An apparent San Francisco resident has announced a supposed demonstration to block the Golden Gate Bridge Wednesday morning, with fringe groups including those associated with white supremacy invited to attend.
According to the Facebook page for the event, participants (sic throughout) "will meet up where lincoln blvd intersects with highway 101 and we will march along the gold gate bridge."
"We will not let traffic pass until the city of san francisco agrees that 'Antifa' is a terrorist organization. Why should we move if you support a terrorist organization?"
The person behind the event is "apparent San Francisco resident John Walters Monroe," the Ex reports, the founder of a group called "Conservative Rustles," which is "is all about denying communist ideology in any way shape or form."
According to the East Bay Times,
When the page went up late Sunday, its invitation included outreach to members of the pro-white organization, Identity Evropa. That outreach was initially scrubbed Tuesday afternoon, but added back later with additions: “The Alt Right, Identity Evropa,and other Southern Nationalist groups will be in attendance.”
Identity Evropa, as you are likely aware, is the white supremacist group founded by Oakdale resident Nathan Damigo, who gained national attention following a video which appeared to depict him punching a female counter-protester at an April rally in Berkeley.
The group has not responded to an Ex query regarding an appearance in today's event. In fact, it doesn't appear that anyone is participating in the protest, which is scheduled for 9 a.m. today. As of publication time, the event page reads "0 Going · 0 Interested" and "Conservative Rustles" only had eight "likes" and 18 followers. (Not to social media shame! Just saying!)
However, the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transit District and California Highway Patrol aren't taking any chances.
“No one has applied for a permit for an event, but we’re monitoring the situation,” Spokeswoman Priya Clemens told the East Bay Times. “Events are only permitted on the sidewalks and plaza areas. It’s obviously illegal to stop traffic on (the) roadway of the Golden Gate.”
In a statement sent to media, the CHP says "accessing state highways or roads to protest is not only unlawful, but also extremely dangerous because it puts protestors, motorists, and first responders at great risk of injury or death."
"While everyone has a Constitutional right to protest and assemble — and we treat everyone equally, regardless of the message — violence, such as throwing objects, hurting others or damaging property, is not protected speech under the U.S. Constitution."
As of this report's publication at 9 a.m., the CHP says no demonstration has materialized. We'll obviously update should that situation change.
Related: Oath Keepers Stayed Away From SF & Berkeley Rallies Because Of Potential White Nationalist Presence