A string of violent clashes erupted in Washington, DC, as large crowds of protesters marched through the city in support of President Donald Trump hours after Saturday night.
A number of anti-Trump counter-protesters and antifa members were found brawling with Trump supporters and members of the far-right Proud Boys, leading to injuries and arrests on both sides.
One person was reported stabbed and critically injured, though it was not immediately clear who stabbed whom.
“I just want to keep up his spirits and let him know we support him,” one loyalist, Anthony Whittaker of Winchester, Virginia said in an interview.
Multiple confrontations appeared after small groups of Trump supporters attempted to enter the area around Black Lives Matter Plaza, where several hundred anti-Trump demonstrators had gathered.
For the Trump supporters who approached the area, they were harassed, doused with water and saw their MAGA hats and pro-Trump flags snatched and burned, amid cheers.
In one instance, a group of Trump supporters dining in the outdoor patio of a restaurant were confronted by a group of counter-protesters and threw fireworks into the dining area.
The Metropolitan Police Department of DC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on arrests and injuries that occurred throughout the evening.
Dubbed as the Million MAGA March, Trump supporters expressed outrage at President-elect Joe Biden’s victory and alleged that widespread voter fraud had cheated Trump out of a second term.
The heavily promoted protest raised concerns that it could spark conflict with anti-Trump demonstrators.
In preparation, police closed off wide swaths of downtown, where many stores and offices have been boarded up since Election Day.
Trump called out the clashes late on Saturday, as he tweeted “Antifa waited until tonight, when 99% were gone, to attack innocent #MAGA People. DC Police, get going — do your job and don’t hold back!!!”