Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on September 19, 2021

JTA A rally in Washington, DC planned for Saturday in solidarity with those who stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6 has local and Jewish officials on high alert.

The Justice for J6 rally, which is being organized by former Donald Trump campaign staffer Matt Braynard, plans to gather in front of the US Capitol and demand an end to what it callsthe tyrannical and inhumane treatment of the January 6 political prisoners.

Rather than a group intent on breaching the Capitol to reverse a democratic election, Braynard has said that all but a few bad apples in the insurrection were nonviolent offenders who didnt think they were breaking the law.

Braynard has said his rally will not be violent, but police in the capital are on high alert and have mobilized all their personnel. But while local Jewish institutions are also bracing themselves for the possibility of violence, security officials say that Saturdays rally is likely to be far smaller and less dangerous than the insurrection at the Capitol, which resulted in five deaths andmore than 500 arrests.

I dont think its going to be like Jan. 6, not even close, said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, though she added that we have no idea about lone actor violence.

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The crowd is going to number roughly 700, according to the official rally permit and police estimates a far cry from the tens of thousands who showed up to rallies on Jan. 6. Unlike in January, when extremist groups organizedto attendin groups, this time extremist groups are using messaging apps like Telegram to tell their followers to stay away, fearing arrest.

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they try to storm the US Capitol, in Washington on January 6, 2021. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP)

In January, then-president Donald Trump egged the rioters on, telling rallygoers to fight like hell and to walk down to the Capitol prior to their march on the Capitol. This time, hes no longer in the White House, and is sending mixed messages. He said in an interview that Saturdays rally could be a setup in which attendees will be harassed. But in a statement on Thursday, he endorsed the rallys message, saying, Our hearts and minds are with the people being persecuted so unfairly relating to the January 6th protest concerning the Rigged Presidential Election.

But just in case violence breaks out, police say theyre taking extensive precautions, and have erected a security perimeter around the Capitol. After the January Capitol riot, police were faulted for not adequately responding to the threat, and the chief and second-ranked official of the Capitol Policestepped down. In March, one officer wassuspendedafter a copy of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion was found near his work area.

The chatter we heard prior to Jan.6, many of those threats turned out to be in fact credible, so were not taking any chances, said J. Thomas Manger, the new chief of the Capitol Police. But regarding extremist groups, he added later, Were seeing mixed messages about whether folks are coming or not coming.

US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger holds a news conference to discuss preparations for a weekend rally planned by allies of Donald Trump who support the so-called political prisoners of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington, (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Jewish security officials and extremism watchdogs say the same thing: That theyre concerned about potential violence, but that they arent aware of any specific threat to any Jews or Jewish institutions. A memo from the Department of Homeland said plans for the rally have included discussions of using the rally to target local Jewish institutions, elected officials, and liberal churches.

Some of the online chatter has suggested that because the police force has been so tied up, it presents an opportunity to go after Jewish organizations or other houses of worship, said Michael Masters, CEO of the Secure Community Network, which coordinates security for Jewish institutions. Masters added that there are currently no credible antisemitic threats that he knows of, but said, Theres a general sense that we need to be enganged and proactive.

For months before the Jan. 6 rally, security officials within and outside of the Jewish communityissued a string of warningsabout violence connected to the election and its aftermath. Immediately before Jan. 6, Jewish security groups worried about possible violence, though then they also said there were no credible threats toward Jewish institutions. And while Jews were not the target of the attack, it did attract neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists, as well as signs with a range of hate symbols.

Robert Keith Packers shirt, right, was one of many hate symbols present at the storming of the Capitol. Other rioters constructed a noose. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP Images and screenshot from Reddit via JTA)

When you have organized groups that are basically telling people to stay home, thats going to have an impact, said Oren Segal, who heads the Anti-Defamation Leagues Center on Extremism. That doesnt mean self-identified members of those groups wont show up. Its still possible, but unlike the chorus of voices we heard before Jan. 6.

Even if it doesnt lead to violence, Segal says Saturdays rally still has troubling long-term implications.

This is an event that is essentially portraying individuals who attacked the Capitol and our democracy as political prisoners, he said. When youre talking about political prisoners and government overreach and the illegitimacy of accountability, those are all animating narratives for extremists.

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DC rally to support those who stormed Capitol has Jewish officials on high alert - The Times of Israel

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