Multiple large protests coming to D.C. this Friday
A D-Day rally for veterans issues on the National Mall will be followed by a questionable event in support of returning a recently deported immigrant
The Dropkick Murphys will be visiting D.C. on June 6th, joining the Unite 4 Veterans D-Day rally on the National Mall.
The punk band have made waves for their frequent criticism of President Trump and his supporters. At a show in March the group challenged audience members for wearing imported MAGA apparel. While declaring themselves the most anti-MAGA band in the world, they did ultimately recognize that all opinions are welcome in America. Still, their attendance at the rally is enough on its own to know that the event’s focus on veteran issues will not be friendly to the President.
The 2:00 pm rally is being hosted by the We the Veterans and Military Families organization. Board member Joseph Plenzler has said that the event is non-partisan. Two notable Democratic politicians (Sen. Tammy Duckworth and former Rep. Conor Lamb) are slated to speak at the event, along with former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger.
At 6:00 pm an event being called Action for Andry is scheduled to take place just a few blocks away, in front of the Supreme Court. On the surface, the aim is to a show of support for Venezuelan immigrant Andry Romero, who was deported to CECOT earlier this year. Organizers claim Romero’s immigration is “an attack on the entire LGBTQ+ community.” However they offer no explanation for that premise, seemingly relying on the mere association arising from the fact that Romero is gay. The rally is being planned by The Bulwark, which is also selling tickets for an 8:00 pm event at Lincoln Theater after the rally, featuring three of the publication’s most prominent social media figures.
This event by The Bulwark certainly raises eyebrows. It’s not every day that private companies stage acts of civic engagement. And the scheduling indicates that the public action would be a relatively short event, since those involved would need to be at the Lincoln Theater less than two hours later. This smacks of appropriating public outrage for private profit, especially considering the emphasis on gay issues, which are an absolute tangent to the matter of Andry Romero’s deportation.