Far-Right Whack Jobs Plan a “Rally for Free Speech” at SF City Hall

Hey, folks! Guess who’s coming back to town?

We caught wind of an IndyBay post announcing the return of the alt-right (far-right or whatever you want to call them) crowd scheduled for May 3 at San Francisco City Hall and after a little digging around, we were able to confirm the plan from the mouth of organizer Adrienna DiCioccio.

We’re back at it! Fighting censorship to bring awareness and #StopTheBias
Join us 4/30/19 00:00-5/2/19 00:00 for the next #48Dark log out.

We’ll also have a free speech rally 5/3/19 in San Fran at city hall steps. Text FREESPEECH to 55222 for details https://t.co/WpSGS3zVFG pic.twitter.com/y9R4J8N9Qv

— Adrienna DiCioccio ?? #48Dark (@adriennaUSA) March 5, 2019

Luckily for us, we can avoid all the rumor confusion and go directly to the source since they’ve created a whole web page for just this event. What exactly are they gracing us with their presence for? None only than the topic du jour: free speech.

According to the site, “THE 1^ST AMENDMENT IS UNDER ATTACK!” Their homepage continues:

“Our rights guaranteed under the United States constitution are being systematically violated. Join the rally to demand unbiased social media, and an end to censorship. Confirmed speakers include well-known public figures who have been silenced by Big Tech.”

From what we can gather, the group is pissed off about being “silenced” from social media platforms and various other tech avenues. DiCioccio and friends are keeping track of accounts suspended by tech companies for “(potentially) political reasons.” The offended include far-right pseudo celebrities – think Jacob Wohl, Roger Stone, Gavin McInnes and Laura Loomer to get a good idea of the content they are trying to protect as “free speech.”

The best part of their plan is what will come in the two days before buses full of out-of-towners arrive on the City Hall steps all decked out in MAGA hats, polos and draped in flags like capes. The #48Dark protest “blackout,” is described as a coordinated effort where they are “calling on Americans to boycott social media companies by not using social media in a 2 day moment of silence for everyone who has been censored by Big tech companies like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, Paypal.”

Maybe you sympathize with their censorship plight as a matter of free discourse, maybe not. But one thing we can’t seem to emphasize enough is that their complaints are not founded in any actual free speech infringement, no matter how many times they make that same, tired false claim.

The First Amendment does not protect individuals from private business decisions. Social media and other technology platforms are not government entities and therefore, they have the right to refuse service based on their own interests. If content these banned personalities post incites backlash from other customers, providers have the right to kick them off to avoid the risk of losing other users. These are business decisions. Period.

But this crowd doesn’t let silly things like facts get in their way when there’s a rally party to plan. So far, they seem pretty excited about coming back to San Francisco with some of their favorite returning cast members like Baked Alaska and Ashton Birdie. And just in case you’ve fallen victim to the watered-down description of the alt-right as innocent and coincidentally mostly white defenders of free speech, here’s a video starring Baked Alaska himself that should clear up the mental clutter about some underlying beliefs many of them share.

Washed-up pro-Trump lie-lords planning to combine forces with disgraced neo-Nazi Baked Alaska, best known for getting pepper sprayed at Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, for rally in #SanFrancisco in May. Here's BA breaking down how he turns #MAGA fans into neo-Nazis. pic.twitter.com/byHyEomKBv

— It's Going Down (@IGD_News) March 6, 2019

Locals will likely show up to counter-protest, just as they have in every other instance when these folks come to town. And we love the strength and unity that surfaces in times like these, but we ask that you be safe and don’t give them the satisfaction they’re craving, if you can at all help it. Aside from that, we wish you all a very happy and peaceful #48Dark.