WASHINGTON — For the second weekend in a row, downtown D.C. played host to major demonstrations.
Last week, it was a celebration of Joe Biden’s projected victory. This weekend, those who refuse to accept those results had their turn.
The largely peaceful protests during the day escalated as the sun went down and tensions flared after dark.
Around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, some people burned flags and set off fireworks at Freedom Plaza. A large police force cleared the group out in minutes.
A few blocks away at Black Lives Matter Plaza, Pro-and-Anti-Trump demonstrators clashed. Police blocked the road to foot traffic and worked to keep the groups apart, doing their best to limit physical confrontation.
According to the mayor's office, D.C. police made at least 21 arrests connected to the rally and counter-protests. Four officers received non-life-threatening injuries. The mayor’s office also said one person was stabbed a few blocks from Franklin Square but did not confirm if it was related to the march or counter protests.
The after-dark conflict followed a series of large—and largely peaceful—pro-Trump demonstrations earlier in the day.
"We're not conceding because we've won the election," said one supporter of President Trump. "We just want it to be revealed and if it takes it to the courts we're ready to go the distance."
Many in the crowd eagerly supported the President's legal challenges to election results in multiple states, despite the fact that many elected officials, like Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, have widely disputed claims of improper voting.
"At the end of the day, we don't see a widespread voter fraud," said Raffensperger. "But we will investigate every case we hear."
"I will accept that when it goes all the way through the court system and I believe we will likely end up at the Supreme Court," said a march organizer.