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America braces for armed protests to engulf nation

Sunday, 17 January 2021 9:08 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 17 January 2021 9:08 AM ]

National Guard soldiers move through the Capitol Visitors Center for their guard shifts around the grounds of the US Capitol on January 16, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by AFP)

Ramin Mazaheri
Press TV, Chicago

The United States is in a state of unprecedented tension as armed political protests are predicted to sweep the country. The nation’s security agencies predict the protests will spread to all 50 state capitols by inauguration day, January 20th, and they do not know when they will end.

The protests are mainly due to the fact that there is a widespread belief that the presidential election was marred by fraud. Only 22% of Republicans believe the election was “free and fair”, according to a poll by Morning Consult last week, with almost a quarter of all registered voters disapproving of Donald Trump’s decision to step down.

There has been no evidence uncovered which proves that voter fraud swung the vote in Joe Biden’s favor, and the Supreme Court refused to publicly hear widespread complaints that mail-in balloting unconstitutionally changed how the election was held. Trump has not conceded, but promised an “orderly transition” of power following the Electoral College’s election of Biden.

Some are pointing out the US is now experiencing the type of civil chaos which they so often help create in other countries.

Many conservatives are also angry that Trump was impeached for “incitement of insurrection” only seven days after Capitol Hill was the site of violent protests which stunned the entire world. The impeachment is accused of raising tensions in a country already on edge and many worry it could backfire in unexpected ways.

Large areas of Washington DC will be locked down for almost a week, with 25,000 National Guard troops presiding over Biden’s inauguration.

In 2020 “A nation on edge” became something of a cliché in the United States, but this time it really is different. Grievances are so widespread, as there is so much opposition to even the legitimacy of the grievances. There seems to be nothing to do but to wait and see how bad it will get in the coming days.

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