On Saturday evening, a group of white supremacists matched through downtown Washington, D.C. bearing American flags and mildly menacing plastic shields while marching to the beat of a snare drum down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. But after hurling threatening chants about their plans to “reclaim America,” their intended show of force stalled spectacularly when they lost their ride and ended up reclaiming a U-Haul.
According to The Daily Beast, the rally by more than 100 members of the right-wing group “Patriot Front” was held just blocks from the White House, sparking fear among many bystanders and immediately attracting the attention of law enforcement, who shadowed the group to apparently prevent any clashes from erupting.
Members wore a uniform: white gators, sunglasses, blue jackets, khaki pants, and brown boots and hats. Some donned plastic shinguards, seeming to anticipate violence.
But at the end of the night, the bizarre rally ended in a logistical anti-climax. No arrests were made at the Arlington Memorial Bridge, where the demonstration wound down, The Beast reported, citing D.C. police Lt. Jason Bagshaw, who told the outlet that the cops were on the scene simply “waiting for people to leave.”
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“That is when it became clear that more than two dozen members of the white supremacist group could not leave, as they were apparently stranded, The Beast’s Zachary Petrizzo wrote.
Members of the group had waited in a one-way roundabout to depart in a U-Haul. truck. But the large rented moving van could not fit them all, so many of them were forced to wait in 45-degree darkness as the bulky orange vehicle made multiple trips over the course of nearly three hours.
As the group finally departed, one police officer yelled “Who’s shield is that?” after a member apparently left his plastic shield behind, according to The Daily Beast.
A beautiful night at the Lincoln Memorial interrupted by demonstrators chanting “reclaim America.“ The crowd gave them the finger and exchanged profanities. pic.twitter.com/Z2voculi9Z
— Andrea McCarren (@AndreaMcCarren) December 4, 2021
Members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front are loading themselves into a U-Haul—one of several trips—following a march in downtown DC (shot by @ZTPetrizzo) pic.twitter.com/5nOmIv5pnA
— Blake Montgomery (@blakersdozen) December 5, 2021
