New videos show Proud Boys fighting with police officers in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night during pro-Trump protests, leading to police pepper-spraying and arresting unruly members. The confrontation came ahead of Wednesday’s congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
The videos, posted by independent journalist Brenden Gutenschwager (@BGonthescene), show scores of Proud Boys in different areas fighting and accusing the police of betrayal and even treason.
The Proud Boys tried to charge through a police line at Black Lives Matter Plaza, but police kept them at bay with human barriers and pepper-sprayed people pushing through.
The far-right group appeared to be shocked at the police’s change in tactics.
“You lost both sides of support,” one man yelled. “We had your fucking back, but we ain’t got your back no more!”
Another man yelled, “Heads are gonna roll.”
Meanwhile, Enrique Tarrio, the group’s recognized leader, was arrested and subsequently banned from the city by a judge ahead of Wednesday’s “March for Trump” rally. Many on Twitter made fun of the apparent disorganization of the Proud Boys and their belief police would side with them.
@chadloder tweeted: “The Proud Boys scattered from a teensy bit of pepper spray. Most of these cops aren’t even in riot gear! There’s been no rubber bullets into people’s skulls; nobody’s lost an eye, nobody got rammed with police cruisers. The Proud Boys are totally shocked at the faintest touch.”
According to Politico, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that Washington, D.C. is “absolutely prepared” for the sizeable pro-Trump protest scheduled for Wednesday.
“We are doing everything possible that we can to keep our residents safe, our businesses safe, but, of course, allow for people to exercise their First Amendment rights, no matter what their viewpoints are,” said Bowser.
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