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Far-right groups, some armed, reached the historic grounds of Gettysburg
Rumors that anti-fascist protesters planned to burn American flags at the site of the Gettysburg Civil War battlefield led to far-right armed groups appearing in numbers on United States Independence Day.
Social media posts from suspected antifa leaders urged members to meet at the Pennsylvania site on July 4.
In response, far-right groups gathered on the historic grounds on Saturday, but no adversaries appeared.
The holiday marks the declaration of independence of the United States of Great Britain in 1776.
Reports that appeared on social media before the Independence Day celebrations reportedly called for people to come to the site with face paint.
The activists “would be giving away free small flags to children to safely throw in the fire,” suggested the bogus call.
“Let’s get together and burn flags protesting bullies and animals in blue,” said an anonymous Facebook post.
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Far-right groups gathered in a Wal-Mart parking lot on Saturday afternoon
There is no evidence to suggest that those responsible for the online posts are in any way linked to antifa, an inactive affiliate network of far-left activists.
Hours before the flag burning supposedly began, far-right groups gathered in a parking lot next to a Wal-Mart, some were armed.
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Some appeared with the Confederate flag affixed to their motorcycles.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a hoax or not,” Christopher Blakeman, who traveled to the Gettysburg site from West Virginia on Saturday, told the Washington Post.
“They made a threat, and if we don’t make our voices heard, it will seem fine.”
- Antifa: Trump says group will be designated ‘terrorist organization’
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The site in Pennsylvania is a famous battlefield of the American Civil War
In his Independence Day speech on Saturday, President Donald Trump promised to defeat the “radical left” as protests continued to rampage across the country.
Trump said he would “fight … to preserve the American way of life,” while criticizing “mobs” who targeted historical monuments.
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In May, the president said the United States would appoint an antifa, which he accused of starting riots in street protests over the death of African-American George Floyd, a terrorist organization.
