The rightwing groups behind wave of protests
against Covid-19 restrictions
Protesters in Michigan and other states claim to
speak for ordinary citizens, but are also supported by street-fighting
far-right groups
Jason
Wilson
@jason_a_w
Fri 17 Apr
2020 09.00 BSTLast modified on Fri 17 Apr 2020 09.07 BST
A wave of
planned anti-lockdown demonstrations that have broken out around the country to
protest the efforts of state governments to combat the coronavirus pandemic
with business closures and stay-at-home orders have included far-right groups
as well as more mainstream Republicans.
While
protesters in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and other states claim to speak for
ordinary citizens, many are also supported by street-fighting rightwing groups
like the Proud Boys, conservative armed militia groups, religious
fundamentalists, anti-vaccination groups and other elements of the radical
right.
On
Wednesday in Lansing, Michigan, a protest put together by two
Republican-connected not-for-profits was explicitly devised to cause gridlock
in the city, and for a time blocked the entrance to a local hospital.
It was
organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition, which Michigan state
corporate filings show has also operated under the name of Michigan Trump
Republicans. It was also heavily promoted by the Michigan Freedom Fund, a group
linked to Trump cabinet member Betsy DeVos.
But the
protest also attracted far right protest groups who have been present at
pro-Trump and gun rights rallies in Michigan throughout the Trump presidency.
Placards
identified the Michigan Proud Boys as participants in the vehicle convoy. Near
the state house, local radio interviewed a man who identified himself as “Phil
Odinson”.
In fact the
man is Phil Robinson, the prime mover in a group called the Michigan Liberty
Militia, whose Facebook page features pictures of firearms, warnings of civil
war, celebrations of Norse paganism, and memes ultimately sourced from white
nationalist groups like Patriot Front.
The pattern
of rightwing not-for-profits promoting public protests while still more radical
groups use lockdown resistance as a platform for extreme rightwing causes looks
set to continue in events advertised in other states over coming days.
In Idaho on
Friday, protesters plan to gather at the capitol building in Boise to protest
anti-virus restrictions put in place by the Republican governor, Brad Little.
The protest
has been heavily promoted by the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF), which counts
among its donors “dark money” funds linked to the Koch brothers such as Donors
Capital Fund, and Castle Rock, a foundation seeded with part of the fortune of
Adolph Coors, the rightwing beer magnate.
IFF have
added their slogan for the event, “Disobey Idaho”, to stickers which they plan
to distribute among the crowd.
The event
is also being promoted on a website dedicated to attacking Little for his
response to Covid-19. That website was set up by the Idaho businessman, pastor,
and one time Republican state senate candidate, Diego Rodriguez.
Rodriguez
launched the website at an Easter service held in defiance of the governor’s
orders on Easter Sunday, which was also addressed by Ammon Bundy, the leader of
the militia occupation of the Malheur National wildlife refuge in 2016 that
become a rallying point for the anti-government right in the US.
Bundy has
been holding similar gatherings for weeks in Emmett, Idaho, where he now lives.
On Sunday, he repeated his opposition to the Idaho orders, writing on Facebook:
“We all have a duty to defend what is right and to make sure, that what God has
given, man does not take away. Especially that great gift of agency, YES
freedom!”
Ada county,
Idaho, where the capital, Boise, is located, has so far suffered 541 cases of
Covid-19 and nine deaths, in a state which has a far worse outbreak than
neighboring Oregon, which is 2.4 times more populous.
Nevertheless,
the ad for the rally on Rodriguez’s website advises, “We feel that wearing face
masks and gloves is counterproductive to the movement, and should be avoided”.
In
Washington state, meanwhile, which for now has brought one of the worst
outbreaks in the country under a measure of control, a Republican State
committeeman, Tyler Miller, has organized a protest at the state capitol on
Saturday.
Miller, who
is active in the Kitsap county Republican party, was involved in passing a
resolution in January in support of representative Matt Shea, who was excluded
from the State House’s GOP caucus after a report commissioned by house found
that he had participated in domestic terrorism.
Hundreds of
Facebook users have indicated that they will be attending his “Hazardous
Liberty” rally, and a parallel event in Richland, Washington.
Included in
that number are members of the 3% of Washington, a group which has held a
series of open carry rallies in Seattle, featuring speeches from the far right
protest leader, Joey Gibson.
As for
Shea, he is speaking on Saturday at an online “Saving America” conference which
will discuss an alleged erosion of rights “that’s been ramped up in
unprecedented ways during this Covid-19 crisis”.
He is
scheduled to appear alongside the likes of close ally Pastor Ken Peters, who
has been holding monthly services outside Spokane’s planned parenthood clinic;
the actor, Maga personality and congressional candidate, Mindy Robinson; and
the New Zealand-based anti-communist speaker and author, Trevor Loudon.
Other
similar events have been advertised for Saturday by an anti-vaccination
activist in Oregon, and for Friday by a Boston group with alt-right
connections.
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