Thousands gather in D.C. to protest Trump election loss

Organizers planned to march to the Supreme Court, which rejected Trump's bid to overturn the election on Friday

Dec 12, 2020
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A crowd that included former national security advisor Michael Flynn and the far right group, the Proud Boys, showed up Saturday in Washington, D.C. at Freedom Plaza in support of President Donald Trump and his unfounded allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

People gather in support of President Donald Trump and in protest the outcome of the 2020 presidential election at freedom plaza on December 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. Thousands of protesters who refuse to accept that President-elect Joe Biden won the election are rallying ahead of the electoral college vote to make Trump’s 306-to-232 loss official. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The crowd of thousands wore “Make American Great Again” hats as they waved American flags, and within hours, the scene became disorderly. Social media quickly erupted with videos that showed confrontations between Trump supporters and their opponents.

Read More: Supreme Court rejects Republican attack on Biden victory

During the ensuing chaos, one person donning pro-Trump attire attacked bystanders. In another video, a bystander wielded a knife after arguing with Trump supporters, and in another incident, police were filmed pepper-spraying a group of people involved in a scuffle.

A conservative group, Women for America First, organized the rally. The group also put together last month’s “Stop the Steal” rally, which drew tens of thousands of people.

On Saturday morning, the president said in a tweet that he was unaware of the event, “but I’ll be seeing them!”

Not far from the White House, tension mounted near Black Lives Matter Plaza. Dressed in riot gear, police formed a line to separate members of the Proud Boys from counter protestors.

According to USA Today, organizers planned to march to the Supreme Court, which rejected Trump’s bid to overturn the election on Friday.

“The courts do not decide who the next president of the United States will be,” Flynn said. “There are paths still in play,” he continued.

Read More: Proud Boys take Trump’s ‘stand back and stand by’ callout as marching orders

Despite a mask mandate by D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser, many Trump supporters did not wear masks, and the rally organizer, Cindy Chafian mocked COVID-19 precautions.

Showing their disdain for the news media, the unruly crowd chanted, “CNN sucks, Fox News sucks too.”

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