D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is urging people to avoid the downtown area during pro-Trump rallies this week.
“I am asking Washingtonians and those who live in the region to stay out of the downtown area on Tuesday and Wednesday and not to engage with demonstrators who come to our city seeking confrontation, and we will do what we must to ensure all who attend remain peaceful,” Miss Bowser said Sunday in a statement.
The advisory comes as supporters of President Trump are planning to rally Wednesday when Congress convenes to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Trump has claimed that widespread voter fraud tossed the victory to President-elect Joseph R. Biden.
The mayor also said law enforcement agencies are “conducting event overviews” for the D.C. Council, religious leaders and downtown business owners.
The National Park Service has received at least three permit requests for more than 15,000 total people to attend First Amendment demonstrations at the National Mall on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Previous pro-Trump demonstrations have turned violent at times when supporters and counterprotesters clashed.
The Metropolitan Police Department also is investigating “potential hate crimes” linked to videos from recent rallies in mid-December posted to social media that showed people burning Black Lives Matter banners in front of Black churches.
The mayor is scheduled to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Monday.
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