Patriot Front marches in Washington area on July 4
The white nationalist group appeared in the capital region during events marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front marched in the Washington, DC, area on Saturday during Fourth of July events, Al Jazeera reported. The appearances drew attention because they coincided with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Videos shared on social media showed rows of men wearing khaki pants, khaki caps and dark blue shirts entering the Washington-area Metro system, according to Al Jazeera. Many of the men covered their faces with white fabric masks and sunglasses.
Al Jazeera reported that marchers were filmed moving in cadence through places including New Carrollton, Maryland, in the capital region. Others appeared outside the US Capitol.
Some participants carried US flags, drums and shields, according to Al Jazeera. A smaller number displayed Confederate flags, a symbol viewed by some as part of Southern heritage and by others as an emblem of racist hate; the Confederacy broke from the United States in 1861 in an effort to preserve slavery, leading to the Civil War.
Group promoted turnout online
Patriot Front said on its Telegram channel that it expected more than 400 white nationalists to take part in Saturday’s activities, Al Jazeera reported. The channel reposted videos during the day, including clips of marchers chanting “Reclaim America” in rhythm with a drum.
The group’s website called on people “born to this nation of our European race” to claim a “right to cultural independence,” according to Al Jazeera. Researchers at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism have described Patriot Front as a fascist group that seeks to establish a white ethnostate in the United States.
According to experts cited by Al Jazeera, Patriot Front was formed in 2017 after the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. That rally brought white supremacists and neo-Nazis to the city; one white supremacist, James Alex Fields Jr., drove into counterprotesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer.
Political backlash
Al Jazeera reported that critics have accused President Donald Trump’s administration of encouraging white nationalist groups, including through false conspiracy claims such as the “great replacement” theory. That racist theory claims white Christians are being replaced by minorities.
Trump faced criticism after the Charlottesville attack when he said there were “very fine people on both sides,” according to Al Jazeera. Critics have also faulted him for not more forcefully rejecting support from white nationalists.
In 2022, Trump dined at his Mar-a-Lago resort with Ye, the musician formerly known as Kanye West, and white nationalist Nick Fuentes, both of whom had drawn criticism for antisemitic remarks, Al Jazeera reported. Trump later wrote that the dinner was “quick and uneventful.”
Senator Ed Markey called for officials to condemn Saturday’s march. “We cannot be silent in the face of white nationalists marching in our nation’s capitol. From Massachusetts to Washington D.C. hatred and bigotry have no place here,” Markey posted on social media.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.