Dozens of protestors came to the Florida Capitol Saturday to demand release of “incarcerated patriots” arrested in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Those rallying waved American flags and banners emblazoned with “Don’t Tread On Me,” “76” and “We the People.” Cars honked as they passed by, some shouting words of support to those at the rally, others shouting “terrorists” and “traitors.”
About 100 people rallied on the lawn of the Historic Capitol Museum. They flashed signs at passersby and chanted, “Let them go,” in reference to people arrested during the Jan. 6 attack.
[Demonstrators included some from Flagler County, where the group calling itself the “Flagler Liberty Coalition,” advertised on social media its “privilege” to have attended the rally. Among those attending from Flagler was Mark Phillips, the Flagler County carpenter briefly trespassed from Palm Coast City Hall after an incident in June. The trespass was lifted not long afterward.]
The insurrection was spurred by a mob of pro-Trump supporters who attempted to stop Congress’ certification of the 2020 presidential election after former President Donald Trump held a rally blocks from the Capitol. Trump in remarks to the crowd promoted the falsehood that the election was stolen from him.
Since then, the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department report filing more than 500 charges against individuals believed to have been involved in the violent attack that left five dead and dozens of law enforcement officials injured.
More than 50 people have been arrested in Florida in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, according to a Spectrum News analysis.
On Saturday, at least a dozen men in Proud Boys colors (yellow and black) attended the rally, including Enrique Tarrio, who has been described as a Miami-based leader of Proud Boys. Tarrio climbed the Capitol steps Saturday to speak to the crowd. He was not present at the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Tarrio called on Republican lawmakers to demand the release of people arrested or convicted in connection with the insurrection.
The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the Proud Boys as an extremist group.
“The ‘Proud Boys’ actions belie their disavowals of bigotry: Rank-and-file Proud Boys and leaders regularly spout white nationalist memes and maintain affiliations with known extremists,” according to SPLC.
A host of the rally is a candidate for the U.S. Senate — Luis Miguel, a Republican from St. Augustine who wants to unseat U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, according to Florida Division of Elections.
Miguel said during the rally, “Gov. Ron DeSantis, we know you are listening…we call on you to demand the release of political prisoners.”
Miguel described the FBI as corrupt and described those who were arrested as part of a patriotic brotherhood.
“They’re not insurrectionists; they’re not traitors; they’re not terrorists. They are heroes,” he told the crowd.
The speakers and protestors at Saturday’s rally do not consider President Joe Biden the legitimate president.
They also consider those arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 attack are political prisoners, not accused criminals.
The law enforcement presence was low-key. A few officers were present but did not make their presence apparent until the rally was breaking up. An officer watching the rally was spotted on a rooftop across the street from the Historic Capitol.
–Laura Cassels, Danielle Brown, Issac Morgan, Florida Phoenix
David S. says
What a bunch of pigs. I’m willing to bet the majority are caring illegal weapons they all need to be investigated.
Mark says
Get their photos ,get their names, and put them on the terrorist watch list. Every last one of these people is a trader to our country.
John Yankovich says
When you have free responsible speech you have to listen to both sides! The rioters on Jan 6, in DC were charged with trespassing not insurrection and have been held in solitary confinement for 6 mons. They shud be afforded the same constitutional protections as every other citizen. To appear before a judge and have bail established. If I’m in error correct me.
Makeitso1701 says
What a bunch of losers!!!
FlaglerLive says
You are incorrect. Here’s a list of charges and those charged, which goes well beyond trespassing. Please don’t use this site to spread disinformation, and don’t make us do the work you could do with a 10-second Google search.
Baba Looey says
They just don’t get it.
Percy's mother says
In case those reading this article didn’t pick up on it . . .
The Flagler Liberty Coalition was there in attendance.
You know, the same Flagler Liberty Coalition that’s participated in disrupting proceedings during Palm Coast City Council meetings as well as Flagler Board of County Commissioner meetings.
Many of our “finest” citizens belong to “that” group.
MikeC says
Disinformation and lies! Every one of these traitors appeared before a judge. Those deemed dangerous and those identified as having violently attacked law enforcement were remanded, as they should be, and will have their day in court. You people bleat about “The Constitution”. Have you ever even read it??? It would require a reasonable attention span, so I guess getting past the first two amendments is rough for you “patriots”.
Tony says
LOCK THEM UP!!!!
Old Guy says
Not surprised that the Flagler County “Y’all Queda” group was represented at the rally.
LockThemUp says
Yeah, no. I don’t think so…these are the same people that say, “Well if you have nothing to hide,” or “They should’ve just put their hands up.” Play stupid games, win prizes you don’t want. Honestly, they should be tarred and feathered in the middle of town on full display.
Insurrectionist traitors will do it again and again if not properly punished. If someone can get 20+ years for a small ounce of marijuana, insurrectionists should never again see the light of day. I have zero sympathy. None. Zip. Zilch. The fuk your feelings crowd is full of feelings these days and they continue to buy into the grift and lies.
The GQP will destroy this country without Russia having to lift a finger. Who are the real suckers and loser being grabbed by the pu$$y? The boot-licking Trump lap dogs. I’ve never seen such cult mentality or such an allegiance to a Russian operative.
disgustedwithwhitesupremacistscum says
Flagler Live needs to print each and every Flagler County participant names of these “proud” boy scum who participated in this rally. If they are so “proud” then publicize their names and see how proud they are when their behavior is publicly exposed for all to see. We have a right to know who each and every one of those scum are. That way we can identify them for what they are and react to them accordingly.
Mike Cocchiola says
I can’t wait for the ruby red Florida Legislature to vote to challenge the U.S. Department of Justice in court to seek the release of all the Florida insurrectionists who crashed through the doors and windows of the U.S. Capitol Building with flag poles, clubs, bear spray, and stolen batons and police shields, injured at least 150 Capitol Hill police (one of whom later died), and caused four other deaths while trying to forcefully stop the U.S. House and Senate from executing their constitutional duties.
Florida’s legislators and governor can be considered ignorant, racist, Trump-addled, and divorced from reality. But they can’t be that stupid. Or can they?
American Hero's says
Are you still “PREACHING” your anti-American B.S. FlaglerLive ? And I see the same old “ass kissing” Marxist followers of yours still leaving their commie comments. I can’t wait until Alan Lowe wins the Mayors race and shuts you down for spreading disinformation.
Orange haired new guy says
That’s the largest crowd ever at an event like this, at least a million people, the largest; I tell you it is such a beautiful thing [hands straight, thumbs up, moving apart, in and out apart, from each other at least 4 times, lips pursed]. No other event in history has produced such a crowd.
Rook says
Thank God for the Proud Boys! All 26,000 of them!
FlaglerLive says
If Lowe shuts down any website—not that he’d be capable to do that by more than grow coral—he’d have far bigger problems on his hands than the FBI or the IRS in his “sovereign citizen, I don’t-answer-to-American-law” days, though it would be just like him to imagine himself above the law.
Kathryn says
“Everything I don’t like is Marxist”, as usual. Starting to think everything is Marxist until proven otherwise according to right-wingers at this point.
Mike Bronson says
Can anyone verify the chartered bus from Flagler County carried passengers including a County Commissioner, a current sitting City Council Member and a candidate currently running for City Council
beachcomberT says
This is a minor detail, but this story, like countless others, keeps implying insurrectionists killed 5 people. Of the 5 who died, one was an unarmed woman shot at the front door by a Capitol officer who has not been charged with anything. The others were officers who may have been injured in the riot but “natural causes” also contributed to their deaths. Will the media ever bother to read their death certificates? I am not defending the riot or claiming it was Gandhian non-violent non-cooperation but the violence and damage level has been grossly exaggerated by the media.
beachcomberT says
My 10-second Google search led me to this CBS summary of the charges as of a few days ago. Mr. Yankovich has a point. Many of those arrrested have been charged with misdemeanors, not felonies. Some of the plea bargains reported so far have reduced felony counts to misdemeanors. I am not aware of anyone being held in solitary. To the contrary, most have been granted bail or under house arrest. I look forward to jury trials to see how many of the defendants get convicted. Glaring by its absence is the absence of charges against the Capitol Police office who shot and killed an unarmed woman trying to make her way into a door being held shut.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/capitol-riot-arrests-latest-2021-07-09/
Pierre Tristam says
Beachcomber, one of FL’s otherwise prized commenters, is dissembling on a pile of red herrings, as he has (very surprisingly) been doing all along regarding the extremely violent, deadly, anti-Democratic insurrection since its aftermath. Five people died as a result of the attack. To attribute the deaths to “natural” causes is one other mean of diminishing or deflecting from the attack. When law enforcement annually pays tribute to its fallen in the line of duty, a very large number of those fallen never so much as faced an assailant, but died of heart attacks, unintended gun discharges, covid, accidents, breathing issues (9/11), and so on. That does not make their deaths any less line-of-duty, or any less commemorative alongside those killed by a criminal’s bullet. The cynical manufactured narrative of recategorizing the deaths of Jan. 6 as somehow unrelated to the insurrection’s doings takes its place alongside the other kind of dissembling about so many charges not being so serious after all (though more than 500 have been charged, and many more would have been had the perpetrators, like terrorists everywhere, not masked themselves), or the rarer (because it requires a bit of thoughtfulness, which is nonexistent in insurrectionist propaganda) attempts to make an attack on the election and the seat of democracy To overturn an election as nothing different, say, from Shay’s rebellion. This is denialism by another kind of path, the kind of sewerish path that would argue that since so many Jews died of illness or overwork rather than the gas chambers, it’s “misleading” or “unfair” to blame the Nazis for the genocide of all 6 million Jews. Really?) No no Beachcomber. Not here. I don’t know how anyone remotely aware of even fractions of the Times’ “Day of Rage” investigation can still peddle this kind of relativism. I’m not spending—wasting—-anymore time countering the Fox-Onanist contortions about this here. I suggest you don’t either, because it won’t be enabled.
Mark Woods says
Mark Phillips is a bigger clown than Joe Mullins. At least Mullins managed to get elected. Phillips couldn’t even make the team. He is just a cheerleader.
Wow says
I though DeSantis made a new no protest law? Doesn’t apply to right wing supporters of terrorism? The “law and order” crowd who murdered police officers? The “constitution” experts who vote for criminal insurrectionists? This crowd having a “peaceful protest” is as likely as drunk frat boys having a quiet party where no one gets raped.
Jimbo99 says
Everyone needs to get what they have coming to them, the Jan 6th-ers, BLM-ers 2020 & 2021. Crime is crime. Surveillance video, go get them. The more the merrier.
Charlie Ericksen Jr says
Wasn’t it interesting, that Commissioner Joe Mullins , was absent today, from the Flagler County Commission meeting and according to the Chairman, was excused to ” attend a Tallahassee Meeting” Hmmmmm
NPA Voter says
“Y’all Queda” – brilliant and priceless. Sadly, all too accurate. But thanks for the morning smile.
NPA Voter says
Orange haired new guy – well played. I think you have a future in stand-up comedy
mausborn says
LEADERLESS GOP. Disoriented GOP prefer CRIMINAL CONMAN to try to con American people again as they did in 2016 with Russia’s help. Many GOP lawmakers on the dole from Trump cash kitty. If they support DJT, they get rewarded. Money conned from MAGATs by DJT perpetuating BIG LIE.
Biden 81,000,000
loser 74,000,000