ON THE LINE by ZACH D. ROBERTS
ARMED AND DANGEROUS America was built on armed protest—it is how the nation was founded. I’ve covered protests in America for the last twenty years. But it wasn’t until 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia, that I saw men with guns take to the streets. It blew me away. Since then, thanks to President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, I’ve watched the armed and emboldened masses of Boogaloo Bois, Proud Boys, and other far-right militias march unmasked past police who give them fist bumps and support. Leftist activists, by contrast, usually arrive unarmed. And they’re met with police violence: pepper spray, tear gas, and rubber bullets.
Boogaloo Bois, Proud Boys, and Trump supporters gather for an anti-mask rally on the lawn of the state capitol in Columbus, Ohio, on July 18, 2020.
An armed man, with the image of the comic book character The Punisher painted on his face, joins the Columbus rally.
8 | DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021
When a fake Facebook event claimed “Antifa” planned to tear down statues in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, militia members from around the country descended on the historic town to “guard” its monuments on July 4, 2020.
