Members of Patriot Front, a white supremacist group, marched through Washington, D.C. on the Fourth of July, chanting slogans and carrying Confederate flags as the country marked its 250th anniversary.
The Patriot Front DC march was captured on video near Union Station by WTOP reporter Mitchell Miller, who reported the group was calling for the removal of immigrants. TheGrio covered Patriot Front’s July 4, 2021 march through Philadelphia, when an estimated 150 to 200 members in matching uniforms marched through Center City chanting “Reclaim America,” the same phrase heard in Saturday’s videos.
TheGrio has also reported on the group’s lawsuit over its vandalism of the Arthur Ashe mural in Richmond, Virginia, which a federal court entered a default judgment on after Patriot Front failed to respond. According to NBC Washington, members of the group were also photographed by Getty Images photographer Finn Gomez riding the Metro in face masks and Patriot Front gear near the Eastern Market station, with one photo showing a regular passenger looking on as members filled the train car.
The Anti-Defamation League describes Patriot Front as a white supremacist group that “espouses racism, anti-Semitism and intolerance under the guise of preserving the ‘ethnic and cultural origins’ of their European ancestors” and “participates in localized flash mobs and torch marches.” The group was founded after the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville by Thomas Rousseau, who remains its national director. In 2023, 31 Patriot Front members were arrested in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, before a planned riot at a Pride event.
The Patriot Front DC march took place as hundreds of thousands gathered along the National Mall for America 250 events, including a large fireworks display and a concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. DC Metro Police have not announced any arrests related to Saturday’s demonstration. No statement has been issued by the White House or federal law enforcement agencies.
