Unite Against the “alt-right” at Cal Anderson Park, Seattle

The Patriots of Washington– made up of Proud Boys, propagandists from Operation Cold Front and various alt-right bullies– are going to hold a rally and march at Cal Anderson Park this Sunday, 7/28, 4:00-7:00pm.

It is important that we organize a response to this action, especially given the harassment and attacks that happened during Pride month on Capitol Hill. Zac Staggs and others organizers in this “patriot” group have repeatedly trolled people on the Hill and we also know that alt-right have physically attacked people in heart of Seattle’s activist community.

It also seems clear the Patriots of Washington chose City Hall Park for the 7/14 rally because the park was populated by many homeless people who they could exploit by “triggering” them to get folks arrested or to make videos they use to mock, intimidate and anger the community. Proud Boys, their associates and their propaganda boys wanted to get a reaction from the homeless folks to mock them on video, get them arrested, etc. We should do more work on this issue and how neo-fascists exploit vulnerable populations!

Make no mistake: The alt-right “Unite Against Political Violence” rally is an effort to spread misinformation and create conflict in an effort to “prove” a narrative of “left wing violence”. Proud Boys working with Patriot Prayer and similar groups have been doing the same thing in Portland and elsewhere for the last two years. But the truth is “alt-right” and other neo-fascist “patriots” have killed thousands in the USA.

Remember Timothy McVeigh?

We must unite against this growing threat in Seattle, which has seen a sharp increase in hate crimes since the election of Donald Trump. These groups specifically target progressive cities and marginalized communities in an effort to intimidate and create conflict. In recent weeks, LGBTQ+ people have been harassed and attacked on Capitol Hill and Pride flags have been stolen by thugs attempting to intimidate our community. That is not acceptable to the vast majority of Seattle residents and it must be opposed before the problem becomes even worse. We will useful peaceful tactics to counter that hate and protect our community.

Join us to oppose the hate and corruption of the Trump administration and the neo-fascists that work to advance the Trump agenda through intimidation and misinformation!