Olympia Protest Cancelled Following Governor's Mansion Breach

OLYMPIA, WA — A far right militia has cancelled their plans to enter and occupy the Legislative Building in Olympia next week, in an apparent response to the recent chaos both in Washington D.C., and at the governor's mansion earlier this week.

As The Tacoma News Tribune first reported, Washington Three Percent has sent out an email to supporters cancelling their previous plans to storm and occupy the state capitol.

Their "Legislative Lockout" protest had been set to begin Sunday night, so that protesters could be in place Monday morning when the legislative session begins. Lawmakers will be at the capitol in-person Monday, so that they can formally approve plans to operate the rest of the session remotely.

The group says the event had been a response to those plans for a remote session, which they claim is unconstitutional because it doesn't allow for direct interaction with the public. Lawmakers deny that claim, and argue they are held just as accountable as before, and that the remote session is necessary to protect public health during the pandemic.

Related: Lawmakers Debate Open Carry Ban At Protests And Capitol

Organizers had earlier insisted that the occupation would be peaceful and that the goal of the protest was only to make lawmakers "uncomfortable" with their remote session. But after seeing how events unfolded in D.C. and at the governor's mansion earlier this week in Olympia, they now say their occupation is too risky to pull off.

"After seeing yesterday’s events in Olympia and nationally, we’re just not going to do it," Matt Marshall, a Three Percent Founder told The News Tribune. "There’s too much risk and not enough benefit."

Despite the event's cancellation, organizers note that it is likely that some people will still try to force their way into the Legislative Building Sunday.

Still, they appear to be washing their hands of the whole event. Organizers told The News Tribune that, should anything happen, that's the legislature's fault for holding session remotely. In addition, one of the organizing groups, "Liberty, At All Hazards" posted a cancellation notice on their website, pre-emptively placing the blame for any violence on unnamed "outsiders." The post reads in part:

"Due to our political leaders being non-responsive and the 100% likelihood that our event will be hijacked by people with ulterior motives, we have decided to cancel the Legislative Lockout event."

Liberty, At All Hazards, say they still go ahead with other, more traditional protests planned for this weekend and the week ahead.

Read more from the Tacoma News Tribune.