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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a memo about the “Justice for J6” rally taking place in Washington D.C. on Saturday.
“We are aware of a small number of recent online threats of violence referencing the planned rally, including online discussions encouraging violence the day before the rally,” DHS said in the brief.
Matt Braynard, the organizer of the “Justice for J6” rally, told CNN’s Jessica Schneider that the event would be nonviolent.
The Justice for J6 rally is, in part, a protest for Ashli Babbitt who was killed during the deadly January 6 insurrection at the Capitol while Congress was certifying the 2020 Presidential election.
Babbitt was shot and killed by United States Capitol Police Lieutenant Michael Byrd. The Lieutenant was cleared of any wrongdoing. The officer has received death threats and is being threatened with a lawsuit by Babbitt’s family.
Babbitt’s husband, Aaron Babbitt, is requesting that supporters remain nonviolent.
“The last thing I want is violence occurring in my wife’s name. I don’t want it,” the widower said. “More bloodshed at this point is not going to do anything in terms of getting justice for Ashli.
According to Braynard, the rally also supports the more than 600 “political prisoners” who have been charged in connection with the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
The organizers have scheduled rallies in fifteen other states over the next month.
The agency is expecting an assortment of people at the event.
“A counter-rally is scheduled to take place on the same day at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., heightening the potential for violence between perceived ideological opponents,” the memo says.
Capitol Police have reinstalled fencing around the Capitol building ahead of the protest.
The memo mentions the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers as potential participants in the upcoming event.
