Political division in America has reached the boiling point.
Recent protests at the Stop the Steal event in Washington, DC led to violence as the pro-Trump Proud Boys fought against far-left Antifa supporters.
At least four people were stabbed in the chaos that followed, and meanwhile one person was shot and multiple people injured in Washington state during clashes between Trump supporters and BLM activists in the state capitol of Olympia, located around 60 miles southwest of Seattle.
The Olympia shooter appears to have been a Trump supporter, with Antifa calling him a “far right extremist” and claiming the violence was “coordinated and premeditated” by the Proud Boys. According to local news, the Trump supporter and a woman began arguing with Antifa and became angry, after which the male Trump supporter shot the Antifa member in the stomach.
The condition of the individual who was shot and taken to hospital in Olympia is not currently being reported.
Both sides in Olympia were reportedly heavily armed with bats, clubs and firearms.
What Happened in DC?
Meanwhile in DC the showdown between Trump supporters and the left on Saturday, Dec. 12 was also intense. An estimated several hundred Proud Boys and around 15,000 other pro-Trump individuals showed up to voice their opinion that the 2020 election was stolen from the President, listening to speeches from a variety of prominent Trump supporters including General Michael Flynn and radio host Alex Jones who said that “Joe Biden will be removed one way or another!”
Later in the day things became very tense when a group mainly made of Proud Boys confronted a group of Antifa and BLM supporters at Black Lives Matter Plaza in downtown DC.
Numerous firecrackers were being thrown and police used smoke grenades to try to get the crowd to break up, making at least 24 arrests. Coronavirus distancing measures were not enforced, however.
At least four people were stabbed in DC, where Antifa was recorded often being on the losing end of streetfights with Trump supporters. It was the reverse image from 2016 when Antifa frequently outnumbered and assaulted Trump supporters outside rallies and in street protests.
The stabbing victims were taken to hospital reportedly in critical condition. Based on video evidence, at least one of the victims was a Proud Boy, with footage showing how an outnumbered Antifa member reacted in a cowardly fashion by saying he would leave and then stabbing people in the crowd.
At least one proud boy stabbed after random lone protester fights with multiple proud boys. This protester was the only one around in a mob of a few hundred pb’s and fought with one prior to this video starting and him brandishing a knife pic.twitter.com/OeK3Zwp9cv
— barely informed with elad 🕵🏻♂️ (@elaadeliahu) December 13, 2020
Pro-Trump Protesters: ‘Destroy the GOP!’
At one point, members of the pro-Trump crowd chanted “destroy the GOP!” They were furious over the Republican party’s seeming inability or unwillingness to do more to reverse election results and stand up for the Trump wing of the party.
The growing anger at establishment Republicans could mean that the party’s future increasingly splits into a nationalist populist wing that leaves behind the Lincoln Project-style, pro-Democrat establishment wing of the party.
Pro-Trump crowds gathered outside the Supreme Court in DC, enraged by the court’s decision to strike down a case that challenged Biden’s wins in four key states.
Proud Boys marched through DC chanting “f— Antifa!” and one group of Proud Boys wrote AN-TI-FA on their buttocks, lifting yellow kilts for the media to photograph their provocative display.
The violence that broke out and led to the stabbings was chaotic and it is not clear if the suspects were arrested. Two police officers also suffered stabbing injuries in addition to the four other individuals who were stabbed.
Police started using pepper spray and water cannons to try to disperse protesters and tried to keep the two groups from violent confrontation, but the level of anger was intense and many fights broke out.
It is clear from these incidents that political polarization in the United States has reached a boiling point. Joe Biden’s promise to “unify” the country looks increasingly unlikely as tensions increase and anger from the conservative base is only intensifying.
The Electoral College is expected to officially approve Biden’s 2020 win on Monday, Dec. 14.
