Trump protesters
Police officers deploy pepper spray to push back a group of pro-Trump protesters that tried to push through their lines into Black Lives Matter Plaza on January 5, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
  • Supporters of President Trump clashed with police and at least six were arrested on Tuesday night.
  • The supporters gathered to protest the results of the presidential election ahead of Wednesday’s vote in Congress to certify those results.
  • The protests took place ahead of a larger rally planned on Wednesday, where Trump is scheduled to speak.
  • Trump has told his supporters that the vote in Congress is a chance to overturn the results, even though it is not.
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Supporters of President Donald Trump clashed with police, leading to the arrest of at least six of them, as they protested the results of the US presidential election ahead of a Congressional vote to certify the outcome.

Supporters gathered in Washington, DC, on Tuesday night, ahead of the Wednesday meeting where Congress is due to vote to certify president-elect Joe Biden’s win in the November elections.

Footage captured by Brendan Gutenschwager, an independent reporter,  shows protesters and officers fighting. He said it showed Trump supporters trying to “rush the line.”

You can watch the video here:

According to Mediaite, protesters started to verbally attack the police, saying: ‘”You lost both sides of support. We had your f——g back, but we ain’t got your back no more!”

The demonstrators gathered to object to the election results, backing Trump's baseless claims that there was widespread election fraud and that he was the real winner.

They assembled in the city's Freedom Plaza, where speakers called the coronavirus outbreak "fake" and repeated conspiracy theories about Democrats filling ballot boxes.

Trump supporters protest
Trump supporters gathered by the BLM Plaza to protest in Washington D.C, United States on January 05, 2021.
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

It descended into clashes, with police reportedly appearing to pepper spray demonstrators.

Officers from Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police said that six arrests were made as of 9 p.m., NBC News reported.

The charges reportedly included assaulting a police officer, simple assault, carrying firearms without a license, and possession of an unregistered firearm.

Trump appeared to endorse the demonstrators earlier on Tuesday, before the clashes began. He tweeted: "We hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

The protest took place before a larger rally in the city planned on Wednesday, dubbed the "March for Trump/Save America" rally, at which Trump is due to speak

Many supporters have flown in from other parts of the country to attend.

Congress is expected to vote to ratify Biden's win on Wednesday, though some Republicans plan to formally object.

Their plan is expected to fail, with most lawmakers expected to accept the results.

Trump's own plans to overturn the election results through legal challenges have been unsuccessful. He and Republican officials have won none of at least 42 lawsuits they have filed since election day.

Trump has since turned his attention to Wednesday, spending the last few weeks hyping up his supporters by wrongly claiming that the January 6 Congressional vote is a chance to overturn the election.

Read the original article on Business Insider