NEW YORK (dpa-AFX) – For fear of protests, numerous shops, restaurants and hotels in New York have barricaded their doors and shop windows before the US presidential election on Tuesday. Around Times Square and the posh Fifth Avenue shopping street, craftsmen installed wooden panels in many shops on Monday. In addition, the police sealed off the area around Trump Tower, the former residence of incumbent US President Donald Trump on Fifth Avenue, with barricades.
The New York police will be prepared, said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We will be prepared for many and long protests, possibly also for different groups that confront each other,” said de Blasio. “But if it gets violent we will resolve it immediately.” After the 2016 presidential election, there were numerous demonstrations in the metropolis, most of which remained peaceful.
In other regions of the USA, too, security precautions are being taken in view of possible unrest surrounding the election. According to a report by the news channel CNN, the area around the White House is to be cordoned off. According to local police, the famous “Rodeo Drive” shopping street in Beverly Hills will also be closed to cars and pedestrians for two days./cah/DP/men
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