Washington correspondent
In the streets of Washington DC, stores brought back plywood panels and electric screwdrivers to barricade their windows in anticipation of election day unrest.
As in June, when the demonstrations of the anti-racist movement Black Lives Matter had, in certain districts, degenerated into looting, the businesses and buildings of the federal capital were covered with a shell of wooden plaques.
The atmosphere of merry fair that usually surrounds the presidential election every four years has disappeared, giving way to concern.
The US presidential campaign ended on Monday in a particularly acrimonious climate.
Read also:
US Presidential: after the Trump "tornado", the world is holding its breath
Police in the District of Columbia have been preparing for a troubled time for several weeks.
"Disorders are expected to erupt after the November election, whoever wins
," Police Chief Peter Newsham warned.
There is also a good chance of seeing unrest when the president is enthroned in January. ”
Police leave has been postponed.
Elements of the National Guard were also mobilized at the request of the mayor of the district, Muriel Bowser.
Three-quarters of Americans expect the election to be accompanied by violence, according to a recent poll by USA Today.
Only 23% expect a peaceful transition of power.
It's time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home
Joe biden
Donald Trump and Joe Biden, who have increased their rallies in recent days in the key states that will decide the election, attacked each other quite directly, each describing his opponent as unfit for the election. function, describing the eventual victory of the other side in apocalyptic terms.
Biden announced that America was on the verge of
"ending a presidency that has stoked the flames of hatred."
"We've had enough of the chaos!" We've had enough of tweets, anger, hatred, failure and irresponsibility, ”
he said in Ohio on the eve of the presidential election.
"It's time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home."
A "national terrorism"
Late in the polls at the national level, but better placed in the crucial states, still counting on the mobilization of
“hidden voters”
in his favor, Donald Trump continued to chain electoral speeches.
The energy of the outgoing president is matched only by his aggressiveness.
“Biden will turn America into a prison where you will be locked up, while letting far-left rioters roam free to loot and burn,”
Trump said in Iowa.
Read also:
Texas, an unexpected battleground for the US presidential election
In the midst of the Covid-19 epidemic and in a climate of extreme polarization, Republicans and Democrats share similar fears.
But everyone believes that it is the opposing camp that risks resorting to violence.
For Republicans, the main danger comes from far-left, anti-fa or riot groups such as those who took advantage of the summer's anti-racist demonstrations to loot and burn.
Trump has repeatedly warned of the chaos that he believes would follow a victory for Biden, whom he called
"a candidate for rioters, looters, arsonists, gun thieves, flag burners
.
"
For Democrats, it is extreme right-wing groups, defenders of the right to carry firearms or other militias that could engage in violence or intimidation.
In this nebula evolve dozens of organizations with various denominations: Proud Boys, Boogaloo Boys, Three Percenters, Oath Keepers, Light Foot Militias, Civil Defense Forces, American Contingency, Patriot Prayer or People's Right.
Structured through social networks, these groups have in recent months increased their appearances, in particular to protest against the containment measures taken by the governors of several states.
An employee cleans the area around boarded up businesses in New York's Soho neighborhood on Monday, November 2.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP
The FBI has warned of the danger represented by this
"national terrorism"
, but postponed for several months the publication of a report devoted to the groups of the extreme right or extreme left.
The center for reflection and prevention of conflicts International Crisis Group, which usually devotes itself to analyzing zones of war and crises, published in recent days a report warning of possible disturbances in the United States entitled "The election US presidential election: managing the risks of violence ”.
“We are celebrating a quarter of a century this year, and this is the first time that we have published a report on the United States
,” explains Robert Malley, president of the organization.
Six months ago, we didn't expect to have to do it one day.
But we felt there was a serious risk of unrest erupting in the United States.
It is enough to see the stores barricaded in the streets to know that these are not theoretical speculations. "
An "existential stake"
“This 2020 election is different from previous polls for several reasons
, analyzes the former adviser to Obama, a specialist in the Middle East.
We are witnessing the convergence of older dynamics, which have recently intensified: the division between the two camps is deeper than before.
To which is added the factor of uncertainty created by Donald Trump, who regularly questions the validity of elections, postal voting, in particular.
He proclaimed that it was impossible for him to lose unless there was massive fraud, and announced his intention to declare his victory on the evening of November 3, without waiting for all the states to have counted all the ballots. "
Read also:
The metamorphoses of the American electorate for twenty years
“Another new element is the perception in each camp that this election represents an existential issue
,” adds Malley.
Democrats fear that a Trump victory will spell the end of American democracy.
Republicans fear that if Biden wins, it will be the end of the country's identity.
"
There is no recent example of such a crisis in a democratic country.
The phenomenon is largely new and unpredictable
Robert Malley, President of International Crisis Group
Neither far-left groups nor far-right militias have reached a level of organization sufficient to seriously threaten US federal institutions.
But locally, several of the most contested states could see incidents erupting, or small groups wreaking havoc on the sidelines of larger protests.
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon are among the most volatile states.
“We do not want to be alarmist
, tempers Robert Malley nevertheless.
And it is undoubtedly an exaggeration to speak of civil war or to envisage a collapse of the institutions.
But there is no recent example of such a crisis in a democratic country.
The phenomenon is largely new and unpredictable.
"