2021 United States inauguration week protests

2021 United States inauguration week protests
Part of the 2020–21 United States election protests and attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election
An armored vehicle at the Ohio Statehouse prior to a planned pro-Trump armed march
DateJanuary 16–20, 2021
(5 days)
Location
Caused by
GoalsInterfere with the transition of the presidency to Joe Biden
MethodsArmed protests, demonstrations, civil disobedience, civil resistance, police impersonation,[2] threats of violence, bomb threats[3]
Resulted in
  • Inauguration of Joe Biden
  • Failure of Trump supporters to stage organized dissent or affect the transition of power
  • Heightened security at the United States Capitol building and various state capitol buildings[4][5]
  • Several arrests of protestors[6]

Supporters of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, held small-scale armed protests and demonstrations at U.S. state capitols in the five days leading up to the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20, 2021, in opposition to the results of the 2020 United States presidential election, which continued after the failure of the violent January 6 attempt to overturn the election in Trump's favor. Pro-Trump groups failed to stage organized dissent or affect the transition of power in an environment of deterrence and heightened security.

Fears of violent protests after a January 11 FBI warning led to a drastic increase in security at state capitols and the United States Capitol, which served as the site of the presidential swearing-in ceremony. Increased monitoring and police presence, closures of public buildings, curfews, temporary fencing, and other security measures were employed in response to the security threat. The United States Capitol was put under the protection of members of the National Guard,[7][4] which was additionally activated in at least 19 states, to protect state capitols.[5]

The protests featured the participation of far-right militia groups that follow right-libertarianism, neo-fascism, neo-Nazism, white supremacism, and other ultranationalist or right-wing ideologies, as well as members of the New Black Panther Party, and the QAnon and boogaloo movements.[1][8] On January 31, 2021, detailed overviews of attempts to subvert the 2020 U.S. presidential election and Biden's inauguration were published by The New York Times.[9][10]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Meckler, Laura (January 17, 2021). "Avowed Trump supporter arrested near Capitol for carrying gun; women charged with impersonating police". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference BTHR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Grisales, Claudia (January 13, 2021). "Ahead Of Impeachment, Security Is Tight At The Capitol". NPR. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NYT-1-17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference LA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Levenson, Eric (January 13, 2021). "How key states plan to secure their capitol buildings ahead of possible armed pro-Trump protests". CNN. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  8. ^ Long, Colleen; Balsamo, Michael; Kunzelman, Michael (January 11, 2021). "FBI warns of plans for nationwide armed protests next week". Associated Press. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  9. ^ Rutenberg, Jim; Becker, Jo; Lipton, Eric; Haberman, Maggie; Martin, Jonathan; Rosenberg, Matthew; Schmidt, Michael S. (January 31, 2021). "77 Days: Trump's Campaign to Subvert the Election". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  10. ^ Rosenberg, Matthew; Rutenberg, Jim (February 1, 2021). "Key Takeaways From Trump's Effort to Overturn the Election". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.