James Lawler Duggan/Reuters
At least 217 people were arrested during Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony in D.C. on Friday, and dozens of others in other U.S. cities. Six police officers were injured during the D.C. protests, which took a violent turn as “antifascist” protesters began smashing windows of cars and businesses and starting fires. “Pepper spray and other control devices were used to control the criminal actors and protect persons and property,” police said in a statement on Friday. Acting D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told CNN the police officers’ injuries were not life-threatening. Four businesses suffered “significant damage” in the protests, Newsham said. All 217 protesters taken into custody were charged with rioting, he said. Witnesses were cited by NBC News saying that some “antifascist” protesters, clad all in black and wearing masks, had been trying to provoke police. Anti-Trump protests also erupted in New York, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago and Portland on Friday. In Chicago, at least 16 people were arrested, with clashes reported among demonstrators and protesters blocking major roadways. Another six people were arrested in Portland’s protests, and five in Dallas.