Violence erupted in Washington DC on Saturday evening after far-right groups, including the Proud Boys, clashed with Antifa counter-protesters following a march by supporters of President Donald Trump. Four people were taken to hospital with stab wounds, and 23 were arrested, according to police and fire officials.
The trouble began as darkness fell and crowds dispersed after a largely peaceful demonstration by Trump supporters alleging without evidence that the 3 November election was tainted by fraud. Police used pepper spray on both sides, but the rivals regrouped and sporadic fighting continued.
An estimated 200 members of the Proud Boys, a violent far-right group, had joined the earlier marches near the Trump hotel, wearing combat fatigues and ballistic vests. They shouted insults at Antifa protesters and burned Black Lives Matter flags. Police kept the factions apart until the evening.
Protests also took place in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona, where Trump’s campaign has sought to overturn vote counts. More than 50 federal and state court rulings have upheld Joe Biden’s election victory, and the US Supreme Court on Friday rejected a long-shot lawsuit backed by Trump.
Retired army general Mike Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, addressed protesters in front of the Supreme Court, telling them to go back to their states and make demands. He referenced the biblical battle of Jericho, saying the protesters were standing inside the city after breaching its walls. Some protesters blew shofars – ram’s horns used in Jewish ceremonies – to bring down “the spiritual walls of corruption”.
Trump, who has refused to concede defeat, flew over the cheering protesters in Marine One on his way to the Army-Navy football game. Few marchers wore masks despite soaring Covid-19 cases, defying a mayoral directive.
