We Will Defend Democracy Against Bigotry

On Saturday, March 5, bigoted and anti-democracy groups, including paramilitaries, are planning a rally at the Washington State Capitol. The rally is focused on mobilizing resentment toward democratically-supported government safety measures and will bring together almost two dozen different bigoted and anti-democracy groups, potentially representing a real escalation in their activity. Two of the key rally organizers are men with a documented history of using violent and bigoted rhetoric to build political power.

When we see anti-democracy actors organizing to exploit bigotry and spread conspiracy theories to advance their exclusionary political goals and exacerbate division in our communities, we must speak out in support of our values of inclusion, equity, nonviolence, and respect for one another. We, the undersigned, are writing to affirm our commitment to inclusive democracy and, with a unified voice, to reject the coalition of anti-vaccine, anti-LGBTQ+, paramilitary, bigoted, and anti-democracy groups that are cynically exploiting the disruptions of an ongoing global pandemic in order to rally around an exclusionary and anti-democracy message on March 5.

The upcoming rally, dubbed “Government Resistance Impedes Tyranny” or GRIT, by its organizers, may signal a concerning increase in the scale of anti-democracy organizing in Washington state. The rally's sponsors include the Washington Three Percent, a paramilitary group with a long history of violent or threatening rhetoric, including calling for a so-called citizens’ arrest of Attorney General Bob Ferguson. The group’s founder, Matt Marshall, who is also one of the upcoming rally’s main organizers, previously compared Governor Inslee to Hitler in a troubling dismissal of the horrors of the Holocaust. He also posted a meme with a case of bullets with the caption “contact tracer repellent” in an implicit threat to the safety of public health workers. Another rally organizer is Tyler Miller, a man responsible for several anti-democracy events in Washington in recent years. Miller was recently suspended from his job for posting on social media, "Not sure who needs to hear this, but lethal force is justified when defending one's life, liberty, or property. PSA - COVID mandates are threatening your life, liberty and property." 

Sponsors of the rally also include Turning Point USA, which continues to espouse hateful rhetoric and recently helped to organize anti-mask protests at several Washington high schools. The anti-LGBTQ Family Policy Institute of Washington is another sponsor. Its founder previously compared same-sex marriage to bloodletting, and once opined on social media in reference to the shameful 2017 Muslim ban, “Can Trump just blow up the airports in the 7 countries to implement the ban?” The Oregon-based group Timber Unity, which permits bigoted and violent language on its Facebook group and uses truck convoys as an intimidation tactic to disrupt democratic practice in Salem, has announced that they will join the rally as well. Demonstrations led by paramilitary and anti-democracy groups routinely include disturbing distortions of Holocaust history, with leaders and participants tolerating the offensive misuse of symbolism related to genocide.  Just last month, leaders of the March 5 event exploited bizarre rumors about the Washington State Board of Health’s quarantine regulations in order to frighten Washington residents, fomenting recriminations and anger against the Board of Health. 

Anti-democracy leaders are intentionally combining bigotry, disinformation, and conspiracy theories with tactics that include threats, intimidation, and sometimes political violence with the goal of undermining the democratic process in Washington and across the country. This combination creates a chilling effect that may seriously impair our communities’ ability to engage in peaceful and inclusive democratic decision-making processes. 

Many of the same groups and individuals gathering for this rally have also promoted conspiratorial claims against people in public service, targeting public health authorities, elections administrators, and educators. Public servants and community leaders of color face a particularly vicious form of racism in this context. Intimidation and the threat of political violence are making it increasingly difficult for Washingtonians to engage in constructive dialogue on how best to protect public health, educate our children, and ensure that our right to vote is respected. While community leaders have been under constant pressure, we also can’t ignore the impact of attacks on our democratic institutions on ordinary workers in public-facing jobs who bear the brunt of anti-democracy activity every day. We stand with the healthcare, customer service, and constituent services professionals who are dealing with increased aggression and bigotry in their daily work, and who deserve solidarity from all of us at this difficult time. 

Today, we are committing ourselves to speak out consistently with a unified voice, on behalf of inclusive democracy and against bigotry. Community leaders and elected leaders must firmly reject the attempts of bigoted and anti-democracy movements to shape our political conversations around fear and exclusion. We can change the conversation to focus on strengthening inclusive democracy, expanding access to participation in the democratic process, community resilience and power, and working for a just and equitable pandemic recovery that prioritizes health, safety, and care. We encourage our colleagues and leaders to join us in showing up for communities in which everyone can live, love, worship and work free from fear. 

ORGANIZATIONAL SIGNERS:

Western States Center

Alliance for Gun Responsibility

Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) Pacific Northwest Office

Congregation Kol Ami

Entre Hermanos

Faith Action Network

Faith Leaders and Leaders of Conscience of Eastern Washington and North Idaho

Indivisible Plus Washington

Indivisible Whidbey

Interfaith Works

League of Women Voters of Benton and Franklin Counties

League of Women Voters of Kittitas County

League of Women Voters of Mason County

League of Women Voters of Pullman

League of Women Voters of Seattle-King County

League of Women Voters of Snohomish County

League of Women Voters of Spokane Area

MAPS-AMEN (American Muslim Empowerment Network)

Muslims for Community Action and Support

National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) WA State

Native Connections Initiative of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Whidbey Island

Northwest Progressive Institute

Olympia Zen Center

OneAmerica

Pacific Islander Community Association of Washington

Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane

Planned Parenthood Of Greater Washington and North Idaho

Politics of the Possible in Action

Pro-Choice Washington

PSARA (Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action)

QLaw Foundation of Washington

Seattle Indivisible

SEIU 775

SEIU 925

SEIU Local 49

Shalom Church (Mennonite and UCC)

Snohomish County Indivisible

Solidarity Over Supremacy

Spectrum Center Spokane

Spokane Community Against Racism (SCAR)

Spokane Independent Metro Business Alliance

Washington Coalition for Police Accountability

Washington Education Association

Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO

Washington State Nurses Association