White supremacist group Patriot Front marched in Washington on Independence Day, chanting, “Reclaim America.”
Donning white face coverings, hats and glasses, the incognito protesters gathered outside Union Station before heading to Eastern Market, 2 miles southeast of the Capitol, the morning of America’s semiquincentennial.
Many of them carried American flags, some of which were upside down, or Confederate flags, plus shields and drums.
A National Guard member at the Eastern Market Metro station said the Patriot Front members were “protesters,” States Newsroom reporter Ashley Murray said.
They wore almost head-to-toe coverings, including khaki pants and long-sleeve navy shirts — a Patriot Front trait — amid Washington’s extreme heat warning, with temperatures surpassing 100 degrees Saturday afternoon.
The White supremacist group formed in 2017 following the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded by Thomas Rousseau, the organization splintered off from the neo-Nazi group Vanguard America.
Patriot Front has been especially active around major American holidays such as Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day for high-visibility marches, sometimes showing up unannounced without permits to reportedly avoid press or counterprotesters.
The Washington Times has reached out to the U.S. Park Police to confirm a permit.
Patriot Front promotes the creation of a homogenous White ethnostate in the U.S, viewing multiculturalism, diversity and non-White immigration as threats. The group frequently espouses the “great replacement” theory, claiming an organized effort to replace White Americans with non-White immigrants.
