PoliticoNational Guard activated in Washington to respond to pro-Trump protests
- An influx of the president’s supporters is expected in the US capital as Congress certifies Joe Biden’s election victory
- ‘We will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city,’ Mayor Muriel Bowser said
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Jacqueline Feldscher on politico.com on January 4, 2021.
The DC National Guard has been activated to respond to protests expected this week in the US capital when Congress certifies that President-elect Joe Biden has defeated President Donald Trump, city officials said at a news conference on Monday.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser requested that the city’s National Guard support local police in handling the influx of people expected on Tuesday and Wednesday. Police Chief Robert Contee III said the National Guard has committed to helping law enforcement “through the life cycle of this event”. Bowser said about 100 members are being called up.
“We will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city,” Bowser said.
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Context: Weeks of protests erupted in the capital this summer following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. While some of the early protests did include looting and damages to local businesses, Bowser never called in the National Guard.
Against the mayor's wishes, Trump ordered Guard personnel to the city, where the military faced backlash for using overly aggressive crowd control tactics against peaceful protesters, including flying helicopters low over the city to create rotor wash, an action used in overseas conflicts.