Demonstrators in white supremacist attire protest on Capitol Hill
Demonstrators carrying the logo and emblem of the white supremacist Patriot Front were seen protesting in the Eastern Market neighborhood and on Capitol Hill on the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States.
Wearing white masks, sunglasses and Patriot Front’s signature bronze caps, protesters carried Confederate, Patriot Front and upside-down U.S. flags as they marched on Capitol Hill. The group was also photographed using public transportation on Saturday morning.
Demonstrators in front of Union Station chanted “Life, freedom, victory!” They shouted slogans like. and “Take Back America!” — slogans regularly used by the group.
The spectacle began as tourists and Americans flocked to the “Salute to America” celebration on the National Mall. President Donald Trump’s speech and a fireworks show expected to last a record-breaking 40 minutes. The Trump administration has made the nation’s 250th anniversary a top priority over the past few months through high-profile initiatives such as the Great American State Fair and the Great American State Fair. Restoration work at the Reflecting Pool.
Later, Anti-Trump demonstrators filmed He marches toward the White House carrying a large Declaration of Independence banner and chanting “8647” calling for Trump’s impeachment from the presidency.
Patriot Front was founded by Thomas Ryan Rousseau, who left the alt-right organization Vanguard America in 2017 following the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Patriotic Front’s website describes the group as a “fraternal, nationalist, activist organisation” and writes: “Our people, born of this nation of our European race, must reshape themselves into a new collective capable of defending our right to cultural independence.”
The D.C. mayor’s office referred POLITICO to the Metropolitan Police Department for comment.
“The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is monitoring First Amendment activity that occurred in the Eastern Market neighborhood this morning,” the department said in a statement Saturday. “MPD recognizes the rights of individuals to peacefully express their views and is committed to protecting the public safety and security of DC residents and visitors.”
Gregory Svirnovskiy contributed to this report.
