A rally organized by the Proud Boys for right-wing extremists is scheduled for tomorrow in Portland, OR. The Daily Beast reports that some of its key organizers dropped out or faced arrest, but the rally is apparently still on:
The rally’s biggest promoter, Proud Boy and former Infowars reporter Joe Biggs, advertised the event with explicit calls to violence. In the run-up to the event, Biggs has posed in shirts with slogans like “death to antifa” and “training to throw communists out of helicopters.” (The latter, a reference to Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet’s execution of political opponents, is a popular reference on the paramilitary right.)
In repeated social media posts promoting the rally, Biggs called for blood. “Get a gun. Bu[y] ammo. Get your gun license. Get training. Practice as much as you can and be ready because the left isn’t playing anymore and neither should we,” he wrote in one of many similarly violent posts, among which was a picture of a person being suffocated with a plastic bag with the caption “death to antifa.” He repeated the sentiments in a video while holding a pro- Trump baseball bat.
The organizers are trying to make their event seem peaceful on Facebook, likely to evade violating terms of service. The rhetoric on the following Facebook graphic is utterly incongruent with the verbiage of the “rally’s biggest promoter” quoted above:
Here’s the thing — a group called Popular Mobilization is staging a counter-rally that they’re calling The Spectacle (hashtag #BeTheSpectacle). They’re also soliciting per-attendee pledges that they will donate to an immigrant rights group!
… But for each fascist who shows up here, counterprotesters have pledged to donate money to a local Latino immigrant rights group. If, for example, someone pledges a dime per fascist, and 300 fascists show up Saturday, that person would owe a $30 donation.
“Every one of the fascists that shows up is raising money for a cause that they hate,” explained Jesse Goldman, a spokesperson for Popular Mobilization (or PopMob), a local coalition of groups organizing the counterprotest.
The money will go to Causa, which advocates for Oregon’s Latino population at the state and national level, and helps protect local undocumented immigrants from deportation.
Pledges can be made on Twitter or via email:
I’m not affiliated with the group and since I can’t speak for the group’s integrity, I’m not requesting pledges — that’s up to you. But I love the idea of using hate rallies to raise money for peaceful and loving causes!