US law enforcement and security agencies have warned of potentially armed protests across the states in America days before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Local media channels cited reports of armed organizations planning to hold rallies in all fifty state capitals and Washington.
Agencies are enforcing strong security protocols for Biden’s inauguration, which is scheduled two weeks after the pro-Trump demonstrators stormed the US Capitol. The unfortunate chaos and riots resulted in five deaths, including a Capitol police officer. Democrats and several fellow Republicans have accused Trump of inciting violence, and Democratic legislators plan to put the impeachment vote on Wednesday.
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The opposition party has maintained that they will go ahead with their plans to remove the incumbent from the office unless Vice President Mike Pence and Cabinet invoke the twenty-fifth amendment against President. But a close Pence aide stated that he opposed the idea.
Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris will be sworn in at a ceremony in the US Capitol. However, this time, the security officials are determined that unlike January 6, when the far-right protesters forced their way into the government building, there will no repeat of the breach. The same day, before the demonstrators stormed the Capitol, Trump urged his supporters to march towards the building to express their anger over the fraudulent electoral process.
Since then, a growing number of Republicans have also backed the calls for Trump’s removal from the presidential office. Besides, with no access to social media platforms, the incumbent has made no political statements in recent days. In December 2019, he became the third American president to be impeached over the accusations of pressuring Ukraine to initiate a criminal inquiry on Biden and his son, Hunter. But the upper chamber of the US Congress cleared him from the charges.
Several pro-Trump supporters and far-right online platforms have called on people to hold rallies and demonstrations in the cities across the US on a number of dates. On January 17, there are chances of armed rallies in the states and a march on Washington on January 20. A local channel quoted FBI sources and reported that if the incumbent is removed from the office, one far-right group is calling for the storming of local and state courthouses.
According to the US media, federal law enforcement agencies have told the local and state police authorities to increase security at statehouses. On the other hand, social media platforms and websites are continuously cracking on the accounts inciting people for violence.
On Monday, President Trump imposed an emergency in Washington until January 24, giving DHS the time to act and avert the potential crisis of violence. Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland, stated that he had asked the secret security service to start conducting their operations for Biden’s inauguration day. Since the Capitol riots, Wolf became the third cabinet member to resign in protest to the violence. By the weekend, more than 10,000 National Guard troops will be deployed in the capital, and 5,000 more available if requested.
