Discontent spreads to statehouses

Protesters backing Donald Trump massed outside statehouses from Georgia to New Mexico, leading some officials to evacuate, and cheers rang out at the news that a pro-Trump mob has stormed the US Capitol.

Hundreds of people gathered in state capitals nationwide to oppose President-elect Joe Biden’s win. Most didn’t wear masks, and some carried guns in places like Oklahoma, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and Washington state.

There were some scuffles in states like Ohio and California, with some instances of journalists or counterprotesters being pepper-sprayed or punched. But most of the demonstrations – some of them quite small – were peaceful, and only a few arrests were reported.

New Mexico police evacuated staff as a precaution from a statehouse building that includes the governor’s office and the secretary of state’s office, shortly after hundreds of flagwaving supporters arrived in a vehicle caravan and on horseback.

News that protesters had breached the US Capitol set off cheers at proTrump protests in Minnesota, Nevada and Arizona, where armed protesters marched at the state capitol in Phoenix and several men displayed a guillotine.

Georgia’s secretary of state and his staff evacuated their offices at the capitol as about 100 protesters gathered outside, some armed with long guns.

In Washington state, protesters broke through a gate at the governor’s mansion and dozens of people gathered on the lawn for about 30 minutes before being cleared by police.

Trump supporters circled the state capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin in cars and trucks adorned with Trump and US flags for several hours, honking their horns.