'Justice for J6' rally

‘Justice for J6’ Rally Fizzles Out With Only a Handful of Attendees

Traitors threw a party and nobody came.

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The ‘Justice for J6’ rally, a right-wing follow-up to the horrific January 6 Capitol riots, fizzled out today after only a handful of diehard Trumpers bothered to show up. The few attendees, clad in Trump merch and Hamilton cosplay, were far outnumbered by journalists, police, and other law enforcement officials who mobilized in response to the devastating attack in January which saw five people dead, hundreds of Capitol police officers injured, and $30 million dollars worth of damage to the historic building.

Of course, the circumstances around today’s rally are wildly different. Trump and his family aren’t in attendance, nor can Trump promote the rally due to his social media ban. And much of the pro-Trump audience can’t afford to travel to Washington, D.C. for the event, unlike the January 6 riot which saw plane tickets and bus rides funded by Alex Jones, Publix heiress Julie Jenkins Fancelli, and other right-wing supporters and dark money donors.

There is also no urgency to the planned rally, whereas on January 6 the crowd was motivated to stop Mike Pence from certifying the election results. Now that we’re 9 months into the Biden presidency, it is clear that there is no shadow Trump government, no coup, and no plan. And while the Capitol was woefully unprepared for January 6, there are now security fences and hundreds of armed guards protecting the perimeter.

Cassie Miller, a senior research analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said “There are more hurdles here in place than reasons for people to come out to this event, … People are simply just too fearful after all of the arrests related to Jan. 6 to go out and do this kind of big nationwide event.”

Extremist groups like the Proud Boys warned their members to avoid the rally, claiming the government was “baiting” them to participate. And many more Trump devotees are still facing legal consequences from storming the Capitol in January, with over 600 domestic terrorists facing criminal charges. The Department of Justice described it as the largest criminal investigation in American history.

The rally was organized by former Trump campaign staffer Matt Braynard, who now runs community organizing group Look Ahead America. Braynard said the rally was protesting the harsh treatment of insurrectionists, who he claims were treated worse than BLM and Antifa (note: they weren’t). “This is a purely patriotic exercise of First Amendment rights of fellow humans, fellow Americans who have been denied their civil rights because of their political beliefs,” Braynard said, failing to mention the murders, beatings, and chaotic violence that took place on January 6.

Many took to Twitter to mock those who attended the clown show:

(via Washington Post, image: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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Chelsea Steiner
Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.