Patriot Front is a fascist group. There is no doubt about this despite any attempt to soft sell their ideology. Their printed materials include stickers with a picture of the continental United States and the slogan “Not Stolen. Conquered.” This is not a group that likes genocide a little bit, they revel in it. Here in Columbus OH they have been quietly putting up stickers near several different college campuses over the past couple of months. Around the country they have hung banners with their messages from overpasses for early morning commuters. They are security conscious, decentralized, and often members of other white supremacists groups. On February 8h, they took the nation's capital by surprise.
While all eyes were on Portland Oregon's planned KKK rally that never happened as their leader hid in his hotel room, over 100 white supremacists managed to assemble in Washington DC and have a police protected march on the actual capital building. Local grassroots anti-fascists were equally surprised.
It was the largest outdoor neo-nazi event in nations capital since 800 members and supporters of the now defunct National Alliance gathered with massive police protection on the captial steps in July of 2002. Like it's predecessor, it was the largest gathering of white supremacists in the building while the United States Congress was not in session.
There was no permit. There was no known prior coordination with the DC Metro Police Department or the Capitol Police. Law enforcement simply showed up, organized to protect the fascists, and handed over the building where the nations laws are made to them for the day. Police seemed to take care to not block the fascists from presenting every written message, stayed out of camera angles to preserve their optics, and made perfect time with the organized march. The media and the public was kept away from even the most public areas of the Capitol Building so that the fascists could have their event without being disturbed or examined in any way.
This shows a default of helping fascists wherever, whenever and however they can on the part of law enforcement. It was mirrored on the West Coast by the police reaction to the KKK fizzle in Portland, where local anti-fascists threw an impromptu dance party in the absence of actual KKK members to confront. The police still managed to make three arrests there because this is America and fascist groups are to be assisted while no opposition to them can go without punishment.
As the Republican Party further immerses itself in absolute authoritarianism and the leadership of the Democratic Party triangulates ever further to the right in an election year effort to pander to their enemies like the broken mule that represents them, we can expect more actions from more empowered fascists and their cohorts in federal, state and local law enforcement. Stay Tuned.