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News > World

Police Expect Massive Protests, Mostly Peaceful, Against Trump

  • Republican President-elect Donald Trump, to be inaugurated on Jan. 20.

    Republican President-elect Donald Trump, to be inaugurated on Jan. 20. | Photo: Reuters

Published 8 January 2017
Opinion

Some 900,000 people are expected to be at various events before, during and after Trump's looming Presidential inauguration. Even anarchists have vowed to show up.

Washington police are getting ready for the estimated 900,000 protesters representing dozens of groups against the inauguration of Republican Donald Trump on Jan 20. Even anarchist groups have vowed to shut down the ceremony.

The ceremony itself will include a parade from the U.S. Capitol to the White House as throngs of onlookers line the streets. This will be when many of the simultaneous protests will be happening, as well as before and after the inauguration itself.

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Over two dozen have signed for permits for peaceful demonstrations, though the National Park Service only agreed to issue permits for protests sites after civil rights lawyers threatened to sue, Reuters reported. One of the biggest events, the Women’s March, will be held after the inauguration on Jan 21.

According to Interim Police Chief Peter Newsham talking to reporters on Friday, Washington police were aware that anarchist groups were also planning on interrupting the proceedings.

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"The fact that you have some folks that are indicating on social media that they're coming to shut down the inauguration events is something that we will be prepared for," Newsham said. "We've experienced that type of thing before in the city and we'll be able to handle it."

An estimated 3,000 police officers from outside the District, 5,000 National Guard troops and federal agents will be on scene, according to Brian Ebert, head of the Secret Service’s District field office, Reuters reported.

Authorities have nevertheless stressed that they expect most protests will remain peaceful. They’ve also largely discounted the possibility of corralling people into designated areas, or, more bluntly, mass arrests.

“The Secret Service respects the rights of the public to demonstrate and voice their views,” Ebert said, according to The Washington Post.

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“We expect that a lot of folks are going to come down to Washington, D.C., over the course of the inauguration and exercise their First Amendment rights.”

Ebert added that in the 56 years the agency has been monitoring the inaugural protests, about half the time everything has gone without incident, The Post reported.

“We’ve developed a comprehensive, integrated and seamless security plan to ensure a safe environment for our protectees as well as all the general public attending,” he said, according to The Post.

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