President Donald Trump berated Antifa and the left-wing media Saturday after violence disrupted the Million MAGA March organized by pro-Trump supporters in Washington DC.
The president took to Twitter to post a series of messages where he condemned protesters who countered the rally by his support group. He described them as “Human Radical Left garbage.” Trump also retweeted a video that showed a man who got physically assaulted on the street of Washington a few hours earlier.
He blamed Antifa for being behind the violence that erupted. He boasted that the sheer size of the pro-Trump crowd had intimidated the leftists who were surprised that he still had such a huge support base.
Next in line to receive Trump’s bashing was Washington’s Mayor Muriel Bowser, whom the president claimed was not living up to the task that her office demanded. He urged the city’s police to do better at their job and not slack.
The media was also in for Trump’s tongue-lashing. He accused them of being silent while the leftist attacked and brutalized pro-Trump supporters.
There were as many as 20 arrests by the city police as violent confrontations and violence between pro-Trumps and counter groups escalated very quickly. The police’s efforts proved futile in separating the two groups who were prepared to engage each other in fisticuffs.
Pro-Trump supporters had turned up in their numbers to question the results of the November 3 presidential election that saw President-elect Joe Biden emerge victorious, thereby denying Trump a return to the White House.
Trump was present at the rally, driving in his motorcade to acknowledge the protesters and offer support. The march was largely peaceful, and the people law-abiding until hours later when leftist-counter protesters turned out to oppose Trump’s group. The resulting clash left scenes of chaos.
The police authorities reported that a male protester had been stabbed numerous times at the New York Avenue and 11th Street area. It was yet to be clarified which side of the divide he was on. Reports said his injuries were not life-threatening.
According to Daily Caller Contributor Matthew Miller, there were a series of physical altercations between members of Proud Boys and Antifa. Miller subsequently shared clips from the fight, which showed two groups exchanging blows while spectators blabbered expletives.
Members of the Proud Boys wore jackets that read “Stand Back, Stand By,” in reference to the president’s admonition during the presidential debates in September. Antifa’s members could be seen wearing black and yellow, the group’s color, during demonstrations.
Anti-trump demonstrators got physical with the opposing group and hurled all manner of objects. They harassed onlookers and torched pro-Trump banners, the Hill reports.
The police reported several arrests, which stood at 20 as of Saturday night. The number of arrests was expected to go up by Sunday. The police also announced it had seized firearms from demonstrators. Two police officers were injured in the fracas, according to a city spokeswoman.
At a point, the police had to come in between the two opposing groups – physically standing as a wedge between the Trump’s group and counter-protesters, who bore signs with emblems of Antifa and Black Lives Matter on them.
Generally, videos released on Twitter and other social media platforms showed the city enmeshed in violence. The National Park Service had issued the rally with a permit for 10,000 people only, although several thousand more people showed up.
Source: cnn.com
