White supremacist marchers claiming membership in the ‘Patriot Prayer' group openly carried firearms on Saturday afternoon as they strode by the Seattle's city hall wearing handguns, carrying rifles and donning body armor, padded gloves, ear protection and equipped alongside other tactical military gear, The Seattle Times reported.
Founded by white nationalist Joey Gibson, the so-called Patriot Prayer group co-hosted the march alongside, a Washington state group calling themselves the Three Percenters, members of which advocate for the right to carry weapons and firearms in every walk of life.
As a candidate Gibson drew about 2 percent of the vote in a recent Washington US Senate primary. The white supremacist asserted that marchers were demonstrating against what he termed “violence on the far left,” according to the Seattle Times.
Who is this guy? Do you work with him? #Seattle #DefendSEA pic.twitter.com/3X3fUTO508
— Carlita Saint (@PurpleDrank_) 18 августа 2018 г.
Hundreds of counter-protesters converged across the street from where the rally took place. A heavy police presence, many on bicycles, kept the two sides apart. The two groups were separated by metal barricades along Fourth Avenue in Seattle.
By the end of the day, three adult men were reported to have been arrested for assault following small occurrences of violence.
Welcome to Seattle, fascist.#AllOutAugust #AllOutSeattle pic.twitter.com/b6BA9oFxmD
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