A group of about 100 marchers identifying themselves by flyers as belonging to the white nationalist group the Patriot Front, cut through the heart of downtown Saturday sparking a confrontation.
A scanner call came in at around 12:30 p.m. announcing that a group had gone up to a rental truck parked in the area of the Haymarket MBTA station and off-loaded a number of shields and flags.
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White Supremacist Group Patriot Front Marches In Boston Spreading Their Propaganda
They were carrying U.S. flags out of which one of them was flown upside-down and many showed just the 13 stars in a circle for the original U.S. colonies, as well as flags featuring different designs. There were also flags with a stylized version of the symbol that represented Benito Mussolini’s National Fascist Party.
“If you truly wish for safety, you will have it. But you can take nothing else with you,” an unmasked member of the group announced through a bullhorn. They had stopped in front of the Boston Public Library among shouts from onlookers. “Not your home, not your family, not your liberty. There you will be alone with your safety in a rotten world.”
The men, some of whom carried police shields and flags, were part of the white supremacist group Patriot Front, CBS Boston reported. At one point, they boarded a subway train at a downtown station.
The march drew the condemnation of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. “To the white supremacists who ran through downtown today: When we march, we don’t hide our faces,” Wu tweeted. “Your hate is as cowardly as it is disgusting, and it goes against all that Boston stands for.”
Members Of The Group Were Set To Disrupt A Pride Event
Photos from the scene showed that many marchers were dressed in matching khaki pants and navy or dark-colored polo shirts. They wore bandanas or a covering for their lower faces and were also wearing sunglasses and ball caps.
As of 1:14 p.m., the group had marched down Commonwealth Avenue and turned toward Dartmouth Street toward Boylston before stopping in the area of the Boston Public Library.
As of yet, there has been no word of any arrests. Whereas only last month, 31 men believed to be Patriot Front members were arrested near a Pride event in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The men were found inside a U-Haul truck which contained shields and at least one smoke grenade. Police believe they were planning a riot.
The Southern Poverty Law Center describes Patriot Front as a “white nationalist hate group.”
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