Armed BLM Activists Rally in Virginia To Demand Reparations

Armed BLM Activists Rally in Virginia To Demand Reparations

Thursday, January 19, 2023

Members of several groups affiliated with the national Black Lives Matter movement attended am armed rally in Richmond, Va., to demand reparations for descendants of black slaves, according to a Thursday report.

According to video posted on social media, members of BLM757, BLMRVA, and the Fred Hampton Gun Club were seen participating in the rally on Monday, with many armed with rifles in the gun-free zone of the state capitol.

For some reason, police refused to enforce the gun-free zone but did tell the groups to move back toward a sidewalk because they didn’t have a permit to protest, The Post Millennial reported.

Independent journalist and documentary filmmaker Ford Fischer said the group was not only advocating for reparations but also the passage of HR40, a state measure aimed at studying the subject.

Monday — Martin Luther King Jr. day — was the annual day of advocacy at the state capitol. The protest took part next to gun control and gun-rights demonstrators. Each year on the same day, citizens meet up with their representatives during what is informally called lobby day.

Republicans have sought to roll back gun control measures enacted when Democrats controlled all levers of power in Virginia. Now, Republicans control the House while Democrats control the state Senate, with Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, so major shifts either way aren’t likely for the time being.

Still, it is notable that Democratic lawmakers were not critical of black groups showing up armed at a gun-free zone near the capitol building. Had white groups showed up armed, in violation of the law, it’s more likely Democrats would have accused them of “insurrection,” especially if they were conservative organizations.