Photos: Patriot Prayer Rally In Seattle Meets Counterprotest

SEATTLE, WA - Saturday's Patriot Prayer rally at Seattle City Hall pitted gun-toting Oath Keepers and Proud Boys against antifa and other left wing counterprotesters. The two sides were separated by 4th Avenue and plenty of Seattle police, but they were still able to taunt and shout at each other.

The rally began around 1 p.m. with Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson giving brief remarks. City Hall plaza was secured by police, but also dozens of armed men wearing homemade military-style gear. They forced some attendees to open their bags for security checks. Seattle police aided the security team by ejecting people who refused to be searched. The security was provided by the Oath Keepers and III% groups.

A man from Eastern Washington who called himself "A.D." was inside the rally wearing a Confederate flag on his head. He said he came to the rally to fight for gun rights. The rally was initially called to protest I-1639, a gun safety ballot initiative. A Thurston County judge on Friday blocked that initiative after a challenge brought by the National Rifle Association.

Across 4th Avenue from A.D., left wing protesters held up pictures of Heather Heyer, the woman killed by a white nationalist in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017. A.D. said he wore the Confederate flag on his head because his family is from the south.

"I'm not a racist, I'm a lover of all," he said, underscoring that his family did not fight in the Civil War for slavery. "I don't agree with owning slaves."

David, from Pierce County, said he came to protest “left wing violence.” He was seated under a tent waving a large flag. He said he believed that the counterprotesters across the street were being paid to be there, a notion many on the right believe. David said he was concerned antifascist protesters would use slingshots and rocks to attack the Patriot Prayer rally.

“I don’t know why people can’t get along,” he said. David said he wants everyone to get behind Donald Trump.

"Can you imagine the good it would create if everyone stood behind the president?" he said.

Nearby, a man who called himself "Ant" came to the rally because he believed his free speech rights were being challenged by the left. He said that antifascist protesters were using fascist tactics against conservatives.

"They want to silence our speech," he said.

Caption: A man who called himself "A.D." wears a Confederate flag on his head.

Photos by Neal McNamara/Patch