Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the right-wing group the Proud Boys, was ordered to stay away from Washington, DC, after he arrested on charges of vandalism and weapons. The decision comes one day before pro-Trump demonstrations are planned in Washington as Congress convenes count the votes of the Electoral College before the elected president Joe Bideninauguration on January 20th.
Tarrio was released on Tuesday, but Judge Renee Raymond ordered him to stay away from Washington. Raymond said the government’s request that Tarrio stay away is reasonable, given his earlier statements about the burning of something related to Black Lives Matter.
Tarrio was arrested Monday after arriving in Washington on a charge stemming from the destruction of a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic black church. He was found to be in possession of several high-capacity firearms, which arose due to criminal charges.
Mr. Trump urged his supporters to gather in Washington to protest the election results, and he tweeted that he would be there. Congress will meet on Wednesday for a joint sitting to count the votes of the Electoral College, the last formal step before Mr. Bids are sworn.
The national guard was deployed to Washington at the request of DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. Firearms will not be allowed in the city, Metro Police Chief Robert Contee said Monday.
The original charge against Tarrio, who came from Miami to Washington, stemmed from an incident on Dec. 12 in the Asbury United Methodist Church, which stands in the District of Columbia Register of Historic Places and is the oldest black church that remained at its original site. The church said its Black Lives Matter flag was torn down and burned during pro-Trump rallies.
Tarrio told The Washington Post days after the incident that he burned the flag, but he insisted he did not participate in a hate crime. He said he would surrender to authorities, plead guilty to property destruction and pay the cost of the banner to the church.
“So let me make it simple. I did it,” he said on Dec. 18.
Asbury United Methodist Church replaced the stolen banner on Dec. 18 and then held a prayer service outside the church, according to The Washington Post.
Tarrio said the Proud Boys responded to the stabbing of four members of the group outside a nearby bar. The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church, another historic Black house of worship, also said a Black Lives Matter sign was also taken. That church filed a lawsuit against Tarrio on Monday for destroying the banner.