Demonstrators with Black Lives Matter and Antifa symbols marched in Washington, D.C., Saturday night, clashing with police and threatening to “burn down” the capital city.
In one video posted on Twitter by independent journalist Brendan Gutenschwager, protesters can be heard chanting, “If we don’t get it, burn it down” as they march through the nation’s capital.
In another video, the Antifa flag is seen being waved among a large group of protesters marching down the streets of D.C.
“‘Antifascist Action’ flag at tonight’s FTP March in DC,” Gutenschwager said in a Twitter post with video of the march.
Andy Ngo, another independent journalist, shared footage of a clash between protesters and police, where an officer uses his bike to push back against an aggressive protester.
When another officer orders the group to move back, one female protester yells, “Stop harassing people.”
A moment later, an officer without a mask is seen as multiple protesters shout, “Put your f–king mask on.”
“Hey officer, I want your name and badge number. You seem like a cool guy,” another demonstrator says into a megaphone.
“Police in DC stand in front of diners to protect them from the BLM-Antifa protesters. Many customers at restaurants have been confronted & even assaulted by far-left protesters in recent past,” Ngo tweeted, sharing a video of the scene in which demonstrators could be heard chanting, “No KKK, no fascist USA.”
As the march continued through Washington, protesters chanted, “Whose streets? Our streets!”
The end of the march included a speech in which a protester says, “We are here tonight because Black Lives Matter.”
The protester goes on to say, “Black people are still dying at the hands of the police paid for by our tax dollars. So we’re going to read the story of a Black man, of a Black comrade, who was taken by the police, Eric Garner.”
Eric Garner died while in custody of the New York City Police Department on Staten Island in 2014.
The nation’s capital has seen a heavy law enforcement presence since the protest that turned violent on January 6 in which demonstrators forced their way into the Capitol building.
Over 26,000 National Guard troops descended on D.C. for President Joe Biden’s inauguration as a result.
Approximately 7,000 National Guard members remain in the city to provide security, ABC News reported. Some members will soon be recalled and 5,000 members are slated to stay in the city until mid-March. The cost of the Guard’s entire deployment from January is expected to total near $500 million.
In addition to bolstering law enforcement, barricades and fencing were erected around the Capitol building, a precaution D.C. governor Muriel Bowser said should not be permanent.
“Based on conversations with federal partners, there are some potentially volatile events upcoming that will require extra security. Fencing and the presence of troops will be a part of that. But we will not accept extra troops or permanent fencing as a long-term fixture in DC,” Bowser tweeted. “When the time is right, the fencing around the White House and U.S. Capitol, just like the plywood we’ve seen on our businesses for too long, will be taken down.”
