President Donald Trump shared a video on Saturday urging supporters to take part in protests in Washington DC on January 6, which will be attended by members of the far-right Proud Boys group.
The 30-second clip, posted by the president on Twitter, cites the upcoming protests “March for Trump” as the biggest event in the history of Washington DC. The planned demonstrations were organized in support of Trump, who lost the presidential election in November. Participants intend to demand that Congress reverse the election results in swing states, on the day that lawmakers have to ratify election votes, confirming the election of President Joe Biden.
Several Trump allies are expected to speak at the events, including George Papadopoulos, a former policy adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign, and Roger Stone, a longtime ally – both men were recently pardoned by the president.
Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio announced this week that members of the far-right group will also attend the events ‘incognito’.
“The ProudBoys will appear in record numbers on January 6, but this time with a twist,” Tarrio said in a statement shared on Parler, a “speech-free” social media platform. “We will not wear our traditional black and yellow. We will have incognito and spread in smaller teams across downtown DC.”
Tarrio also teased that the group ‘maybe dressed in black for the occasion’.
Thousands of Americans with leading Trump are expected to attend the demonstrations as Congress convenes to ratify the election. Biden secured 306 votes from the Electoral College, surpassing the 270 needed to win the presidency, but Trump, with 232 votes from the Electoral College, refused to concede.
Since early November, Trump and his campaign have filed dozens of lawsuits in swing states to reverse his election defeat. Virtually all of his efforts failed in court, but the president continued to claim that widespread voter fraud lost him the election to Biden.
The planned rallies and demonstrations will see pro-Trump supporters march around the Capitol, Washington Monument and Freedom Plaza. Online conversations between members of far-right groups, conspiracy theorists and white supremacists suggest that violence involving guns can also break out in the events.
Trump, however, continued to advance the protests. On Wednesday, he tweeted, “SIXTH JANUARY, SEE YOU IN DC!”
Authorities have prepared officers to ensure the events are peaceful. Washington DC Police Chief Robert J. Contee III told the Washington Post that ‘violence will not be tolerated’.
Newsweek issued the White House for comment.
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