The far right is split over how to respond to Donald Trump’s call for protests, with many who believe in a so-called “fedsurrection” plot at odds with others urging demonstrations in support of the former president, Vice News reports.
On one hand, Trump supporters on the far-right Patriots.win message board are backing the former president’s call for protests, advocating for tactics including gathering outside the courthouse on Tuesday (the day Trump said he expects to be arrested), driving trucks into Manhattan to disrupt traffic and nationwide strike, the report said.
Some have called for violence against law enforcement outside Mar-a-Lago and assassinations targeting those involved in prosecuting Trump, according to the report, which notes that the platform has removed some of the especially incendiary posts.
Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, have met to plan for possible protests, the report said. NBC News’ Robert Costa on Monday tweeted a photo of an NYPD truck delivering metal barricades to the area surrounding Manhattan’s criminal court.
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But the baseless theory that the FBI organized the Jan. 6 riot on the Capitol with the intent to cast Trump supporters in a negative light appears to be widespread among hardline Trump supporters, according to the report.
According to a poll conducted by Infowars’ Paul Joseph Watson on Trump’s Truth Social website, 85% of some 1,850 asked whether “the potential protest against Trump being arrested a J6-style trap?” answered in the affirmative.
The leader of the far-right True the Vote warned anyone considering attending the protests to be aware of “instigators,” according to the report.
“Should you decide to protest the arrest of President Trump, be mindful of our brothers and sisters who have become victims of instigators,” True the Vote’s Gregg Phillips wrote on Truth Social.
Phillips himself was jailed last year for contempt of court, the report said.
“You will be arrested. They are already planning the assault on freedom of speech,” Phillips said.
“Follow your own true north. If it seems odd, [it] probably is a set up.”
The Proud Boys have been largely mum at a time when several leadership members are facing trial in connection with Jan. 6.
Roger Stone tweeted: “keep it peaceful, civil and legal.”
