At least six policeman and 217 anti-Trump protesters were arrested in Washington DC as they damaged cars, smashed windows and threw rocks at security personnel near United States President Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony on Friday.
A DC Fire Spokesperson Vito Maggiolo said that two police officers and one other person had to be rushed to the hospital with injuries after clashing with the protesters, CNN reported. Soon after the swearing-in ceremony, a large number of protesters who were gathered near the 12th and K streets reportedly began throwing rocks and bottles at the police, as the officials attempted to scatter the crowd. Police reportedly used flash-bang and smoke devices to disperse the people.
The Acting DC Police Chief Peter Newham said that while he appreciated the calm maintained by thousands of demonstrators who marched in a peaceful manner against Trump presidency, there were several others who created a ruckus and confronted the police.
“We have been pointing out all along that this is a very isolated incident and by and large everything is going peacefully and a lot of folks have come to the city to enjoy this historic day, not only the Capitol but walking all around the city,” Newsham told CNN.
There were several protests being held throughout the capital on Friday where some protesters dressed in black and wearing masks threw stones at the building windows and vandalised police cars. Police had to use pepper spray and control devices to restrain the crowd.
“I think Donald Trump is a fascist, and it’s very easy for people, especially people who are in pain, to slip into fascism,” Lysander Reid-Powell, a 20-year-old student protester from New Mexico, said.
While another protester from New York City, Jed Holz said that he is participating in the protests to stand against the message of hate spread by President Trump throughout his campaign, “We’re here to take a stand against the ideas that Trump spouted throughout the course of this campaign — sexism, Islamophobia, his bigotry and nationalism.”
