Posted on January 20, 2020

Leftists and Journalists Smear Richmond Protest for Being ‘So White’

Gregory Hood, American Renaissance, January 20, 2020

The Virginia protest against proposed gun control laws didn’t turn into another Charlottesville, much as the media were warning that it could. “An armed society is a polite society.” There was no violence; pro-Second Amendment demonstrators attacked no one. Even when Communists infiltrated the crowd, they were mostly ignored. Unlike in Charlottesville 2017, the authorities didn’t deliberately create conflict.

There were many black demonstrators defending the Second Amendment, and conservatives eagerly shared videos of them.

It did no good. Many leftists and journalists (usually the same thing) furiously attacked the protesters on Twitter, not just for what they stand for, but because they were white. The contempt and vitriol were typically liberal. Anyone carrying a weapon was automatically a “domestic terrorist.”

Tweets like this attacking any other group would result in an instant ban. On Twitter, it won’t even cost you your “verified” checkmark.

Axios said the protest was about “hate.” “On a day that is meant to celebrate what would have been the 91st birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.,” wrote Sara Kehaulani Goo, “the nation is grappling with emboldened white nationalist groups and racial tension.”

“Right now, thousands of gun rights activists, white nationalists, militia groups all swarming the state capitol in Richmond,” said MSNBC’s Craig Melvin. He also described “armed militia, white nationalist groups from all over the country taking part on MLK day.”

Gabe Gutierrez posted a video ostensibly showing “chants of ‘we will not comply.’” The crowd is saying the Pledge of Allegiance. About two hours later he posted a second video showing scattered shouts of “we will not comply.” Far fewer people retweeted and liked it. It could have been a mistake or Mr. Gutierrez did it deliberately, knowing the sensational headline would garner far more attention than the banal truth.

“Antifa” was trending throughout the day. Conservatives celebrated peaceful protests. The Guardian’s Lois Beckett said it was striking there were so few police, contrasting it to police confronting “college students” on the anniversary of Charlottesville. Others complained that “mask laws” weren’t being strictly enforced, even with the bitter cold.

Jared Taylor believes we should assume our opponents operate in good faith, but I find that difficult in this case. Antifa wear masks so they can commit crimes. They are very open about this. Reporters know this, especially the ones on the “far right” beat that work with them. In contrast, the demonstrators wore the masks because it was freezing cold. If they feared recognition, it was because they didn’t want to get fired from liberals calling their employers.

David Frum implied the protesters were preparing for insurrection.

Yet gun control is coming in Virginia because leftists imported a new population to vote for them. Many journalists admitted this right after the 2019 election. What does “self-government” or “democracy” mean in such circumstances?

It’s heartening so many people braved the cold and the press to stand up for their rights. However, those rights will fade along with Virginia’s white majority, whatever the Constitution says. Leftists don’t hate “freedom,” they despise whites and they want to strip our rights from us. We should take them at their word.