The US is gearing up for what could be a period of unrest after US Election Day, regardless of whether it’s Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden who wins.
Federal authorities plan to erect a “non-scalable” fence around the White House perimeter ahead of potential protests, while some retailers have started boarding up their stores in hopes of avoiding property damage from any acts of violence.
On Monday, Australian TV presenter Carrie Bickmore said such scenes from America make it look like “the apocalypse”.
During a live cross to Channel 10 reporter Hugh Riminton who was on the ground in Washington DC, ‘The Project’ host said, “Well, America might be heating up, but Hugh Riminton is freezing his butt off in Washington.
“Hugh, these are full on images – businesses being boarded up, barricades being set up, it looks like the apocalypse from here. Is that the way it feels over there?”
“Well, it certainly looks as if they’re preparing for the apocalypse,” replied Hugh.
“In fact the National Guard in Washington is going to be called out tomorrow. They’re building a new fence. We’ve been watching them build more and more fences around the White House which is just in there behind me.”
Watch the full video below:
Hugh said the decision to erect the extra layer of protection comes as Trump has announced he won’t be holding his election night party at his hotel in Washington, but rather “hold out in the White House as the results come in”.
“So they’re putting up the extra barricades, it’s like a medieval castle to keep them safe in there,” he said.
The barrier would be similar to the temporary security barrier installed earlier this year amid nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, CNN reported.
When Carrie’s co-host Peter Helliar asked if things “will turn violent no matter how it pans out”, Hugh said “there’s no reason to suppose that it might not”.
Trump has suggested that he will contest any win by Biden. Trump would not commit to a peaceful transfer of power and said he plans to have his lawyers on standby.
Amid the concerns, some retailers have started boarding up their stores, as has already been seen in New York, Washington, Seattle and Los Angeles.
“If Trump wins, our risk analysts, who look at this every single day, are expecting widespread mass anti-government demonstrations in every major city,” Matt Hinton, a partner at security consultant Control Risks, told Bloomberg News.
Protests could continue through Inauguration Day in January, Hinton added.
DC Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham, speaking with lawmakers this month, also warned of possible unrest.
“It is widely believed that there will be civil unrest after the November election regardless of who wins,” said Newsham, as reported by The Washington Post.
Neither the White House nor the Secret Service immediately responded to HuffPost’s requests for comment.
With additional reporting by Nina Golgowski (HuffPost US)
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