GA ‘Justice For J6’ Rally On Saturday Supports Capitol Rioters

ATLANTA, GA — Protesters have gathered in dozens of states already, with dozens more planned this Saturday and beyond — including in Georgia — to show support for the more than 600 people who have been arrested and charged in connection with storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

“Justice For J6” rallies across the United States are planned to protest “the tyrannical and inhumane treatment of the January 6 political prisoners who have been targeted by the Department of Justice and the FBI,” according to the website for Look Ahead America.

The goal of Look Ahead America is to “organize and guide patriotic citizens” in lobbying their state legislatures and local governments on “America First initiatives” such as fighting corporate censorship and ensuring voter integrity, according to its website.

The rallies are described as “peaceful protests,” and attendees have been asked to not wear clothing or carry signs supporting former President Donald Trump or President Joe Biden.

“We request that anybody attending our events not wear any clothing or have signs supportive of either President Trump or Biden,” Matt Braynard, a former Trump campaign staffer and rally organizer, said in a tweet. “Anyone not honoring this request will be assumed to be an infiltrator and we will take your picture, find out who you are, and make you famous.”

The flagship rally in Washington, D.C. over the weekend was expected to draw more than 700 people, according to Department of Homeland Security officials. However, Capitol Police said between 400 and 450 people were observed at the rally, most of which were journalists and counterprotesters, The Washington Post reported — significantly smaller than the demonstrators who broke off from a larger rally and stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Republican lawmakers, eager to put the insurrection behind them, mostly steered clear of the J6 rally.

“There are a lot of clearly angry people who want to march on the Capitol,” Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Republican, told The New York Times. “I haven’t talked to a single Republican up here in the Senate that has encouraged or enabled anything like that.”

Facing its biggest test since the Jan. 6 insurrection, Capitol Police asked the Pentagon for more manpower. The National Guard was on standby.

In response to the new threats, police also reinstalled security fencing around the Capitol. An increased law enforcement presence could be seen around the Capitol and protest area.

"We are here to protect everyone's First Amendment right to peacefully protest," Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said. "I urge anyone who is thinking about causing trouble to stay home. We will enforce the law and not tolerate violence."

A protest is also planned in Georgia. It will be held from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday at the Georgia State Capitol, 206 Washington St. SW, Atlanta.

In other corners of the internet, conspiracy theorists were targeting the D.C. rally, calling it a “false flag” operation by government officials to arrest more people involved in the Jan. 6 riot.

Many in extreme far-right Facebook groups and extremist forums were trying to steer others away from the rally, according to an NBC News report.

“Now explain how we’re supposed to protest without the FBI busting down your door and you ending up in a DC jail with no court date. I was at the Capitol on J6,” one user wrote on TheDonald. “Any protest after J6 is primed to be a false flag. And you can’t talk about that ‘next level’ here either without the feds busting down your door.”

However, at least one forum user encouraged others to engage in violence if they were going to be arrested anyway, NBC reported.