Supporters of outgoing Republican President Donald Trump are protesting at statehouses across the U.S. on Wednesday amid a violent riot on Capitol Hill.
The protests come after Trump rallied supporters against the counting of Electoral College votes that will confirm Democratic President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Trump has for months falsely claimed the election was rigged through widespread voter fraud, a claim that is baseless.
Protestors have gathered at statehouses in Washington, Georgia, Kansas, Ohio, Michigan, California, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming, Texas and other states.
Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in Los Angeles, California, on January 6, 2021.
Ringo Chiu | AFP | Getty Images
Trump posted a video on Twitter telling Capitol Hill rioters to “go home,” but did not address protests at state buildings. The president continued to falsely claim the election was stolen in his video.
Georgia’s Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger evacuated from the state capitol building Wednesday afternoon, NBC affiliate 11Alive reported. Raffensperger has been a frequent target of the president’s attacks on election integrity.
“It is unimaginable that we have people in our state & country who are undermining public safety, attacking law enforcement, & breaking into gov’t buildings. This is not the GA way & it’s not the way of our country. These activities are a disgrace & quite honestly un-American,” Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp said on Twitter on Wednesday.
In Washington state, people pushed through the gate at the governor’s mansion in Olympia after protesting at the capitol, Chris Loftis, director of communications for the Washington State Patrol, told CNBC. It took roughly an hour to escort the demonstrators off the property, though no one entered the building and there were no reported injuries or property damage. There have been no charges at this time, Loftis said, adding that the governor and his family were in a safe location and are not in danger.
Protesters entered the Kansas statehouse in Topeka on Wednesday afternoon, though the group held a permit to protest at the building and there was no breach, NBC affiliate KSNT reported. The protesters remained peaceful and have dispersed, KSNT reported.
“They showed up at their scheduled permit time, they had their rally, it was peaceful, nobody went where they weren’t supposed to be, nothing was done out of the ordinary and they left on time,” Don Hughes, a public information officer for the Kansas Highway Patrol, told CNBC.
Trump supporters and members of the neo-fascist group Proud Boys rioted outside the Ohio Statehouse on Wednesday, clashing with Black Lives Matter protestors, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Hundreds of Trump supporters protested outside the Michigan State Capitol on Wednesday, the Detroit Free Press reported. The demonstrations have been peaceful, Michigan State Police said.
A representative from Utah’s state capitol told CNBC that protests outside of the building have been going on since 9 a.m. local time and have remained peaceful. There have been no breaches to the building and no reports of property damage. The Utah capitol building has been closed to the public due to the pandemic, not due to protests.
Donald Trump Supporters march around the Michigan State Capitol Building to protest the certification of Joe Biden as the next president of the United States on January 6, 2021 in Lansing, Michigan.
Matthew Hatcher | Getty Images
Sacramento Police said on Twitter that 11 people were arrested for the illegal possession of pepper spray at the California State Capitol. The department said a large police presence will remain in the area throughout the night.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom canceled his scheduled coronavirus update on Wednesday out of “an abundance of caution.”
“We are concerned for the safety of California’s congressional delegation and U.S. Capitol staff, and are reaching out to offer support in every way possible,” the Democratic governor said in a statement, adding he was concerned about the safety of his own office staff.
Government offices in Denver closed early on Thursday and nonessential city employees were released from work as a precautionary measure because of protests, according to a report by The Denver Post. A meeting of a state legislature committee was also postponed, the report said.
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered and were loud, but peaceful, in the downtown capitol of Colorado, according to the Post. Some carried Trump flags.
New Mexico, Wyoming and Texas closed their state capitol buildings and in some cases evacuated the employees, NBC News reported.
“The United States of America is resilient. It has weathered many storms because of our form of government and our remarkable Constitution. The violence that we are witnessing in the U.S. Capitol dishonors our legacy and denigrates the ‘Shining City on the Hill’ Ronald Reagan spoke of,” Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement. “Interfering with the peaceful transfer of power is an affront to the very Constitution that has made our country what it is.”
Gordon, a Republican, said he encouraged the country to follow Wyoming’s example in a “proper and peaceful expression of dissent – the cornerstone of free speech.”
In Richmond, entrances to the Virginia State Capitol have been blocked off out of an abundance of caution. Capitol Square was barricaded and employees were told to leave, but there weren’t any active threats in the area.
CNBC’s Noah Higgins-Dunn contributed to this report.
