One stabbed and 20 arrested during Trump supporters march
15 November 2020, 09:01
One person was stabbed and 20 were arrested as Trump supporters clashed with rivals during a 'Make America Great Again' march in Washington D.C.
Several thousand of the president's supporters rallied in the US capital on Saturday to protest against the country's election results.
Coming together for the 'Million MAGA March', around 10,000 people gathered outside the Freedom Plaza before marching towards the Supreme Court.
Demonstrations also took place in Florida, Michigan and Arizona, with the results of the latter two states among those Mr Trump has unsuccessfully filed legal challenges against.
On Saturday evening, Trump supporters unwilling to accept Joe Biden's election victory clashed with counter-protesters. with at least one stabbing and 20 arrests.
Cries of "stop the steal" and "count every vote" continued despite insufficient evidence of voter fraud or counting issues.
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Although starting relatively peacefully, the demonstrations in Washington turned from tense to violent as night fell.
Footage posted on social media showed punches and projectiles being thrown, while one set of videos appeared to show a Trump supporter being knocked unconscious and kicked while down after clashing with rival demonstrators.
The fighting continued into Sunday morning, with numerous charges, including assault and weapons possession, being filed against those arrested, officials said.
Two police officers were injured during the protests and several firearms were recovered.
Marchers included members of the Proud Boys, a neo-fascist group known for fighting with opponents at political rallies.
The US leader gave his approval of the rally on Saturday morning by driving his motorcade through the streets lined by supporters before heading to his Virginia golf club.
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People chanted "USA, USA" and "four more years," while many carried American flags and signs to show their displeasure with the vote tally and insistence that, as Mr Trump has wrongly claimed, fraud was the reason for his loss.
"I just want to keep up his spirits and let him know we support him," said one loyalist, Anthony Whittaker of Winchester, Virginia. He was outside the Supreme Court, where a few thousand assembled after a march along Pennsylvania Avenue from Freedom Plaza, near the White House.
A broad coalition of top government and industry officials has declared that the 3 November voting and the following count unfolded smoothly with no more than the usual minor hiccups.
Some have even said it was "the most secure in American history," countering Mr Trump's efforts to undermine the integrity of the race to the White House.
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A week after the presidential race was called for Mr Biden, his supporters remain furious at what they see as attempts by Democratic officials in key states to count "illegal" ballots - something that has yet to be proven.
Elsewhere, several hundred people marched in Delray Beach, Florida, some carrying signs reading "count every vote" and "we cannot live under a Marxist government".
In Lansing, Michigan, protesters gathered at the Capitol to hear speakers cast doubt on results that showed Mr Biden winning the state by more than 140,000 votes.
Roughly 1,500 people gathered outside the Arizona Capitol, according to Phoenix police, to protest against Mr Biden's narrow victory in the state, while in Salem, Oregon, protesters also gathered at the Capitol.
