Small groups of armed protestors gathered outside the statehouses across the US on Saturday days ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Biden. The tensions remained high across the country following the deadly riots that unfolded on January 6. In Oregon, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, and elsewhere, the demonstrators were kept outside the state buildings.
On the other hand, some statehouses remained quiet throughout the day as the law enforcement ramped up the security across US state legislators. There were no reports of any clashes. Besides, the FBI had warned of potentially armed demonstrations across the country days ahead of Biden’s inauguration.
More:
- Biden Inauguration: All 50 US States On Alert For Armed Protests
- Biden Inauguration: FBI Fears Armed Protests By Trump Supporters
Biden is scheduled to assume the presidential office nearly two weeks after the pro-Trump supporters forced their way into the US Congress and the riots ended in five fatalities, including a Capitol police officer. In a bid to avoid any repetition of January 6 chaos in Washington, authorities have deployed as many as 25,000 National Guard troops.
In a separate development, a New Mexico’s county official was arrested by law enforcement over the charges of involvement in the US Capitol riots. A founder of the far-right group called Cowboys for Trump, Couy Griffin, had vowed to return to the Capitol with his firearm to embrace his second amendment right.
Over the weekend, many cities across the US had braced for potential violent threats, with some activating National Guard, while others erecting metal barriers. Even though online platforms had called pro-Trump supporters for Sunday’s protests, some groups told their followers not to attend the rallies, citing ramped up security measures and planned events as a trap set by police authorities.
The members of the group called Boogaloo Bois gathered outside the Ohio state capital but maintained that they were there for a long-planned gun rights rally. Meanwhile, a dozen of armed demonstrators gathered outside the statehouse in Lansing, Michigan. Similarly, a few armed men also gathered outside Austin state capital, Texas.
Security officials are now expecting more armed protests on Wednesday when President-elect Joe Biden is scheduled to assume the presidential office. Ahead of his inaugurations, much of the US Capitol has been locked down, including the city’s National Mall that is usually flooded with thousands of people. Besides, Biden’s transition team had already urged its supporters not to travel to Washington for an inauguration event, citing the coronavirus pandemic.
