Scattered protests held in US cities, but no major unrest

Scattered protests take place from Washington, DC, to Washington state as votes are counted, but there are no signs of widespread unrest or violence linked to the US election.

The outcome of the hard-fought contest for the presidency remains undecided, stirring worries that prolonged uncertainty could yet spark conflict.

But demonstrations overnight and today in cities including Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington and New York remain largely peaceful.

In Washington, more than 1,000 people protesting Trump converged on Black Lives Matter Plaza on Tuesday night, just a block from the White House, while hundreds more marched through downtown, sometimes blocking traffic and setting off fireworks.

Protestors shouted “Whose streets? Our streets!” and “If we don’t get no justice, they don’t get no peace!”

Groups of teenagers danced in the street as onlookers cheered. Large banners, including one reading “Trump lies all the time,” were unfurled.

At one point, the marchers stabbed the tires of a parked police van to flatten them.

In Philadelphia, about 200 protesters representing labor unions, groups working to combat climate change and other causes, rally near Independence Hall, saying they had come to protect democracy. The protest comes shortly before Trump campaign officials say they will file suit to stop the counting of votes in Pennsylvania over what they contend is a lack of transparency.

Hundreds of people marched in anti-Trump demonstrations in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle on Tuesday night, with several arrested.

In Seattle, police said they arrested several people, including someone who put nails in a road and another who drove over a barricade and into a police bike lane. No one was injured.

Hundreds of businesses in cities across the US boarded up their doors and windows ahead of the election, fearing the vote could lead to the sort of violence that broke out after Floyd’s death.

— AP