Mass arrest of anticapitalist march after police fire tear gas, 270 total arrests reported

Update Jan 21, 10:45PM:All arrestees out of processing, right-wing press beating their chests about felony riot charges with 10 year maximum. Charges confirmed by DisruptJ20 twitter. The Daily Mail et all must not be familiar with DC's world-class activist lawyers.

Update 6PM:270 arrests reported for the day, 6 cops injured. Mass arrest FAILED to stop battles between police and protesters in the K st (lobbyists Row) area, which went on many more hours.

With trump supporters being turned away en masse from the Mall by checkpoing blockades, the police have turned violent. Hundreds of marchers in the Antifascist/Atnicapitalist Bloc were kettled, then unlawfully mass arrested after police firing tear gas for the first time in decades only temporarily dispersed the protesters. This was the first such mass arrest in 14 years. People are showing up "covered in pepper spray" at Disrupt J20's rear area safe spaces. Reports of journalists being targetted. One ONE report of a broken window. Meanwhile down at the checkpoints, blockades are STILL holding out after 3 hours.

There are reports that the cops managed to trap the march in a narrow street or entry way, and that attempts to break out of the kettle were repulsed by firing both tear gas and flashbangs(high explosive grenades without metal shrapnel). The combination of potentially flammable tear gas with explosives is a formula for a disasterous flash fire. It has been decades since the DC police have used actual tear gas, possibly not since the 1991 Mount Pleasant Uprising. At least one protester was taken from the scene in an ambulance due to injuries inflicted by police.

Barring Trump managing to overturn centuries of settled constitutional law, DC is looking at Pershing Park III. and as a "three time loser" will likely face a very unfavorable settlement, quite possibly after Trump leaves office and is no longer able to intervene to protect those responsible. This is almost certain if Trump goes "four and out."

In other areas, there were a few reports of Bikers for Trump assaulting protesters. Attempts by racists to break through a blockade earlier in the morning ended in failure.

Video-police fire pepper spray or gas, flashbangs at anticapitalist bloc