US election: Bitter brawl breaks out in South Carolina voting centre over political hat

A fight broke out at a after a man was told to take off his “Let’s Go Brandon” hat before .

Footage shows a man arguing with poll workers at a voting centre in Orangeburg, South Carolina, on Wednesday after they insisted he remove his cap. The man attempted to cast his vote while wearing a cap reading “Let’s Go Brandon”, a phrase which has become conservative code for “F**k .”

A staff member informed him that state law forbids political attire inside voting centres. And after a heated exchange, the man removed his cap and threw it to the ground. The situation further escalated when he pointed at a female poll worker, who then hit him.

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Workers tried to separate the two as the altercation continued, with one worker repeatedly calling for him to be taken outside. South Carolina law requires a politically neutral zone within 500ft of polling places. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has since launched an investigation into the incident, but details remain limited.

Earlier this week, the FBI warned that extremists could disrupt the next week.

A Joint Intelligence Bulletin written by agents at the FBI with the warned state and county police forces that domestic violent extremists could pose a threat to the poll on November 5 and throughout the period leading up to Inauguration Day. The report seen by states that candidates, elected officials, election workers, members of the media and judges handling election cases could become targets of abuse and intimidation. Other risks identified include physical attacks and violence at polling places, ballot drop boxes, voter registration locations and at rallies.

In 2020, vote counts became the target of intense protests by supporters in the days following the US election after the then-president refused to concede and falsely claimed there had been widespread voter fraud against him. Many of the crowds were seen to chant "stop the steal" or "stop the count" after unsubstantiated rumours spread online of 'stuffed ballots' and falsified mail-in votes for . Others demonstrated outside the private homes of local county officials. The protests continued for several weeks before reaching a disastrous climax on January 6, 2021 when six people died and lawmakers were forced to hide as angry crowds attempted to storm the US Capitol to prevent the electoral college from being formalised.