Journalist Jack Posobiec chased by protesters at Emancipation Memorial, gets slammed for 'provoking' them
Protesters near DC's Emancipation Memorial conflicted on Friday, June 26, as they argued over the removal of the statue. Amid the skirmishes, conservative journalist and Trump supporter, Jack Posobiec, was chased from the site of the protests as demonstrators yelled at him. The Emancipation Memorial in Lincoln Park, which depicts an African-American man kneeling at the feet of President Lincoln, has emerged as a flashpoint during the ongoing protests over the killing of George Floyd. Some demonstrators wanted to remove the statue, arguing it promotes white supremacy and ignores the pivotal role slaves played in fighting for their own freedom. However, older black residents argued that the statue should stay up because its removal would erase an important chapter in the history of African-Americans.
Many, including prominent African-American historians, have pointed out that the statue was commissioned and paid for by a group of African-Americans. While several dozen officers with the US Park Police and the DC police watched the arguments mostly without interfering, they seemed apparently ready to protect the statue. The police also moved into action after demonstrators chased Posobiec from the park. The conservative commentator had wandered near the base of the monument, prompting some demonstrators to yell obscenities, call him a Nazi, and urge him to leave the city. A police van pulled up and officers formed a protective line around Posobiec. Later, police were seen pushing at least one protestor to the ground before helping Posobiec into the van and driving away.
Posobiec later tweeted, "Lincoln Park is federal property so I filed a report with US Park Police as well And yes I am pressing charges." Many conservatives took to social media for expressing support to Posobiec. One user tweeted, "Jack showed outstanding composure that should be applauded. He didn’t give in to the mob and that shows true strength." Another wrote, "Those who violently attack journalists are hoping to blot out the truth. They want no light to expose the depravity of their cause." However, many others took to social media to criticize Posobiec for trying to provoke protestors. One user tweeted, "Boo Hoo! Nazi-Boi Jack Posobiec provocatively attends a protest rally, gets water splashed on his shirt, and then cries 'wee, wee, wee', all the way." Another wrote, "If Jack Posobiec didn't want to live in this world, he shouldn't have helped create it." Another user tweeted, "Jack Posobiec, neo-Nazi enthusiast and human Ken doll, got water poured on him for being an a**hole. Conservatives are real grumpy about it."
Posobiec was one of the most prominent promoters of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory on social media, which falsely claimed that high-ranking officials were involved in a child-sex ring centered at a Washington, DC pizzeria. Earlier this month, he falsely claimed he had "breaking" news that there were pipe bombs planted at the Korean War Memorial in Washington DC and that "federal assets [were] in pursuit". Posobiec has also expressed support for neo-Nazi Richard Spencer in the past and has himself posted a tweet that included triple parentheses, an anti-semitic symbol in 2016. In 2017, Posobiec had said that Trump should have disavowed Black Lives Matter following violent clashes between white nationalists and anti-protesters after the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.