Fascist militias threaten officials and force schools to close in Washington state
Three public schools in Vancouver, Washington, were closed last Friday after about 50 members of the Proud Boy militia and anti-mask protesters tried to enter Skyview High School with a maskless student in violation of public health guidelines . In addition to Skyview High School, Alki Middle School and Chinook Elementary were put on high alert and locked due to the fascist threat. Video footage showed the Proud Boys singing “USA” while waving American flags and wearing their signature yellow and black shirts with the group’s motto “F – k Antifa” on their chests. Although members of the group were recorded being massaged on the school grounds in violation of the law, the local police apparently made no attempt to disrupt the fascist rally and appeared to be watching in agreement. As of this writing, no arrests have been reported and no charges have been filed.
In an Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) report, private security guards denying the Proud Boys access to school said some of the women affiliated with the Proud Boys had approached female students and called them “derogatory names.”
In a letter to the OPB, Pat Nuzzo, a communications director for Vancouver Public Schools (VPS) said the lockdown was in place as a “security precaution”. VPS School Board President Kyle Sproul told OPB that the lockdown was necessary to keep students safe. Sproul added that “protesting on our school premises and disrupting the school day is not in the best interests of the students.”
Proud boys participate in a rally at Freedom Plaza in Washington on Saturday, December 12, 2020. (AP Photo / Luis M. Alvarez)
In addition to the Proud Boys, members of the right-wing extremist militia Patriot Prayer also took part in the provocation at Skyview High School. The rally itself was organized online by Patriot prayer leader Joey Gibson, who falsely claimed in online posts that non-masked students would be arrested if they tried to go to school.
This is not the first time far-right Patriot Prayer members have attempted to enter confined spaces in order to forcibly pursue their agenda.
Last December, Gibson and his fellow Patriot Prayer leader Chandler Pappas led the way in the lead up to the Sept.
While the Proud Boys were joined by parents from other schools who protested the mask mandate, the school’s students organized a spontaneous counter-protest by handing out masks and holding up signs supporting public health measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus. A 16-year-old student named Lucas told OPB, “All learning is interrupted. We have to sit down quietly, not make any noise, and we sat in our classrooms for about one to one and a half hours. “
The next day, a group of Proud Boys gathered about 160 miles north in Olympia, Washington, against the public health restrictions of COVID-19. The group attacked counter-demonstrators and journalists and attacked the independent journalist Alissa Azar. In a disturbing social media clip, Azar can be heard screaming as Proud Boys spray her with bear maces and knock her to the ground.
After the attack on Azar, the Proud Boy bully Tusitala “Tiny” Toese is said to have been shot in the leg. Olympia Police are investigating Toese’s shooting. No arrests have been made at the time of this writing.
In another attack by far-right elements on journalists, Record Eagle reporter Brendan Quealy was attacked by anti-vaccine and anti-mask protesters in Traverse City, Michigan on August 28 while covering their rally in a public park . Quealy told police that two men pushed and pushed him before slapping him in the face for recording audio at the rally. The attack is still being “investigated” by the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office.
The attitude of the local police towards the violent militia groups and their supporters reflects the lax treatment of Proud Boys members who were confronted by the US Capitol Police during the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The attack, led by members of the Proud Boys militia, aimed to block the certification of the electoral college by Congress and officially recognize Joe Biden as elected president.
Dozens of members of the group face some of the most serious charges brought by federal prosecutors in connection with the coup attempt, but dozens of other Proud boys who participated in the attack and subsequent violent rallies have been arrested. The far right foot soldiers are closely intertwined with the Republican Party and the capitalist state. Members of the group have admitted to being FBI informants and having close ties with Republican party activists.
The Washington state incident was not the only time this past week that far-right elements attempted to storm schools against public health measures designed to contain the spread of the pandemic. The day before the Proud Boys rally in Vancouver, Washington, three men from Arizona entered the Mesquite Elementary School in Tuscon with zip ties and attempted to “arrest” Headmistress Diane Vargo for boldness in enforcing masking and quarantine mandates.
No injuries were reported and the three men left school after the police were called.
Rishi Rambaran, 40, the father of one of the quarantined children, was identified as one of the men who stormed the school. He is the only one arrested in connection with the attack.
Another identified attacker is Kelly Walker, who broadcast the incident live on Instagram. According to The Daily Beast, Walker owns a cafe in Tuscon that describes itself as “Tuscon’s center of freedom and delicious coffee.” The store recently hosted a “Freedom Talk” event for Republican party activist, convicted criminal and far-right commentator Dinesh D’Souza. In October, the cafe plans to host former Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohm.
Lohmeier was relieved of his command earlier this year after appearing on a podcast for his self-published book warning of an impending “white genocide”. Lohmeier claimed that the military was pushing a “neo-Marxist agenda” camouflaged in “Critical Race Theory” with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the US government and replacing it with a “communist dictatorship”.
Fascists feel empowered to harass and intimidate educators, journalists and students because they have been allowed to do so by sympathetic police forces and because they are supported by Republican Party politicians. During a rally last Sunday, a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, Steve Lynch, applauded the audience as he advocated the forcible removal of “school council members” who adhere to masking and quarantine guidelines “.
“I’m going in there with 20 strong men,” he said. “I will speak to the school board and give them a choice of whether to leave or be removed. And after that we will replace them with nine parents and vote on the mask mandates that evening. So get things done, forget to write your lawmakers, forget about it. You don’t listen. You have to do something. “
Lynch added, “When I see criminals try to steal my rights and my beautiful children and everything they are going to do, you have to take my life. There is no way I will die on this hill. “
At a school committee meeting in Buncombe County, North Carolina in early August, Hitler supporter, Trump co-conspirator, and Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn railed against “awakened, liberal government officials” for imposing a masked mandate. Cawthorn, who recently threatened a second coup attempt, called the wearing of masks “child psychological abuse” and accused board members of “muzzling” children.
While the Republicans, working closely with their fascist militia allies, are threatening to use violence against anyone who adheres to minimum public health guidelines, the Democrats and their union frogs are doing nothing to protect teachers and students not only from the coronavirus, but also to protect fascist attacks. The Vancouver Education Association, the union that claims to represent Vancouver teachers, has not yet posted anything on its website or social media pages condemning Friday’s fascist rally.
On September 18, militia groups and representatives of the Republican Party are planning a rally in Washington DC whose central demand will be the release of those detained for participating in the January 6th uprising.
The Justice for J6 rally is being organized by former Trump campaigner Matt Braynard, who organized similar rallies earlier this summer, as well as a July event outside the Washington DC Central Detention Facility in support of the imprisoned fascist insurgents. Though a list of speakers has not yet been released, Louie Gohmert, Republican and coup leader from Texas, hinted to CNN last month that he might speak at the event in support of militia members who “have been treated so badly”.
“So we haven’t given up,” added Gohmert.
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