Fearing Demonstrations, White House Fencing Reinstalled Ahead of Biden's State of the Union Speech

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Fencing has been reinstalled around the US Capitol ahead of President Joe Biden's State of the Union address slated for Tuesday night.

"A plan has been approved to put up the inner-perimeter fence around the Capitol building" for the speech, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said in a statement on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Possibility of Demonstrations

The measure, Manger said, was also taken in light of "the possibility of demonstrations in the next couple of weeks."

U.S. President Joe Biden departs Washington, D.C. on Air Force One for the first time as president on Feb. 5, 2021. Twitter/The White House

"I have also requested support from outside law enforcement agencies as well as the National Guard to assist with our security precautions," he added.

Truckers in the US have reportedly planned protests similar to those in Canada around the time of Biden's State of the Union address.

White House fence — Barricading set up around the White House in June following nationwide protests over police brutality and racism. Twitter

Several roads around the Capitol will be closed to traffic from Tuesday evening, according to another statement from Capitol Police on Sunday.

The Pentagon has authorised the deployment of hundreds of unarmed National Guard members in Washington, D.C. to help police with traffic control.