August 14, 2022

“I was banned from Tinder”: Trump’s alt-right just held a “free speech” rally and it was a cringe-worthy disaster

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This morning, far-right activists gathered in Washington D.C. for a “free speech” rally, and it was just as embarrassing and cringe-worthy an experience as you could have predicted.

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Around two hundred people gathered for the main event, which turned out to be a rally for the Proud Boys, a bizarre neo-fascist hate group founded by professional misogynist and white supremacist Gavin McInnes.

McInnes kicked off the festivities by arriving on stage in handcuffs to make a dramatic point about how the media censors the far-right and infringes on their freedom to say racial slurs, and of course couldn’t get them off.

What was billed as a “free speech” rally quickly revealed itself to be nothing but a grievance pulpit for famous racists, all of them absolutely incensed that their white privilege isn’t shielding them from the consequences of their actions.

Far from being anything to be “proud” of, the themes of the day were white fragility, the right-wing’s insatiable victim complex, and the impotent spite of spoiled brats.

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The majority of the speeches were just bitching and moaning from infamous right-wingers whose careers are in the toilet about how hard their lives are after getting kicked off of social media.

To give you a taste of how deranged these people have become, virulent Islamophobe Laura Loomer casually compared the loss of her Twitter account to the Holocaust and complained that she had been put in a “digital gulag” for her hateful attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

The pathetic desperation of the speakers and their incessant, deranged fury at having been banned from major social media platforms makes it clear that deplatforming is one of the most effective tools we have to fight white supremacist rhetoric and the spread of its pernicious influence.

It’s a reminder of how important it is that we continue to fight to hold major corporation accountable and remind them of the critical role they play in kicking hatemongers and racists off their platforms — and in turn, cutting off their ability to reach an audience, to raise funds to hold complaint rallies like this one, and hindering their ability to travel and coordinate with other extremists.

Nothing quite sums up the debacle better than a guy getting up on stage to scream about how he was banned from the popular dating app Tinder.

Once again, the far-right wing attendees were far outnumbered by counter-protesters and anti-fascist activists. But the Proud Boys once again found some friendly faces among the officers of the Washington D.C. police, as the American far-right does at most of their public events — yet another very disturbing reminder of how pervasively law enforcement has been infiltrated by white nationalists and which side of the fence their loyalties lean towards.

The event concluded with a whimper, as the activists shuffled off to the next part of their grift — a VIP “meet and greet” for the low low price of $150 (marked down from $394).

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Here’s a round-up of the utterly bizarre sights and sounds that accompany the modern American fascist:

Colin Taylor

Managing Editor

Colin Taylor is the managing editor of the Washington Press. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice, equality, and universal health care in America.

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