Washington readies for post-election backlash

AFP. Washingon DC Oct,31. The sound of hammering, a drill and a saw in action: this is the soundtrack of the American capital a few days before the presidential election.

Over the weekend, a large number of stores in central Washington protected their windows with wooden planks in the face of fears of demonstrations that could arise during or after Tuesday’s election day.

Teams of workers fanned out on every corner, surrounding the office buildings in “Downtown DC,” in a sign of the nervousness across the country as the elections approach.

In the event of a close race and delayed results, some fear catastrophic scenarios in which supporters of both candidates would take to the streets to demand the withdrawal of the opponent, or even take up arms.

And President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term, did not reassure spirits by repeatedly refusing to make clear whether, should he be defeated on November 3, he would peacefully relinquish power.

Sean Anger, a construction manager for a company in nearby Maryland, says he has been busy building barricades in at least 20 buildings in recent days. A service that costs thousands of dollars.

Anti-racist demos
During the spring, large anti-racist demonstrations broke out in Washington and other US cities, some of which were marked by violence and resulted in looting. Many of the shields that are now being installed had been removed only a few weeks ago.

“We had a broken window on the first night of the protests. There was damage all over the street, ”recalls Kosta Abatzis, owner of a men’s clothing store located one block from the White House.

“I hate to see this,” he says in front of the large wooden plaques, “but it’s better than going through the whole procedure of replacing” a window through the insurance company.

Alexandre Provenzano, owner of a nearby hairdresser, also complains: “We left the tables up for two months and now I will have this until January, for the inauguration (of the president). This is how I am going to spend the December.holidays ”

Police in the capital announced the closure of streets in a wide area around the White House on November 3-4.

“We know that some people would like to create chaos and confusion,” said Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser at a Thursday news conference. “We don’t have any specific information on the matter, but we are prepared to keep the city safe,” she said.

Several organizations already have planned demonstrations. One of them, Shutdown DC, presented a permit to conglomerate up to 10,000 people in Black Lives Matter Square, in front of the White House, on the night of November 3. Between music and speeches, a large screen showing the election results is planned.

But anticipating possible confrontations, the organization also launched trainings for its members: interactions with the police and other groups of protesters, techniques for de-escalation of violence …