Getty The US Capitol and Washington Monument on the National Mall. Both the MOAR and Juggalo events will be near the Washington Monument today.
Two big rallies are taking place in Washington, D.C. today: the Juggalo March and a pro-Trump “Mother of All Rallies” rally (called MOAR for short.) But if you’re expecting a big brawl between the participants, it may not happen. The organizers of both rallies have said they don’t expect their rallies to interact at all and they’re not promoting any type of violence.
Here’s what you need to know.
At Least 2,000 Are Attending MOAR and About 3,000 Are Attending the Juggalo March
We can’t know exactly how many people will be attending either event until after it’s happened. However, Jason Webber, an organizer for the Juggalo March, told the Washington Post that 3,000 people were planning to attend the event.
Meanwhile, the MOAR rally is seeing about 2,000 people RSVPing on Facebook so far. It looks like both events will be quite large.
The Juggalos are marching to show they’re not OK with the gang label that the FBI gave them in 2011 or any kind of discrimination.
On September 16th we march to show the world we’re not ok with being labeled as a gang or any other stigma. We march for the Juggalos.
According to the website:
The Juggalo Family must truly shine and show America and the world that we are not a gang, public menace, cult, or any of the other untrue labels they have attempted to slap on us throughout the years. We must collectively show them that we truly are a family that is united by a shared love of music and fellowship.”
Meanwhile, the MOAR rally, according to the event’s website, is focused on freedom, putting America first, and uniting everyone under the American flag:
…No confederate flags, communist flags, or foreign flags allowed. This is not a Democrat or Republican rally. It’s not a left or right rally. We condemn racists of all colors and supremacy of all colors. Our patriots are of all colors and we are uniting under our constitutional rights. We are Americans and our color shouldn’t matter.”
The event’s Facebook page mentions that the event is “in support of American values, American culture, American traditions, and of course President Donald Trump.”
Both Will Start This Afternoon in Washington, D.C.
According to the Juggalo’s official website, the event will begin at the Lincoln Memorial at 2 p.m. Eastern. The march itself will start at 4 p.m. Eastern. The event will last all day, concluding with an Insane Clown Posse performance that ends at 10 p.m.
At 2 p.m., attendees will march from the Lincoln Memorial around the Washington Monument and then back to the Lincoln Memorial. They will then hear speeches and testimonials from Juggalos affected by the gang label. The actual march will take about an hour.
Meanwhile, MOAR rally will begin its opening ceremonies at the north end of the Mall, near the Washington monument, at 11 a.m. Eastern, according to their website. The event will also hear keynote speakers and panels talking about “hot topics.” According to the Facebook event, the MOAR rally will last until 7 p.m. Eastern.
Sometime Between 4 and 5 p.m. Eastern, the Juggalos Will March Near the MOAR Attendees
At one point today, the Juggalos will be marching near the MOAR attendees. The MOAR rally is taking place at the north end of the Mall near the Washington Monument. Meanwhile, At 4 p.m. Eastern, Juggalos will march from the Lincoln Memorial around the Washington Monument and then back to the Lincoln Memorial. They expect the march to last about an hour.
If the current schedule holds, then at some point between 4 and 5 p.m. Eastern, the Juggalos will likely be marching around the Washington Monument, near the MOAR rally, according to both event’s stated plans for the day.
Both Rallies Are NOT Advocating Violence
However, don’t expect violence to erupt from the rally attendees while they are near one another. According to both events’ organizers, they are not encouraging any altercations.
Jason Webber, an organizer of the Juggalo rally, and Peter Boykin, a speaker at the MOAR rally, both told The Washington Post that their events don’t plan to interact with each other and they don’t expect any brawls.
The rules of the Juggalo March explicitly prohibit violence, even violence on signs. This is, in part, because the Juggalos were accused of being a gang by the FBI in 2011 and they are protesting this label along with other types of discrimination, and hold peaceful, serious marches as part of their protest.
And Boykin told The Washington Post:
We think Washington D.C. is a great, safe place to have a rally, and I’m not looking for a fight. In Washington D.C., police do their jobs, so I’m not worried about major fights with outside groups. I don’t think it’s going to become a Charlottesville groups or anything like that.”
Despite these assertions, some people are gearing up for clashes, while others are expecting the two events to get along just fine. Here are just a few posts on social media about the two events:
https://twitter.com/AngelafromPA/status/908890831259619328
Serious question: do the MOAR people know the Juggalo March is on the same day/same time/same place?? Hahaha this should be interesting!
@MarcoGutierrez Anyone who is going please keep in mind the wedding in between #MOAR & Juggalo March who are fighting the same system as we are SUPPORT THEM
This Juggalo vs MOAR weekend is going to be off the chain fam
