SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 10, (Xinhua/GNA) – Governor of U.S. state of Washington Jay Inslee said Friday that the state was taking actions to ensure the safety and security of “Washingtonians, legislators, state employees and the buildings of the Capitol Campus” as the Legislature is set to convene the 2021 session on Jan. 11.
“As legislators begin their work on behalf of the people of the state of Washington, we must do whatever we can to ensure that they can do that work without fear, intimidation or harassment. The actions we saw in both Washington D.C. and Olympia earlier this week were completely unacceptable and will not be repeated in our state capital again,” Inslee said in a statement.
According to the statement, Inslee has activated the Washington State National Guard to be in Olympia in coordination with the Washington State Patrol and local law enforcement.
That included up to 750 members of the Guard and a large number of Washington State Patrol troopers, in addition to the regular Capitol Campus security contingent.
Inslee said that the state would not tolerate any actions that could result in harm, mayhem or interruption of the function of democratic institutions.
“We sincerely hope for peaceful actions, but if that does not happen, we will be prepared,” he said.
GNA