A counterprotest has been organized against the “Million MAGA March” promoted by far-right groups such as the Proud Boys, which is due to take place in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.
The Refuse Fascism group said it would demonstrate against the “MAGA mobs” who will be in the capital over the weekend to show support for President Donald Trump as he continues to claim that Democrats have “stolen” the election.
As well as the Million MAGA March due to be attended by members of the far-right, other rallies including “Stop the Steal” and “March for Trump” will take place this Saturday at midday at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C.
It is unclear how many will be in attendance at the pro-Trump rallies, but high-profile names such as Fox News’ Sean Hannity and Infowars host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones have promoted the events.
Refuse Fascism said it would be non-violently protesting the Million MAGA March from about 11:30 a.m. at Freedom Plaza.
The group will stage similar demonstrations in cities such as Boston, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, in defiance of Trump’s claim that he won the election and not Joe Biden
Andy Zee, member of the Refuse Fascism Editorial Board, said: “People poured their hearts into voting against Trump. They fought through outrageous moves by Trump and the Republi-fascists to deny them the vote. And Biden has decisively won, and they rightly celebrated.
“We must not allow the Trump/Pence regime to illegitimately overturn this election. That is why it is so urgent that people come out on Saturday to say no to Trump still trying to steal the election.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has said the city is braced for reports that far-right demonstrators will be arriving en masse on Saturday.
“I huddled with my team this morning about an additional report of a caravan that might be starting somewhere in the south culminating here,” Bowser said on Tuesday.
“We continue to follow those activities and be prepared for those activities. Our police chief will have a similar posture this weekend as he did last week. We will be there to support peaceful exercise of First Amendment demonstrations.”
Bowser also warned that Washington does not have open carry gun laws and any protester seen with firearms would be dealt with by the police.
“The gun laws here are different than in other places. People who have a permit to carry a weapon can carry a weapon. We call it a concealed carry permit,” she added.
In a statement to Newsweek, D.C. Police said: “We are aware of upcoming First Amendment activities planned for the weekend of November 13, 2020.
“As with any known First Amendment activity, we will continue to monitor and assess each activity and plan accordingly.”
This article has been updated with comment from police.
