They came face to face outside the Supreme Court in Washington DC on Saturday afternoon.
By dusk, both sides settled in town, some armed with baseball bats, shanks and ready to fight.
One of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that supports Asset, was surrounded and attacked – a punch in the nose knocked him down.
I saw another Antifa member take boxing gloves out of his backpack and challenge one to a fight. The police intervened.
Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to show up and he passed the crowds on his way to his golf course.
He energized them on Twitter by making repeated claims of electoral fraud, none of which has been proven.
In the evening, the two sides forced the police to wage battles in the capital.
Posters at the Black lives matter The square was demolished and Trump supporters attacked in bars and hotels.
Thousands of Trump supporters joined the Million MAGA march to the United States Supreme Court (Photo: Reuters / Tom Brenner)
The Proud Boys held initiation rituals for new members under the Washington Monument, then wandered the streets in search of Antifa.
One person was stabbed, we saw others injured.
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Throughout the night the center of the capital was locked down as police attempted to control the two groups – they did well, avoiding the use of tear gas and remained limited.
At 2 a.m., fourteen hours after the start, the sides dispersed.
Twelve days after the election, politics moved from the ballot box to the streets.
