The right-wing Boogaloo Boys movement has said it is moving ahead with armed rallies in D.C. and at all 50 state capitols on Sunday despite the National Guard being called in across the country.
Fringe website associated with the anti-government movement continue to encourage members to come armed at their ‘personal discretion’
It comes amid fears of further violence following the January 6 riot on the U.S. capitol by a pro-Trump mob that lead to the five deaths, with ten states deploying their National Guard to deal with the potential threat.
Texas, Kentucky and Virginia have all closed their state capitol after intelligence warned of a threat from ‘violent extremists’.
D.C. has called in 25,000 National Guard troops to guard the streets in and around the Capitol in the days leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20.
They are being joined by patrols by the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the Capitol Police and law enforcement from cities around the country.
There are at least 7,000 troops from dozens of states already on the ground in the nation’s capital with more to arrive in the coming days.
Officials have installed a massive security apparatus around the complex where the inauguration is to take place.
The FBI has also warned police agencies of possible armed protests at all 50 state capitols starting January 16 through January 20, fueled by supporters of Trump who believe his false claims of electoral fraud.
Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Washington are among the states that have activated their National Guards to strengthen security.
Law enforcement officials have trained much of their focus on Sunday, when the anti-government ‘boogaloo’ movement has flagged its plans to hold rallies in all 50 states.
Chatter around such protests is present on some social media, said Jared Holt, a disinformation researcher at the Washington-based think tank the Atlantic Council, and an internal FBI bulletin this week warned of extremist threats at such events.
‘Although no civil disobedience has been confirmed, organizers have encouraged attendees to bring weapons to the event,’ the FBI bulletin said of the protest.
Organizers ‘are still intent on going forward,’ Holt added. ‘It remains unclear what we could expect as far as turnout goes for that.’
The original post announcing the rallies dates back to November 24 on a website linked to the Boogaloos named Tree of Liberty, according to CBS.
It declared an ‘armed march on Capitol Hill and all state capitols’ scheduled for January 17 and while stating that the rally would be peaceful, urged members to ‘come armed at your personal discretion’.
‘This will be a chance for Americans young and old to physically demonstrate to the world the massive amount of armed citizens in this country,’ wrote one moderator.
Despite the calls for the rallies to remain peaceful, commenters underneath the post suggested that executions were necessary to solve problems in the U.S., according to CBC.
The status of the rallies remained uncertain after last week’s storming of the Capitol with a further post stating it was ‘pending status given the events that have taken place’.
Yet a member of the group who identified themselves to CBS as a press contact has now said that they have made the decision to move ahead.
They added that the group is working alongside law enforcement, despite their anti-government stance, to ensure that further violence does not erupt at Sunday’s events.