Cobb GOP's 'J6 Patriots' Candlelight Vigil Canceled After Criticism, 'Mischaracterization'

COBB COUNTY, GA — After bipartisan backlash to its "J6 Patriots" event and candlelight vigil to support those arrested in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, the Cobb County Republican Party canceled the event slated for Thursday, the one-year anniversary of the violent breach.

A Cobb GOP committee was set to host a two-hour program Thursday titled "The Patriots Are Awake, Willing and Eager to Protect Their American Freedoms & Liberties." The event also included a candlelight vigil for the "J6 Patriots" still in jail awaiting their day in court.

But Wednesday afternoon, the Cobb GOP said it would cancel the event because of a "mischaracterization" of it.

"Due to the mischaracterization of the event scheduled for January 6th and the ensuing concerns for the safety of those in attendance, the prayer vigil is CANCELED," the announcement said. "All those who would have been in attendance are encouraged to keep those families who suffered a loss of loved ones, along with the pre-trial prisoners held in D.C. in inhumane conditions in thoughtful prayer. It is our fervent hope that all those who committed unlawful acts against our Nation's Capital are brought to swift justice."

The event was criticized by Democrats and Republicans, including former Cobb GOP Chairman Jason Shepherd, the Marietta Daily Journal reported. Shepherd told the newspaper earlier this week that the Cobb GOP had become toxic.

"From what I’m hearing, and what I’m seeing, and what people are saying to me privately, elected officials are staying away from the Cobb GOP," Shepherd told the MDJ. "To be associated with this is toxic. And it’s not just these external slip-ups, but people are hearing about what’s going on in the party.”

Related: Jan. 6 Insurrection Anniversary May Draw 'Threat Actors': Feds

State Rep. Teri Anulewicz (D-Smyrna) called the event an "homage to treason"on social media Sunday.

"It will truly be something to see which — if any — GOP members of the Cobb Delegation participate in this homage to treason," she tweeted.

Former President Donald Trump has canceled a Thursday news conference planned at his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Palm Beach, Florida. He reportedly planned to defend the rioters whose attack was the largest assault on the Capitol since it was destroyed by the British army in the War of 1812.

Four people died in the attack — a rioter shot by a Capitol police officer as she tried to break through a door to the House chamber, two from natural causes, and a fourth from amphetamine intoxication, according to the Washington, D.C., medical examiner.

One Capitol Police officer who suffered strokes after rioters sprayed him with a chemical substance died of natural causes the next day. About 140 police officers from the Capitol Police and the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department were injured, some beaten with their own weapons in an attack one police officer described as "medieval" and another said was like a "trip to hell."

Salleigh Grubbs, the current Cobb GOP chair, previously said the event was not to glorify the events of Jan. 6, 2021, but to pray for those experiencing a "miscarriage of justice" and those who lost their lives that day.

"To those who have cast a quick judgment concerning this event, under no uncertain terms are we condoning any form of violence nor the glorification of what happened at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. This miscarriage of justice should concern ALL AMERICANS," Grubbs said in a previous statement. "It's unfortunate that so many have issues with prayer. Everyone should be concerned when our Constitutional rights are being abused."

Related:

• Cobb GOP Plans 'J6 Patriots' Anniversary Event, Candlelight Vigil
  
• GA Man Pleads Guilty To Kicking Officers During Capitol Riot
• Facebook Selfie Leads To Arrest For Gwinnett Man At Jan. 6 Riot
• Georgians Involved With Capitol Riot Arrested After Identified
• Dawsonville Man Invaded Senator's Office During Capitol Riot: FBI
• Ninth Georgian Charged In Connection With Jan. 6 Capitol Riot
• Decatur Man Arrested For Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol Attacks: Police
• Man Charged With Obstructing Law Enforcement During Riot
• Trump Mob Attacks Capitol; 4 Deaths; 69 Arrests; FBI Seeks Tips