Thousands gathered Saturday in Washington in support of President Trump’s claims of widespread election fraud that stole the victory for Joseph R. Biden.
But fights between pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators broke out around the downtown area after dark, with four people being stabbed and rushed to hospitals. The Metropolitan Police Department said officers arrested 23 people.
Saturday marked a return for the Million MAGA March and the March for Trump, both of which had drawn thousands of participants to Washington last month. Few of the pro-Trump wore masks in accordance with the D.C. government’s protocols to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“Wow! Thousands of people forming in Washington (D.C.) for Stop the Steal. Didn’t know about this, but I’ll be seeing them! #MAGA,” President Trump tweeted before flying over Freedom Plaza in Marine One to attend the Army-Navy football game at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York.
Several speakers energized the president’s supporters, including Rep. Vernon Jones, Georgia Democrat, and retired Army Gen. Michael Flynn, Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser.
Pro-Trump flags, banners, hats and signs dotted the crowd, which chanted “Four more years!,” “We want Trump!” and “Stop the steal!”
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Siu Wong, 55, and his family traveled from New York to show support for Mr. Trump, who has claimed that won the election but has lost more than 50 legal challenges in the courts.
“We’ve come here to support Trump,” Mr. Wong said. “To let everybody know that we like freedom and we don’t want socialism in this country.”
Heather Holmes, 58, traveled from Pennsylvania to last month’s rally and said she decided to make the trip again to “support our country, support our republic, and to fight for freedom, and to stop the steal.”
“President Trump, I don’t care what people think of him as a person, you have to look at his record and what he’s doing and he is so important for the future of our nation and our republic,” Ms. Holmes said. “I am here not just to support him, but [also] our freedom and our constitutional freedoms which continue to be taken away with COVID-19 and the restrictions we’ve experienced.
“About a half-mile north of the pro-Trump rally, activists gathered at Black Lives Matter Plaza for counter demonstrations.
Activist coalition Defend D.C.’s “All out against fascism” event aimed to “provide a counterpoint to right wing rallies being held” and “to defend marginalized communities and protect the newly-memorialized Black Lives Matter Plaza from right wing attack,” according to a press release.
The group’s website stated during the rallies last month Trump supporters and the Proud Boys were “destroying community artwork and memorials and starting fights with locals.”
Residents Nicos Ledakis, 21, and Daisy Holtgers, 21, came to the plaza together.
“We saw a huge crowd coming from outside of our city, from all over the country here, to demonstrate and support something that we don’t really believe in,” said Mr. Ledakis. “And we feel like we need to be here and let our voices be heard and let them know how the people of D.C. feel about what they’re doing here.”
Ms. Holtgers added that they also showed up to help protect the plaza.
“Really the focus is just on protecting the street from people coming in and trying to disrupt our everyday lives here in D.C.,” Ms. Holtgers said. “There’s been a couple Trump supporters trying to come in, but people are very good at rallying around that and peacefully escorting them out of the area.
“The Metropolitan Police Department blocked off entry to the plaza at different times throughout the afternoon.
The department also announced street closures and no-parking areas at different times on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
• Emily Zantow can be reached at ezantow@washingtontimes.com.
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