President Donald Trump shared a video on Saturday encouraging his supporters to join the protests in Washington DC on January 6, which will be attended by members of the far-right group Proud Boys.
The 30-second clip, posted by the president on Twitter, touts “March for Trump” protests as potentially 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 overturn election results in decisive states, on the day that lawmakers must certify the votes of the Electoral College, confirming the victory of President-elect Joe Biden.
Several Trump allies are expected to speak at the events, including George Papadopoulos, a former political adviser to the Trump campaign in 2016, and Roger Stone, a longtime ally – both of whom were recently forgiven by the president.
Enrique Tarrio, the president of Proud Boys, announced this week that members of the far-right group will also attend “incognito” events.
“The ProudBoys will come out in record numbers on January 6, but this time with a twist,” said Tarrio in a shared statement on Parler, a “free speech” social media platform. “We will not be using our traditional black and yellow. We will be incognito and spread out across central DC in smaller teams.”
Tarrio also joked that the group “can dress in BLACK for the occasion”.
Thousands of pro-Trump Americans are expected to attend the demonstrations on Wednesday as Congress meets to certify electoral votes. Biden secured 306 votes at the Electoral College, surpassing the 270 needed to win the presidency, but Trump, with 232 votes at the Electoral College, refused to yield.
Since the beginning of November, Trump and his campaign have filed dozens of lawsuits in undecided states, seeking to reverse their defeat in the elections. Virtually all of his efforts failed in court, but the president continued to claim that widespread electoral fraud made him lose the election to Biden.
The planned rallies and protests will see pro-Trump supporters marching around the Capitol, the Washington Monument and Freedom Plaza. Online chats between members of far-right groups, conspiracy theorists and white supremacists suggest that gun violence may also erupt in events.
However, Trump continued to promote the protests. On Wednesday, he tweeted, “SIXTH OF JANUARY, SEE YOU IN DC!”
The authorities have prepared officials to ensure that events are peaceful. Washington DC Chief of Police Robert J. Contee III told the Washington Post that “violence will not be tolerated.”
Newsweek contacted the White House for comment.
David Ryder / Getty