Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a stern warning to anti-Trump protesters Friday afternoon, noting the city would take a zero tolerance policy towards violence and destruction.
Anti-Trump agitators in DC have started fires, smashed storefront windows, pelted police officers with rocks and assaulted Trump supporters over the last two days.
“DC has the honor of hosting the peaceful transition of power. And while many have been respectful there have been those who have not,” Bowser said in a series of tweets, noting she has been in contact with local police and “federal partners” about the violence. (RELATED: Young Anti-Trump Protester Starts Fire Because He ‘Felt Like it’ [VIDEO])
“We respect the right of people to express their first amendment rights but violence and destruction will not be tolerated,” she continued, later adding: “I respect the rights of protesters but will not condone crime and vandalism which are the antithesis of what we hope to accomplish today.”
“To those of you visiting Washington, D.C. we welcome you but we cannot allow you to destroy our neighborhoods,” she concluded.
To those of you visiting Washington, D.C. we welcome you but we cannot allow you to destroy our neighborhoods. #Inauguration #Inaug2017
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) January 20, 2017
Anti-Trump agitators plotted their disruption of inaugural events weeks in advance. (RELATED: Inauguration Protesters Plan To Destroy Property, Disrupt Balls)
Bowser’s approach to violent protesters is a sharp contrast to the one taken by then-Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake in 2015, who admitted giving protesters space to “destroy” property during the Baltimore riots.