The advocacy group Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) has canceled its planned rally on Inauguration Day because it sees the granting of its permit to gather as an attempt to maintain a mirage of free speech, ANSWER Director Brian Becker told Sputnik on Wednesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2021) The advocacy group Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) has canceled its planned rally on Inauguration Day because it sees the granting of its permit to gather as an attempt to maintain a mirage of free speech, ANSWER Director Brian Becker told Sputnik on Wednesday.
"We canceled it because no one was going to be able to get to the site because the area is entirely fortified and the public is not allowed to enter that area and the media could not get to that area either," Becker said. "So there was no point for the ANSWER Coalition to hold an activity that was guaranteed to be invisible. The First Amendment was effectively stifled but the government issued a permit for our activity to maintain the 'image' or mirage of free speech at the inauguration."
The ANSWER coalition was one of two groups that received permits from the authorities to hold rallies on Wednesday.
National Mall and Memorial Parks Superintendent Jeffrey Reinbold told reporters last week that the authorities will permit two small and heavily guarded rallies on Inauguration Day in downtown Washington, DC, which has been placed on a lockdown for the event.
Reinbold said activists will be escorted through magnetometers and then taken to permitted areas and backed by US Park Police, who will also accompany them throughout the event.
The US capital has implemented unprecedented security measures leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, effectively closing the city to the public and calling in more than 25,000 National Guard troops to ensure security during the event in addition to local and Federal law enforcement personnel.
Biden is set to be sworn in by US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday at around noon local time (17:00 GMT).
