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Law enforcement officials brace for pro-Trump protests at state capitol buildings

Published 01/17/2021, 02:09 AM
Updated 01/17/2021, 11:05 AM
© Reuters. State police patrol outside the Michigan State Capitol ahead of Sunday's expected protests in Lansing, Michigan

© Reuters. State police patrol outside the Michigan State Capitol ahead of Sunday's expected protests in Lansing, Michigan

By Brendan O'Brien and Rich McKay

LANSING, Mich./ATLANTA, Ga (Reuters) - Law enforcement officials battened down statehouses across the country on Sunday in anticipation of potentially violent protests by Trump supporters who believe the baseless claim that electoral fraud robbed the president of a second term.

More than a dozen states have activated National Guard troops to help secure their capitol buildings following an FBI warning of armed protests, with right-wing extremists emboldened by the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6.

Security officials have eyed Sunday as the first major flashpoint, as that is when the anti-government "boogaloo" movement made plans weeks ago to hold rallies in all 50 states.

"Following the siege at our nation's capitol and reports on threats to state capitals, I'm bringing all resources to bear to protect our residents and democratic process," Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker wrote on Twitter on Sunday, adding that he was activating the state police and national guard to protect the state's capital, Springfield.

Capitals in battleground states, where Trump has directed his accusations of voter fraud, were on especially high alert.

Several hundred law enforcement officers and National Guard troops milled around Georgia's state house in Atlanta early Sunday. Chain-link fences and cement barriers protected the Capitol grounds and multiple armored vehicles were stationed nearby.

In Lansing, Michigan, crews were setting up barricades, blocking off streets around the capitol building as snow flurries fell on Sunday morning. Office buildings around the capitol had boarded up their windows.

In addition to increasing police presence, some states, including Pennsylvania, Texas and Kentucky, have taken the further step of closing their capitol grounds to the public.

It is just days until Wednesday's Inauguration Day, when Democrat Joe Biden will be sworn in as president amid extraordinary security efforts in Washington, D.C.

The nationwide security scramble followed the attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington by a mix of extremists and Trump supporters, some of whom called for the death of Vice President Mike Pence as he presided over the certification of Biden's election victory.

POTENTIAL VIOLENCE

The FBI and other federal agencies have warned of the potential for future violence leading up to the inauguration, as white supremacists and other extremists look to exploit frustration among Trump supporters who have bought into falsehoods about electoral fraud.

It was not clear whether the FBI warning and ramped up security presence around the country might lead some protesters to stay at home.

Following the Jan. 6 violence in Washington, some militia members said they would not attend a long-planned pro-gun demonstration in Virginia on Monday, where authorities were worried about the risk of violence as multiple groups converged on the state capital, Richmond.

Some militias and extremist groups have told followers to stay home this weekend, citing the increased security or the risk that the planned events were law enforcement traps.

Bob Gardner, leader of the Pennsylvania Lightfoot Militia, said his group had no plans to be in Harrisburg this weekend, where the Capitol has been fortified with barricades and will be protected by hundreds of members of its National Guard.

© Reuters. Capitol police secure the area ahead of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, in Washington

"We've got our own communities to worry about," Gardner said earlier this week. "We don’t get involved in politics."

Latest comments

Capitol penetrated by Coup Klux Klan. Biggest post 9-11 Fail. All on Trump's watch. Good riddance.
More security and fake news media than 'protestors'. You've been fooled again.
and all this because somebody won't accept defeat. S-ore l-oser
If you Leftist “journalists” and “reporters” had an ounce of moral fortitude or journalistic integrity you could see how biased you are. http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/12/yes-it-was-stolen-election-john-perazzo/https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-2020-election-what-happened-a-political-scientists-memorandum/
Only BLM and Antifa will be there rioting just like they did at Trumps inauguration.
When 25,000 armed members of the military are needed to protect politicians, politicians are the problem...✌👨‍🎓🎯
when politicians are afraid of their own citizens, there's even a bigger problem
That is what I was alluding to. 🎯👨‍🎓
Any violence perpetrated today will be Antifa/BLM
https://www.thedailyfodder.com/2021/01/happening-now-largest-trump-group-in.html?m=1
Thank you for this information.
But when BLM riot their own stores noone bat an eye. Joke country
when you rig an election and behave like nothing happened, that's a coup.
 Did you just say the CCP run the media? Is trolling here even fun?
I said CCP/DNC. One and the same.
25K troops to guard the most popular President elect in history. something really stinks...
Yeah. What stinks is all those rabid Trump supporters who have been brainwashed by his lies for 4 years, and whipped up into a violent frenzy because of it.
China is making sure Trump wont be in the white house again.
When a Communist (Trump) upsets a Communist China: it's proof that Trump was acting like China: arbitrary, at will, abusive of power
Any violence commited is from antifa and blm... republicans never carry out violence... they dont even protest... they are too busy working and protecting their families...
go back to your choice of ARG.
Truest statement I've read so far...
brain washed, out of reality
For those who follow Q, please go back to your ARG.
wag the dog
Funny that they divulge what they want and censor the rest. The US military has for the past 18+ hours demanded ID from all leaving the vicinity of the Congress building and White House. Who is the person or whom are the people their looking for? 25k military on the ground for an event that's being done on the internet due to Covid? Something stinks. 🎯👨‍🎓
I actually know someone in DC, friend for 3 decades. He wouldn't make this up. Keep your blinders on.🎯👨‍🎓
Fake news, every patriot page is explicitly saying to not be there, and that it won't be them at any demonstration. This is fake news at its finest and a false flag in the making
 You're a conspiracy theorist.
Or a D-Boy!
Only 8 months too late
It won't be Trump supporters and you know it. It will be B.S. Antifa and BLM. or there will be nothing at all. It's gonna rock the world!
You are going to get arrested if you say this again.They will not tolerate any violence
Hello everyone,  I want to draw attention to the denial of freedom of speech by the newspaper, where after warning of a media massage about coronavirus, warning that there is tunneled health insurance with the participation of government, medical lobby, insurance company, and medical agencies, my articles have been deleted and now after me require proof of identity. This STB, totality step on their part, is unparalleled, I defend freedom of speech and I will continue to disseminate these articles with the help of other serious media. With these articles, I do not claim that the coronavirus does not exist, but it draws attention to the issue that happens with the participation of all of us.
Freedom of speech does not mean that the media have to give you a podium. It merely means you cannot be prosecuted just for having an opinion. And by deflecting urgency from the pandemic, or spread conspiracy theories etc., you will not be popular with the more serious media outlets that feel responsible for providing factual and checked information in the best interest of their audience.
An unenlightened person is typically like Trump and his followers, i.e. out of touch with reality, a dreamer and driven by fantasy, a perfectly willing person to follow a cult. It's illogical therefore that an unenlightened person will achieve any form of reality other than end up in jail. And since many of Trump's associates have gone to jail already and many more of his supporters are on their way to jail you can see that Trump and his supporters neither represent the future goals of America nor are accepted by the majority of the population as rationally acting people
where you from?
Removing people around him that do not share or spread his own "beliefs" is the reason Trump is doomed to fail.  This is one of the big difference between leaders and managers.  A leader will investigate different perspectives before making a decision. A manager just does whatever his boss (or sponsor) wants him to achieve. Trump is no leader by far.
Pro trump protests, one of leader s from movement black lives matter was there, this is antifa democrats action.
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