The post included two
links to
pages run by an individual named Vic Freeman, who is the self-described founder of the online groups Million Militia March and the 1R3? PMC: Advanced Tactical Security & Private Defense, which featured a large image of the “1st Regiment of the Restored American Republic” at the top of the page. Various posts on the page state that they are a “security company” that aims to “defend” and “stop violence,” styling itself as an armed unit that protects against Communist forces. Members of both groups number close to 400, and posts in the group largely appeared focused on anti-mask, pro-Trump, and right-leaning political discussion.
In addition to the above post, a number of groups have threatened violence or disruptions at the inauguration. Proud Boys, a group with ties to white nationalism, have used
YouTube to call on their members to “revolt” and “take over” at the inauguration. On one particular video, a Proud Boys leader
said, “You show up there in Biden gear and you turn his inauguration into a fucking circus, a sign of resistance, a sign of revolution.”
The Oath Keepers, an armed, right-leaning militia group with tens of thousands of members, has also
said it does not recognize Biden’s presidency, and members were part of gatherings in Washington, D.C., such as the so-called “Million MAGA March” of mid-November 2020, protesting the election results. Stewart Rhodes, a founder of the militia, told
The Independent, “everything that comes out of [Biden’s] mouth will be considered not of any force or effect, anything he signs into law we won’t recognise as legitimate. We’ll be very much like the founding fathers. We’ll end up nullifying and resisting.” It is not clear if Oath Keepers will be in attendance at the January inauguration, though Rhodes did pen an
open letter to Trump saying the group would fight a “desperate revolution/civil war against an illegitimate usurper” if Biden was sworn in
