Seattle Stands with our Muslim Neighbors and the Anti-Sharia Rally: Antifa demonstrators with their faces obscured by scarves and masks, Seattle City Hall, 4th Ave., Seattle, Washington, June 10, 2017
On June 10, 2017, two rallies converged outside of Seattle City Hall. One, calling itself the March Against Sharia, was sponsored by the group ACT for America. ACT for America describes its mission as “protecting and preserving American culture”. They have also been identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-Muslim hate group, due in part to repeated claims by founder Bridgette Gabriel that practicing Muslims cannot be loyal citizens to the United States of America. ACT for America sponsored multiple anti-Sharia rallies across the US on the same day. Members of the alt-right group Patriot Prayer (along with organizer Joey Gibson) attended in support of the anti-Sharia demonstration. The few dozen March Against Sharia members were met by over 500 counter-protestors, calling themselves Seattle Stands with our Muslim Neighbors. This group, representing local religious, LGBTQ, labor, and community organizations, gathered at Occidental Square before marching to Fourth Avenue to address the March Against Sharia protestors. Imam Jamal Rahman, of the Interfaith Community Sanctuary, addressed counter protesters before they headed to City Hall. According to Facebook statements made by organizers, the purpose of the counter-protest was to “say loud and clear that hate and Islamaphobia are not welcome here”. Activists also set up an “Ask an American Muslim” booth where attendees could engage with members of Seattle’s Muslim community. Throughout the rally, Seattle Police, armed with clubs and wearing riot gear, maintained a wide barricade between the two protests by encircling the March against Sharia protestors with fences. Police deployed pepper spray and arrests were made following a fight that broke out after the rallies had concluded.
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Pacific Northwest Political Marches and Rallies 2017
