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Protesters outside Saturday’s military parade in the nation’s capital did not explicitly condemn the violent tactics used at anti-Trump protests across the country in recent days, with at least one saying he “fully support[s]” the recent tactics used by protesters in Los Angeles, such as throwing rocks.
“I’m following my constitutional rights, I’m out here just simply saying what I want to feel. No one here is being violent. As you can see, there’s been no conflict,” said a college-aged protester who declined to identify himself but spoke to Fox News Digital.
“But you’re not worried about being conflated with those who are doing violence?” the activist was asked.
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“I mean if they want to violate the Constitution, that’s on them. I can’t worry about that,” the protester responded. “I mean, maybe I should [be worried], but I believe in this Constitution, I’m going to live by it, I’m going to support my First Amendment.”
A separate protester in attendance outside Saturday’s parade said he “fully supported” those activists who “want to throw rocks” as long as they don’t hurt anyone in the process.
“Honestly – they have a right to be angry. They have a right to do what they feel like they need to do to stop this issue, to stop fascism,” he said. “And, honestly, I fully support that. I fully support if they’re angry and they want to go out and they want to throw rocks. As long as they don’t hurt anyone, you know, I can understand, I can honestly do.”
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The anti-Trump protests that coincided with the military parade in D.C. on Saturday saw a few isolated incidents of violence but appeared mostly peaceful. However, the weekend was preceded by violent riots in Los Angeles that spread to other cities like New York and Chicago – reminiscent of the anti-police protests following the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd in the summer of 2020.
Protesters in Los Angeles threw rocks at law enforcement and several fires across the city erupted amid the chaos. There were reports of damage to federal buildings, including both immigration and non-immigration-related offices, that included graffiti threatening the lives of federal officials. At least one community care office for veterans, run by the Department of Veterans Affairs, was forced to shut down and cancel hundreds of appointments amid the violence. Many were arrested for clashing with police and the reverberations of the rioting have resulted in other tense clashes between police and activists across the country.
While no deaths have been directly attributed to political violence at recent protests across the country, including Los Angeles, fatalities have occurred at some protests around the country. In Utah, an innocent bystander was shot by a man who had been a part of the protest’s peacekeeping team, according to reports, while in Los Angeles a man was found dead outside a looted T-Mobile store amid the anti-ICE chaos, according to reports.
The peaceful protesters in D.C. suggested they were not in favor of any violence, but they did signal that they understood why protests in recent days across the country have been so intense that they lead to violence against police officers, property and sometimes more.
“I mean, I personally won’t do that, but I can understand after all of this, like, people are fed up. People are fed up with how the government has been treating people,” a protester told Fox News Digital Saturday. “The Republicans, the people in Congress, they do not care about people here, and so I can understand why people are that angry to do something like that, so, yeah, I fully understand.”
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“I think it’s wrong to create violence, but, like, he said, I mean I think people have been angry for a long time,” a second protester added, noting he thinks Trump is the reason to blame for all the aggressive tactics, like throwing rocks, setting fires and vandalism.
“What Trump is doing, he knows the polarization and the anger he’s causing, so this is all part of his game plan. The National Guard in L.A., he caused that. He said go out there without Newsom saying anything. I mean, he knows what he’s doing, he wants to cause a rise out of people.”
Another protester present Saturday, who spoke to Fox News Digital, said she believed “being abrasive” is against the interests of those seeking to make change but that “history has proven that sometimes aggression is needed.”
“All respect to them, I think that they are doing what they think is right, but I think being very abrasive is against our interests, actually. I think it drives away a lot of people, it doesn’t really foster the conversations that we need,” a protester who identified herself as Sophie said. “I don’t think being aggressive is the way to go, but I think history has proven that sometimes aggression is needed, so, but I don’t want to be abrasive.”
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