Massive anti-Donald Trump protests were held outside the "DeploraBall" at the National Press Club on the eve of the inauguration of Trump as the next president of the US on Thursday (January 19) night, as the protesters screamed at Trump's supporters present at the venue.
The 'DeploraBall'-- a play on 'baskets of deplorables' -- a phrase which was coined by Hillary Clinton for Trump's supporters -- was organised at the National Press Club building in Washington, D.C., by his supporters and some of the members from the alt-right community to celebrate the new president's swearing-in.
Trump inauguration: Security heightened as Washington braces for anti-Trump protests
The protest outside the venue, however, turned violent as the protesters clashed with the supporters and started throwing objects at each other. Some protesters reportedly gave the finger and shouted obscenities and terms such as "racist" and "Nazi" at the ones attending the celebratory ball.
As the demonstrators began throwing trash at the supporters leaving the building, the protesters were hit with pepper spray grenades by the police. Police also fired tear gas at the demonstrators as some of them threw things at the officers too including water balloons and posters, according to RT reports.
Police push my head into heavy camera, protesters throw bike, explosives, signs and water balloons. Then I got hit by pepper spray grenade pic.twitter.com/ag6O5tm8L3
— Alexander Rubinstein (@AlexR_DC) January 20, 2017
Reports state that a small group of protesters in hoods and black masks also set a fire in the centre of the street, while another fire was also set in a trash can. There was another group present, which used floodlights and stencils to project the phrases "Bragging about Grabbing a Woman's Genitals" and "Impeach the Predatory President" onto the side of the Press Club building, the Washington Post reported.
RT @GregJKrieg: Protests outside the #DeploraBall at Nat'l Press Club pic.twitter.com/ESVlTi8BeK
— heykim (@heykim) January 20, 2017
The DeploraBall attracted attention on social media earlier this month because several of the online provocateurs were said to be attending the ball. These provocateurs have contributed to conspiracy-theory websites and share their view with the alt-right, which is an extremist movement of young white males who seek white supremacy. The organisers have, however, said that they are simply at the event to celebrate Trump's presidency and are not connected to the alt-right.
