The inauguration ceremony of the new president of the United States will be held on January 20th local time. Fearing armed demonstrations, Washington, D.C. and state capitals in the United States have now been on alert.
On the 17th local time, the reporter visited Richmond, the capital of Virginia, and found that the local state capitol building had been closed, the surrounding blocks had been blocked, and a large number of police personnel had been deployed.
Notices prohibiting carrying guns have also been posted in many places.
In a conversation with local police officers on duty, the reporter learned that the 18th is Virginia’s “lobbying day”, an annual day for local NGOs to express their views on public policy issues.
On “L lobbying day” a year ago, about 22,000 gun-wiwners held a rally in Richmond to protest against the gun control bill.
According to police officers on duty, such gatherings may happen again this year, and considering the warnings issued by the FBI, the local government deployed police forces ahead of time and banned the carrying guns explicitly.
At present, 8,500 National Guard soldiers are on standby in Virginia.
From 19th to 21st, almost all highway bridges connecting Washington, D.C. and Virginia will be closed, and the state government has appealed to residents to avoid going to Washington, D.C. from the 19th to 21.
The security in Washington, D.C. is stricter, the inventory of vehicles and personnel in the designated safe areas has been stricter, and the number of National Guard soldiers deployed on the streets has also increased.
So far, about 15,000 National Guard soldiers have arrived in Washington, D.C., and about 25,000 National Guard soldiers will be in place in the next two days.
This number has exceeded the total number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria combined.
