Will Inauguration Day Bring More Insurrection? 5 Things To Know

ACROSS AMERICA — Seven days ago, a mob of President Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an insurgence that started with calls to “fight like hell” and “hang Mike Pence,” and ended with five people dead.

With seven days until Inauguration Day, the country remains anxious and on edge.

Fences have been erected around the U.S. Capitol, while others emerged in other parts of Washington, D.C. National Guard troops are stationed on street corners, part of a sweeping citywide lockdown aimed at curbing any unrest in the coming days. Social media giants and other companies are taking unprecedented caution, darkening accounts and forgoing business as usual to limit opportunity for those intent on repeating the events of Jan. 6.

The heightened preparation and increased security measures are unprecedented as Joe Biden prepares to be sworn in as the nation’s 46th president, but are they warranted?

Here’s what we know about threats of additional violence leading up to Inauguration Day:

National Guard members head for Washington, D.C., as a city takes unprecedented caution.

At least 20,000 armed National Guard members will be deployed to Washington, D.C., to protect the Capitol building complex before and on Inauguration Day, according to a report by The New York Times. Police forces outside the city are also pitching in, including Prince George’s County police and Virginia State Police.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has also urged locals to stay home and travelers to avoid the city on Inauguration Day and the days leading up to it.

On Monday, Bowser issued an order to close indoor dining and museums to make the city less hospitable to tourists. The following day, Bowser said she would consider closing or, at the very least, imposing restrictions on D.C. hotels.

D.C. officials are also negotiating with the National Park Service to deny permits for mass gatherings on federal land this week or next, The Washington Post reported.

The FBI has warned of armed protests in all 50 states.

An internal FBI bulletin sent Sunday warned that nationwide protests may start later this week and extend through Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration, according to an ABC News report.

"On 8 January, the FBI received information on an identified group calling for others to join them in 'storming' state, local and federal government courthouses and administrative buildings in the event POTUS is removed as President prior to Inauguration Day. This identified group is also planning to 'storm' government offices including in the District of Columbia and in every state, regardless of whether the states certified electoral votes for Biden or Trump, on 20 January," the bulletin read.

The FBI also said it was tracking reports of "various threats to harm President-Elect Biden ahead of the presidential inauguration," the bulletin states.

"Additional reports indicate threats against VP-Elect Harris and Speaker Pelosi,” the bulletin added.

Extremist groups supporting Donald Trump are emboldened by last week’s riot at the Capitol.

In a report issued Saturday, the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors online extremism activity, confirmed that the Capitol attack has only fueled the fire driving Trump-supporting extremists.

“No matter how all this plays out, its only the beginning,” posted a user on TheDonald.win message board, according to the report.

Only hours following the Capitol riot, some were already vowing to return.

“Round 2 on January 20th. This time no mercy. I don’t even care about keeping Trump in power. I care about war,” an anonymous person posted on the platform TheDonald.win, which is filled with comments posted by people who lauded those rioting Wednesday as “heroes,” NBC News reported.

“Many of Us will return on January 19, 2021, carrying Our weapons, in support of Our nation's resolve, towhich [sic] the world will never forget!!! We will come in numbers that no standing army or police agency can match,” a user wrote on Parler.

In the days since the Capitol attack, an Army field manual and exhortations to "shoot politicians" and "encourage armed struggle" surfaced in a Telegram channel that uses "fascist" in its name, another NBC News report confirmed. Telegram is a Dubai-based encrypted communication app.

Meanwhile, police have warned House Democrats about the possibility of violence against them in the days leading up to the inauguration.

One call even instructed “4,000 armed patriots” to surround the Capitol and prevent Democrats from entering, according to a Washington Post report. The call encouraged violence and threatened to kill Democrats. Some events are calling for “justice” for Ashli Babbitt, a rioter who was fatally shot by Capitol Police during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

A significant number of far-right extremist groups are expected to protest.

On Parler and private groups including WhatsApp and Signal, flyers have emerged calling for an “Armed march on Capitol Hill and all state capitals” at noon Jan. 17.

Events set to happen at state capitals on Jan. 17 are being promoted by supporters of several movements, according to an AP report. For weeks, calls for a “Million Militia March” on Inauguration Day have been circulating in online chat groups including Parler and Telegram.

In D.C., organizations including the Proud Boys, Three Percenters, and Oath Keepers have indicated plans to protest in the city. Also expected to protest are members of the anti-government, pro-gun “boogaloo” movement, a far-right group whose followers often advocate for a second civil war or the collapse of society.

Members of these groups are spotted often at Trump rallies and other events organized by far-right extremist groups. Some also provided what they called security at protests against COVID-19 lockdowns in Michigan.

Meanwhile, states are also preparing for the possibility of violent protests. In Washington state, National Guard members are providing heightened security, while in Michigan, the state capitol commission has banned the open carrying of firearms inside the state's Capitol building.

Social media companies and other businesses are scrambling to impede possible violence.

On Wednesday, Airbnb canceled reservations in the D.C. metropolitan area during inauguration week, and activists are calling on area hotels to do the same. Hours before, YouTube joined fellow social media giants Twitter and Facebook by shutting the president out of his account due to concerns his posts will incite violence.

YouTube was the last of the major social media networks to suspend Trump after the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Facebook on Monday said it would remove all content promoting #StopTheSteal, as well as any pages, groups and events that promote violence or violate community guidelines.

Facebook’s decision follows unprecedented action taken by Twitter, which last week suspended the president’s account, cutting him off from more than 88 million followers. Twitter also said it has suspended more than 70,000 accounts promoting QAnon conspiracy theories.

Other sites such as Snapchat, Reddit and Twitch also curtailed Trump’s online access