*The Oath Keepers militia group called off a planned protest on Thursday outside the L.A. office of Rep. Maxine Waters.
Supporters of the 43rd District congresswoman staged a counter-protest anyway, despite her warning to “not be baited into confronting the Oath Keepers.”
Members of the far-right anti-government group were scheduled to arrive at the scene at 1 p.m. They were protesting Waters recent statements encouraging the public to confront members of the Trump administration wherever they might encounter them, per abc7.com.
Calling Waters a “protest terrorist inciter,” the Oath Keepers publicized the planned gathering on Twitter and said they intended to “stand against terrorism, stand for freedom of speech and association, in support of ICE/Border Patrol as they enforce constitutional immigration laws.”
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Cliff Smith is an organizer from Local 36 who brought out fellow union members to oppose the @Oathkeepers. He also spoke with @RepMaxineWaters by phone, and she told him that she didn’t want any people out there who might provoke violence. pic.twitter.com/C0gljOduay
— Benjamin Oreskes? (@boreskes) July 19, 2018
But at 1 p.m., police at the protest site said authorities had been in contact with the group, and it had decided not to come in order to ensure peace, L.A Times reports.
The organization has a history of attempting to provoke violence.
“The Oath Keepers would like nothing more than to inflame racial tensions and create an explosive conflict in our community,” Waters said in a statement.
That didn’t stop around 50 counterprotesters from arriving outside her office by 12:40 p.m., some from the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers Local No. 36.
“We’re here to defend our community and the members of our union against the hostile threat of this violent organization that’s coming into our neighborhood with an agenda that is opposed to our interests,” said union organizer Cliff Smith. He said he and his group would not be “baited into confrontations.”
A number of protesters remained near the location long after police announced the Oath Keepers were no-shows. At one point, counterprotesters pulled a small American flag off of a pickup, and set it ablaze while cursing the government and chanting “America was never great.”
According to the report, the mood was ‘festive” overall but was ‘punctuated with moments of tension.’
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