July 4, 2026, 9:25 p.mJul 4, 2026, 9:46 p.m
Members of the nationalist US group “Patriot Front” marched through the US capital Washington on the 250th anniversary of American independence. Photos and videos on social media showed dozens of masked people with flags in front of Union Station and in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. According to the Washington Post, hundreds of uniformed members of the group marched toward the Capitol.
“The Metropolitan Police Department is following the incidents that occurred this morning in the Eastern Market district, which fell under the right to freedom of expression,” said the local police authority at the request of the German Press Agency. Despite the right of “every individual to express his or her opinion peacefully,” officials want to advocate for the public safety of the capital’s residents and visitors. This Saturday the USA celebrates its 250th birthday.
Image: keystone
The Patriot Front is a right-wing extremist and neo-Nazi group, according to the Anti-Discrimination Organization (ADL) and the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). It was created in August 2017 as a spinoff from the organization “Vanguard America” after racist riots in Charlottesville, Virginia. The group’s goal is to establish a white ethnostate. The organization stands out for its tightly organized, sometimes unannounced marches. (sda/dpa)