President Donald Trump urged Washington, D.C., police not to “hold back” in cracking down on “antifa scum” in a shockingly violent tweet late Saturday.
Trump was reacting to street confrontations that erupted Saturday night between leftover members of a march earlier in the day protesting his loss in the presidential election, and counterprotesters.
At least 20 people were arrested throughout the day, including four on gun charges, The Washington Post reported.
Two police officers were injured, and a man in his 20s was in critical condition after he was stabbed in the back.
The Proud Boys, a violent extremist group, clashed at various times with counterprotesters, witnesses reported.
In one videotaped scene, a large number of men in what appeared to be typical clothing worn by the Proud Boys battled with counterprotesters and chanted: “F**k antifa.”
Though Trump spent the middle of the day golfing at his club in Sterling, Virginia, he claimed Saturday night to know exactly what happened in Washington.
He tweeted that “antifa scum ran for the hills” earlier in the day because people at the “Trump Rally ... aggressively fought back.” But they returned to “attack innocent MAGA people.” He urged: “DC police, get going — do your job and don’t hold back!!!”
Critics on Twitter slammed Trump for seizing the opportunity yet again to inflame violence.