WASHINGTON (AP) – Washington has always been a magnet for protests of all stripes, but Saturday’s lineup looks to be particularly raucous.
The Washington Mall will hold what organizers are calling “The Mother of All Rallies” in support of President Donald Trump. A short distance away, a group of anti-Trump demonstrators will gather to demand that Trump take stronger action against Russia in response to Moscow’s interference in the 2016 election.
And in front of the Lincoln Memorial, thousands of so-called juggalos – supporters of the rap group Insane Clown Posse – will stage a concert and rally to demand that the FBI rescind its classification of juggalos as a “loosely organized hybrid gang.”
The rap duo, specializing in “horrorcore,” has developed an intensely devoted fanbase over the course of a 25-year career. The annual Gathering of the Juggalos music festival draws thousands and is now in its 18th year.
A 2011 report by the Justice Department’s Gang Task Force placed the juggalos, who favor extensive tattoos and outlandish face paint, in the same classification as overtly violent gangs like the Bloods and the Crips. The report said juggalos are “forming more organized subsets and engaging in more gang-like criminal activity.”