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Washington, DC, wasn’t the only Capitol building under siege Wednesday — with clashes reported in major cities across the US.
While the world watched in horror as thousands of President Trump supporters violently stormed the US Capitol compound, violent protests also broke out in several other major cities, including Los Angeles, Austin, Sacramento, Atlanta and — unsurprisingly — Portland.
Pro-Trump protesters also gathered in numerous state capitols around the country — in some cases even reportedly trying to get inside — forcing many to evacuate and close early.
In the Big Apple, dozens of anti-Trump and Black Lives Matter protesters were chased away by a heavy police presence as they protested outside Trump Tower late Wednesday.
Two people were arrested — including a teen who went viral over the summer when she was thrown in an unmarked police van — and seven others issued summonses, the NYPD said.
In Portland, home to near-nightly protests, police declared an unlawful assembly as a mob smashed windows and scrawled graffiti on the Multnomah County Courthouse, police said.
As with Manhattan, the Portland protest was organized by those seemingly disgusted by scenes from DC, with the Oregon city’s violence dubbed “Stop the fascist coup,” The Oregonian said.
But it was several hundred pro-Trump supporters who were out in force in the state capital, Salem, which was also declared an unlawful assembly, police tweeted at the time.
As well as angry claims that the election had been stolen from Trump, the masses used it as an excuse to again attack Gov. Kate Brown’s COVID-19 regulations, even burning an effigy of her.
The anger turned into violence when counter-demonstrators arrived a few hours later, The Oregonian said, shutting down traffic near the state Capitol building.
The Salem Reporter captured a video of a clash between the two groups, with shots fired from what appears to be a paintball gun along with a smoke bomb as the two sides fight.
Another clip showed a man in a yellow and black jacket — the usual colors of the far-right Proud Boys — running forward with a baton to beat a number of people.
The Oregon State Police said one person was arrested on suspicion of harassment and disorderly conduct.
The Oregonian identified him as David Willis, 43, saying he is a frequent figure at right-wing protests. Cody Melby, 39, was also arrested and charged with trespassing while in possession of a firearm after trying to get into the state capitol, the report said.
In Los Angeles, videos showed fistfights between rival groups of protesters being stopped by cops as a crowd of about 200 gathered near Los Angeles Police Department headquarters, the LA Times said of what was also declared an unlawful assembly.
Many shouted “Do your job!” at officers, while one woman reportedly yelled, “Remember there are thousands upon thousands of patriots willing to die for our freedoms. … You need to decide which side you’re on.”
The LAPD said six people had been arrested — three for carrying unpermitted items at a public demonstration, two for failing to disperse and one for resisting or obstructing an officer.
In Salt Lake City, many state workers went home early as about 400 people gathered outside, with signs reading “Stop the steal!” and “Trump won!”
Officials said it was mostly peaceful, although the Salt Lake Tribune said one of its photographers was pepper-sprayed in the face by a man who told him, “Look at you in your f—ing mask, you p—y.”
Several hundred Trump supporters also staged a “Stop the Steal” rally at the Arizona state Capitol in Phoenix, cheering and jeering while exhibiting a guillotine.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and his family were moved to a secure location after protesters broke into the grounds of the governor’s mansion in Olympia, according to the state police.
“Whose house — our house!” chanted protesters, some of whom were armed, as one planted a big red and white sign that declared, “Trump won 2020,” the Seattle Times said.
Inslee later insisted, “Those acts of intimidation will not succeed in any way, shape or form.”
Protesters entered the Kansas statehouse in Topeka and assembled inside the first floor of the capitol rotunda, though they remained orderly, television station KSNT reported. State police later said the demonstrators had obtained a permit in advance.
In Denver, the Colorado capital, Mayor Michael Hancock instructed city agencies to close early “out of an abundance of caution” after about 700 demonstrators gathered at the statehouse.
In Georgia, a major courthouse complex and two other government buildings in Atlanta were ordered closed due to protests near the statehouse.
Among those disrupted were aides to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the Republican election official pressured by Trump in a weekend telephone call to “find” enough additional votes for the president to win the state.
Staff left their offices early out of an abundance of caution, but Raffensperger was not there, said spokesman Walter Jones.
In Sacramento, California, several people were arrested for allegedly carrying pepper spray and fights broke out between two groups outside the state capitol, KCRA reported.
“Some physical altercations between two groups of demonstrators have been reported. Officers remain in the area and are attempting to keep the groups separate,” the Sacramento Police Department tweeted.
The outlet reported many groups, including the Proud Boys, were in attendance.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, around 500 Trump supporters, wearing red “MAGA” hats and carrying Trump flags, protested outside the state capitol before making their way to Gov. Tim Walz’s mansion, the Star Tribune reported.
“Let’s go raise some hell! Let’s make him uncomfortable,” one protestor chanted outside the capitol, according to FOX9.
Media reported rallies in other state capitals including Little Rock, Arkansas; Tallahassee, Florida; Madison, Wisconsin; Columbia, South Carolina; and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
With Post wires
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