Fortresslike US capital girds up for Trump, protesters

Police expect some 900,000 people, both supporters and opponents, to flood Washington, DC

WASHINGTON: Washington turned into a virtual fortress ahead of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on Friday as the US capital braces for more than a quarter-million protesters expected during the Republican’s swearing-in.

Police have forecast that some 900,000 people, both supporters and opponents, will flood Washington for the inauguration ceremony, which includes the swearing-in on the steps of the US Capitol and a parade to the White House along streets thronged with spectators.

Many of those attending will be protesters irate about the New York real estate developer’s demeaning comments about women, immigrants and Muslims, a vow to repeal the sweeping healthcare reform law known as Obamacare and plans to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. His supporters admire Trump’s experience in business, including as a real estate developer and reality television star, and view him as an outsider and problem-solver.

Outgoing US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said police aim to separate groups to diffuse tensions, similar to last-year’s political conventions.

“The concern is some of these groups are pro-Trump, some of them are con-Trump, and they may not play well together in the same space,” Johnson said on MSNBC on Thursday.

About 28,000 security personnel kilometres of fencing, roadblocks, street barricades and dump trucks laden with sand will be part of the security cordon around eight square km of central Washington.

About 30 groups that organisers claim will draw about 270,000 protesters or Trump backers have received permits for rallies or marches before, during and after the swearing-in. More protests are expected without permits. A protest group known as Disrupt J20 has vowed to stage demonstrations at each of 12 security checkpoints and block access to the festivities on the grassy National Mall.

By far the biggest protest will be the Women’s March on Wash- ington on Saturday, which organisers expect to draw 250,000 people. Hundreds of Women’s March-related protests are scheduled across the US and around the world as well.

There was an anti-Trump protest in New York on Thursday evening when Mayor Bill de Blasio, filmmaker Michael Moore and actors Mark Ruffalo and Alec Baldwin, who portrays Trump on “Saturday Night Live,” took part in a rally outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower. One protest by pro-marijuana activists will come amid a pot smoke.