US elections: Armed supporters arrested in night of protest across American cities

Police arrested dozens including some armed with assault rifles

Meg Ross, a supporter of President Donald Trump, holds a sign during a 'Stop the Steal' protest at the Clark County Election Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada. Reuters

Anne VanHoose holds a cardboard cutout of Donald Trump during a protest. Reuters

A supporter of President Donald Trump argues with a man holding a Democratic Party flag during a 'Stop the Steal' protest. Reuters

Tyrik Wilson, 34, raises his arm in solidarity with other activists while demonstrating across the street from where votes are being counted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Reuters

Activists dance with sculptures of the White House and Philadelphia City Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Reuters

Activists hold up flowers and signs stating "count every vote". Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Reuters

A member of the Boogaloo Boys movement holds a flag while attending a protest about the early results of the 2020 presidential election, in front of the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Centre in Phoenix, Arizona. Reuters

A protester supporting U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a sign outside the Clark County Elections Department. Reuters

Supporters of President Donald Trump gather during a protest in front of the Maricopa County election centre in Phoenix, Arizona. Reuters

New York Police Department (NYPD) officers clear the street at a protest. Bloomberg

Counter-protesters attempt to disrupt supporters of US President Donald Trump in Maricopa County, Phoenix, Arizona. Reuters

Jenna Colley tends to her four-month-old child Paisley Colley as supporters of US President Donald Trump gather in Phoenix, Arizona. Reuters

Black Lives Matter (BLM) counterprotesters hold up an inverted US flag in a 'Stop the Steal' protest outside Milwaukee Central Count, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Reuters

A supporter Donald Trump in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Reuters

A demonstrator attends a Pro-Trump protest outside the Maricopa County elections department in Phoenix. Bloomberg

Las Vegas Police officers keep an eye on supporters of US President Donald Trump during a 'Stop the Steal' protest. Reuters

Backers of President Donald Trump ramped up demonstrations on Thursday night against an election they believe was rigged or being stolen, clashing with counter-protesters as vote counting continued in battleground states.

In Arizona, one of five US battleground states where votes were still being counted in the too-close-to-call race between Mr Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden, Trump supporters massed outside the Maricopa County Elections Department in Phoenix.

Some briefly chased a man who held up a sign depicting the president as a Nazi pig behind a stage where right-wing talk-radio host Alex Jones was speaking.

Police intervened and broke up the altercation after the man and his small group of counter-demonstrators were surrounded by Trump activists. There were no reports of injuries.

"They are trying to steal the election but America knows what happened and it’s fighting back," Mr Jones told the throng of some 300 people.

"1776 is the answer to 1984," he said, an apparent reference to the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the dystopian George Orwell novel.

Protests have been scattered, small and largely peaceful since Americans went to the polls on Tuesday.

Facebook said it had taken down a rapidly growing group the social media site said pro-Trump activists had posted with violent rhetoric calling for "boots on the ground" to protect the integrity of the election.

Biden supporters have adopted the slogan "count every vote," saying a complete and accurate tabulation in the remaining battleground states would show the former vice president had won the 270 electoral votes needed to win.

Trump has said repeatedly without evidence that mail-in votes are prone to fraud, although election experts say that is rare in US elections.