Pro And Anti Trump Faction Trade Punches As ‘Million MAGA March Turns Violent
Supporters and protesters of President Donald Trump clash outside of the United States Supreme Court while demonstrators march during the Million MAGA March.
President Trump made a drive-by appearance as his supporters gathered in Washington, D.C., Saturday for a recount rally, where a few pro- and anti-Trump factions later traded punches.
The scuffle broke out at the edge of a crowd of thousands of Trump fans who flocked to the heart of the nation’s capital to boost the president’s election-recount efforts and to back his refusal to concede.
Black-clad members of the lefty group Refuse Fascism who tried to shove their way into the mass of Trump supporters got into a shouting match with them as speeches got underway. Punches were exchanged – with one Trump backer swinging a megaphone — as ralliers pushed the counter-protesters away from their group and toward police officers trying to keep order.
Marchers headed to a second rally site outside the Supreme Court, where a contingent of Antifa protesters waited behind a large hot-pink banner that read, “Punch MAGA in the Face.”
“We won!” the left-wing activists chanted.
But they were greatly outnumbered by the Trump supporters, who scolded them as “white privilege people over there talking all that trash” and struck up a derisive chant of “Check your privilege!”
The anarchists cowered behind a line of police in riot gear, who formed a human shield to keep the groups apart.
There were no arrests, according to local news outlets.
Trump appeared two hours before the crowd swelled at Freedom Plaza, two blocks from the White House, at the rally’s noon start time. The motorcade looped around a crowd of hundreds of earlybirds – some lofting signs reading “Thou shalt not steal” – who whooped and chanted “Four more years!” as the vehicles circled.
The National Park Service issued a permit Friday allowing up to 10,000 people at the rally organized under the banners “Million MAGA March” and “Stop the Steal,” among others. The plaza can hold about 13,000 people and appeared to be filled to capacity Saturday. More than 300,000 joined the “Stop the Steal” organizing group on Facebook before it was removed by the tech giant.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tweeted on her personal account that “More than one MILLION marchers…descend[ed] on the swamp” to support her boss, but the National Park Service did not issue a crowd estimate.
Later, Trump tweeted his appreciation.
“Hundreds of thousands of people showing their support in D.C.,” he posted over an aerial shot of the crowd. “They will not stand for a Rigged and Corrupt Election!”
A large sound system boomed out classic pop songs like Queen’s “Under Pressure” as several hundred early arrivals checked out Trump flags and T-shirts at vendors’ stalls and lofted a giant “Trump 2020″ banner over their heads.
Several speakers took the stage, including Congresswoman-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and conservative commentator Paris Dennard.
Minnesota-based pillow manufacturer Mike Lindell, one of Trump’s biggest backers, also spoke. “I promised the president we would win Minnesota,” he said ruefully of the state that voted for Democrat Joe Biden by a 7-point margin. “Well, we did — but the corruption was bigger.”
As the Trump fans left the rally site in twos and threes, a group of five self-identified Black Lives Matter activists shouted, “Bye, losers” through a megaphone.
“Did you ever notice there’s a lot more of us than you?” a female rally-goer yelled back.
New York Times
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Posted by News Rangers
on Nov 15 2020. Filed under International, National.
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