Members of the US National Guard arrive at the US Capitol on January 12, 2021 in Washington, DC. (AFP photo)
Capitols across the United States are bracing for armed protests against by Donald Trumps supporters in the wake of the US Capitol breach in Washington, DC.
"Given recent events in Washington and across the country, the New York State Police has, out of an abundance of caution, taken steps to harden security in and around the State Capitol in Albany," New York state police spokesperson Beau Duffy said in an email to Politico Tuesday. "These restrictions are in place until further notice."
Authorities in Albany, New York, were preparing for the possibility of unrest after the FBI warned all the states to be alert ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Jan. 20.
"The city of Albany continues to work closely with our federal and state intelligence and law enforcement partners to monitor any threats of violence and ensure we are fully prepared to keep our city safe," Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Albany police chief Eric Hawkins said in the joint statement.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a top Trump ally, also vowed to protect his state against the protesters.
"If anything is disorderly, we are going to act very quickly," DeSantis said. "I dont care why you are doing it. You are not doing it here. If theres any type of disorder we will have the reinforcements there."
Thousands of extremist Trump supporters are planning to storm the Capitol ahead of the inauguration day as they did on Wednesday.
"They were talking about 4,000 armed patriots to surround the Capitol and prevent any Democrat from going in," said Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb. "They have published rules of engagement, meaning when you shoot and when you dont. So this is an organized group that has a plan. They are committed to doing what theyre doing because I think in their minds, you know, they are patriots and theyre talking about 1776 and so this is now a contest of wills."
The Department of Justice was, meanwhile, building sedition and conspiracy charges against some of the protesters.
"We are not negotiating with or reasoning with these people. They have to be prosecuted. They have to be stopped. And unfortunately, that includes the president, which is why he needs to be impeached and removed from office," Lamb added.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/21970
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