Members of the Proud Boys and counter-protesters repeatedly clashed on Saturday in Washington, D.C. after a march in support of President Donald Trump.
D.C. saw hundreds of pro-Trump supporters gather for another “MAGA March” opposing the results of the 2020 election. While most appeared to remain peaceful, the event was ultimately overshadowed by the violence that followed between two opposing sides looking to cause trouble.
Hundreds of Proud Boys, a far-right group, began a sunny, warm Saturday afternoon by marching around Washington, D.C. amid the pro-Trump rally, often stopping to re-organize and pump each other up with their well-known “Uhuru” rallying cry.
In the end, the group would partake in a series of vicious brawls across downtown D.C., according to reporters on the ground.
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The Proud Boys, who started off mingling with Trump supporters, became more tense as the day ticked by and the sun began to set. They repeatedly shouted chants against Antifa and began to turn confrontational with anyone they deemed to be on the other side.
Eventually, a large number of the Proud Boys mobilized and marched towards BLM Plaza, aiming to find members of the left-wing group Antifa to fight with. This marked the start of a cat-and-mouse game between the Proud Boys and counter-protesters, who also arrived on the streets of D.C. ready for a fight.
The counter-protesters clad themselves in black bloc and donned fighting gear that typically included helmets, shields and face masks. The Proud Boys, on the other hand, appeared to opt more for batons and their fists. The combination resulted in a bloody night on the streets of D.C., with four reported stabbings, according to The New York Times.
Other injuries occurred amid the fighting, and reporters on the ground saw faces bloodied and people disoriented following scuffles. Both groups taunted each other throughout the evening, amped up for the physical altercations.
At least one of the stabbings appeared to come amid a fight between Proud Boys members and a counter-protester near the popular conservative bar Harry’s, reporters on the ground noted. It is not immediately clear what started the fight, but it ended with arrests and multiple people injured – including at least one police officer who fell down while trying to break up the situation.
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A lot of police are out now after the fight and alleged stabbing. After milling about for a bit, Proud Boys/pro-Trump people are starting to move: pic.twitter.com/ymqu4dFugV
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) December 13, 2020
As police continuously tried to prevent clashes between the opposing sides, already-high tensions kept rising. Counter-protesters, Proud Boys and Trump supporters alike redirected their anger towards the police, who would stand in a shoulder-to-shoulder human barricade and keep the groups separate.
At times, tensions boiled over. Proud Boys were repeatedly seen berating police officers and even getting physical with them – counter-protesters, meanwhile, were seen doing exactly the same thing. Officers covered in protective gear used batons, bicycles and pepper spray on both sides in an attempt to keep the peace, but this often wasn’t enough to disperse the crowds, even as the air filled with spice from the spray.
The police presence in D.C. seemed to fuel the Proud Boys’ anger towards counter-protesters, and they spent the evening looking for ways around police barricades to no avail. At one point, hundreds of Proud Boys met downtown to regroup, where they burned a “Black Lives Matter” banner that was reportedly stolen from a local church. (RELATED: PHOTOS: Trump Supporters Chased Out Of Black Lives Matter Plaza During Chaotic Demonstrations In Washington, DC)
Another event on Saturday saw an all-out battle between counter-protesters and the Proud Boys on a street downtown that had not been closed off to vehicular traffic. The two groups brawled out in the open as cars drove past, with each side taunting the other and physical fights breaking out. Police were nowhere to be seen for this incident, eventually arriving several minutes after the fighting began.
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Proud Boys cheer upon realizing that the group carrying another BLM flag are actually more Proud Boys. Police just arrived to the area as well. pic.twitter.com/mvb9Jdmd7s
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) December 13, 2020
As the night continued, the Proud Boys continued to hunt throughout the streets of downtown, marching around in search of Antifa. While some fights continued to break out, the heavy police presence prevented the potential for much more violence and both groups began to tired as midnight rolled around.
The violent day and evening in downtown resulted in at least 23 arrests, the mayor’s office said, according to the NYT. Six people face charges of assaulting a police officer. And while the two opposing sides eventually trickled out of the streets, the police remained, at least for a little while longer, driving around downtown to reopen roads for Sunday drivers.