

This “has confused residents and visitors and could become a threat to national security with no way for the MPD and federal law enforcement to decipher the armed groups,” Bowser wrote.

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, also wrote to federal officials on Monday reminding them of the new law.

“Members of the armed forces and federal law enforcement agencies responding to civil unrest are now required to visibly display both their name or an individual identifier and the name of the armed force or federal entity responding to them. employs, “he wrote.

The US Bureau of Prisons has sent 100 “specially trained officers” to the DC Department of Justice to supplement the security of the department’s facilities, said Justin Long, a spokesperson for the agency, on Tuesday. They will function as a “reserve” for other security teams in the Department of Justice.

Mark Morgan, the senior official serving as the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said Tuesday that the agency had not been asked to deploy officers, but added that it has a ” modest and swift reactionary force that will be on standby just in case our assistance is requested. “

Ken Cuccinelli, the senior official serving as deputy secretary of Homeland Security, said the agency was “ready to send staff when needed.”

“The secret service is at the heart of a lot of this stuff. They have a long history. … And we coordinate, not just the coordination service, but to the extent that the Federal Protection Service, which literally protects dozens of people. places around town, needs backup, we’re ready for that, ”Cuccinelli said.

“Obviously, we hope that all these different protests go on in a peaceful manner, but we are ready to send personnel, if necessary, if necessary to the district in coordination with the DOJ and the local authorities also are so intimately involved. “

Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller on Monday approved a request from the District of Columbia to deploy a limited number of DC National Guard forces to support the Metropolitan Police Department and firefighters. The guards will not be armed and will primarily assist with traffic control.

The proud boys

Tarrio was arrested on Monday and charged with burning the banner and ordered his release from custody on Tuesday. The judge ordered him to stay out of the District of Columbia except for his own court appearances until further notice, court records show.

Tarrio had two large capacity gun magazines when police arrested him, authorities said, and he was also charged with possession of a large capacity feeder.

Tarrio did not return CNN calls or texts on Monday. He took responsibility for burning the banner last month, writing in a post on the Speaking social media website that “Against my attorney’s will, I’m here today to admit that I’m the person responsible for it. ‘fire this panel. “

He also posted on social media that Proud Boys members would be “incognito” for this week’s protests.

Protesters on Tuesday chanted “Enrique” in support of Tarrio. A few speakers also launched anti-mask rants, with one claiming that masks worn to prevent the spread of the coronavirus are a means of “control” for officials “trying to deprive you of your freedom”. The vast majority of the hundreds of people in Freedom Plaza did not wear masks throughout the afternoon and evening.

Founded in 2016, the Proud Boys group lists among its central principles the belief in “closed borders” and the objective of “reestablishing a spirit of Western chauvinism”. In online statements, he claims to have used violence only for the purposes of self-defense. Members are often seen carrying guns and bats and donning protective gear. The group’s ideology has been called “misogynistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and anti-immigration” by the Anti-Defamation League.