US fears protests over election results-media

In the lead-up to the 2024 US presidential election, violent incidents have raised concerns about potential post-election unrest. On October 29, 2024, an 18-year-old man in Florida was arrested after allegedly threatening voters with a machete at an early voting site.

This follows several other incidents, including two ballot boxes set on fire in Washington state and Oregon, and a man arrested for shooting at a Democratic office in Arizona. Additionally, in Michigan, a man was charged with driving at Harris campaign canvassers while making violent threats. In July, former President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

These incidents are fueling widespread fears of increasing political violence,

A recent AP/NORC poll reveals that three-quarters of Americans are concerned about post-election violence. Some businesses have boarded up windows in anticipation of riots, while media outlets have redeployed correspondents from warzones, warning of a possible civil war.

Law enforcement officers, including Sheriff Tom Dart of Cook County, Illinois, and academic Robert Pape, who studies political violence, predict that the US is heading into a period of political violence, with 20 per cent of Americans supporting violence either to restore Trump to power or prevent him from returning.

The risk of violence is particularly high if the election results are disputed. If Kamala Harris is ahead, protests and violence, fueled by conspiracy theories, could arise. Conversely, if Trump wins, fears of rioting in major cities are widespread. According to a Public Religion Research Institute survey, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to believe violence may be necessary to "save the country." Trump’s rhetoric, including a recent rally joke about shooting journalists, has fueled such sentiments.

Despite these threats, there are reasons for cautious optimism. Local election officials are better prepared than in 2020, with enhanced security measures in place. However, the ability of law enforcement to manage large-scale unrest remains a concern, particularly with many local police forces untrained for crowd control or riot response. While widespread violence seems unlikely, isolated incidents of unrest appear inevitable unless political violence is unequivocally condemned.

By Vafa Guliyeva