D.C. police have erected barriers in downtown Washington, D.C., on Saturday in an attempt to keep separate members of a far-right rally and opposing counterdemonstraters on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Far-right groups are gathering in Freedom Plaza for the #DemandFreeSpeech Freedom Rally that could get heated as anti-fascist and anti-racist groups protest just one block away.
Dozens of protesters, many wearing black shirts and shouting “Trump 2020” and “U.S.A, U.S.A” were spotted on the streets downtown Saturday morning ahead of the rally.
The far-right rally promises a lineup of far-right activists including Laura Loomer and Milo Yiannopolous, former Donald Trump presidential campaign advisor Roger Stone and “Pizzagate” conspiracist Jack Posobiec.
D.C. police are bracing for the possibility of large crowds with tensions running high. Black Lives Matter is leading a coalition of D.C. groups in a counterdemonstration at Pershing Park, which is expected to feature go-go music.
Members of both far-left and far-right groups have not shied away from aggressive confrontation in the past, including at a flag burning demonstration near the White House on the Fourth of July.
“We have every intention of keeping the groups separate to give opportunity to say what they have to say, whatever that may be, but at the end, you gotta keep ’em separate so we have a safe event,” Metropolitan Police Chief Peter Newsham said.
David Sumrall, one of the organizers of Saturday’s #DemandFreeSpeech Freedom Rally, says they want a peaceful event to shed light on what they see as an attempt by social media companies such as Twitter and Facebook to sensor far-right commentators such as anti-Muslim activist Laura Loomer.
He says it’s not about hate.
“We’re just trying to raise awareness that big tech is censoring not only conservatives, but it’s starting to go across both lines,” Sumrall said. “So we’re just trying to just raise awareness that this needs to stop now. It’s a dangerous precedent, slippery slope … It’s called free speech.”
“So the debate is between, is it private companies or public platforms or whatnot. That’s where we need to sit down and talk together and figure this out,” he said.
But Sumrall acknowledges that members of the far-right group called the Proud Boys — who have been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and connected to violent protests — will be at Saturday’s rally. Members say they have come to D.C. to provide security for rallygoers.
“I know the Proud Boys. I’m friends with the Proud Boys,” he said. “Those are good guys; they’re here to protect us … to help the police.”
The Proud Boys say they are a men-only group that believes in the supremacy of the west, typically defined as Europe and the U.S. One of the group’s founders, Gavin McInnes, has publicly said that women should not be soldiers or police officers because they are weaker than men.
A similar rally in San Francisco in May drew less than 100 people and was peaceful. But last month in Portland, Oregon, violence broke out when the Proud Boys clashed with anti-fascist protesters.
Several groups are organizing counterprotests, raising the concern that violence could break out in D.C. just like it did in Portland last month, or even worse, Charlottesville in 2017, when a counterprotester was killed.
Among those planning to counterprotest is Gregory Joey Johnson, who was arrested Thursday for a permitted flag burning. He was permitted to burn the flag in Lafayette Square but stepped onto Pennsylvania Avenue to get an image of the flag burning with the White House in the background, the visual shock of which was his purpose.
An umbrella group called All Out DC also will be counterprotesting the rally.
“It’s to be against fascism, to be against racism, to be against bigotry, to be against hate,” counterprotester Jason Charter said.
Sumrall said it was hard to estimate how many people to expect.
“If we’re lucky, we might get 500 or 1,000,” he said.
The #DemandFreeSpeech website says Laura Loomer, Roger Stone and Milo Yiannopoulos are among the confirmed speakers, but the scheduled 40 speakers will be split between the daytime rally and a night event, Sumrall said.
Sumrall said the rally at Freedom Plaza should run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
While there are no scheduled road closures associated with Saturday’s protest, D.C. police say drivers should be prepared for random road closures around Freedom Plaza and Pershing Park along Pennsylvania Avenue.
Source : Nbcnewyork
