4 Stabbed After Trump Rally in Washington

More than 20 arrested as violence breaks out at night
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 13, 2020 5:47 AM CST
Trump Protests Turn Violent at Night
Supporters of President Trump wearing attire associated with the Proud Boys attend a rally at Freedom Plaza, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

Thousands of supporters of President Trump returned to Washington for rallies on Saturday, and things turned violent after sundown, per the AP. Sporadic fights broke out between pro-Trump and anti-Trump demonstrators. WRC-TV reported that four people were taken to a hospital with stab wounds, and the Metropolitan Police Department told the station that 23 people were arrested. It wasn't immediately clear whether the victims were pro- or anti-Trump, reports the Washington Post, which adds that some of the injuries might be life-threatening. While Saturday’s rallies, including one on Freedom Plaza in downtown DC, were smaller than on Nov. 14, they drew a larger contingent of the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist group known to incite street violence.

After the rallies ended, downtown Washington quickly devolved into crowds of hundreds of Proud Boys and combined forces of antifa and local Black activists—both sides seeking a confrontation in an area flooded with police officers. As dusk fell, they faced off on opposite sides of a street, with multiple lines of city police and federal Park Police, some in riot gear, keeping them separated. The violence came just two days before the Electoral College meets to formally elect Joe Biden as the 46th president. Trump, whose term will end Jan. 20, refuses to concede, while clinging to claims of fraud that have been rejected by state and federal courts, and Friday by the Supreme Court. (Trump buzzed supporters with a flyover on Saturday.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X