State Patrol: Increased law enforcement presence at Minnesota Capitol following local, DC protests
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The Minnesota State Patrol reports there will be an increased law enforcement presence at the Minnesota State Capitol following a violent occupation of the U.S. Capitol and related protests in St. Paul.
Protests had been ongoing Wednesday afternoon following congressional efforts to certify the results of the November election.
US Capitol complex secure after violent occupation
In St. Paul, protesters first gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol before moving to the Governor’s Residence, which was surrounded by police officers.
There has been and will be an increased presence of State Patrol troopers at the Minnesota Capitol in light of recent protests here and in Washington, D.C.
— MN State Patrol (@MnDPS_MSP) January 6, 2021
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports the following:
Pro-Trump demonstrators had massed outside statehouses across the country, forcing evacuations in at least two states.
Protesters gather in Minnesota on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.[KSTP]
Hundreds of mostly unmasked people gathered outside capitols on Wednesday with Trump flags and “Stop the Steal” signs. In Georgia and Oklahoma, some demonstrators carried guns.
New Mexico state police evacuated staff from a statehouse building that includes the governor’s and secretary of state’s offices as a precaution shortly after hundreds of flag-waving supporters arrived in a vehicle caravan and on horseback. A spokesperson for the governor’s office says there was no indication of threats at the statehouse.
The staff of Utah Gov. Spencer Cox was sent home as several hundred pro-Trump demonstrators rallied outside the Capitol, though the demonstration remained relatively calm. A brief scuffle between pro-Trump demonstrators, who included members of the Proud Boys, and counterprotesters broke out in Columbus, Ohio, but there was no immediate threat to the Capitol.
Nearly 100 people also gathered at the Iowa Capitol to support Trump and express opposition to the Electoral College count. Iowa State Patrol spokesman Alex Dinkla says the peaceful rally Wednesday in the Capitol rotunda drew about 90 people at its height and then dwindled to about 40 people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.