Patriot Front Accosted at March for Life Chicago

About 50 members of Patriot Front, a self-described nationalist and fascist group, marched over to the March for Life Chicago on Saturday, where they were met with a chilly reception.

March for Life rallygoers accosted the group, accusing them of "hijacking a pro-life movement" as they proceeded on their annual anti-abortion march through the Chicago Loop. Marchers questioned their possession of shields and inverted American flags. Some arguments continued as the group proceeded on the sidewalk alongside the March for Life, before Patriot Front members paused and broke off from the march at Michigan Avenue. They marched through Grant Park before departing in a caravan of private vehicles with taped-over license plates.

Patriot Front was formed in 2017 as a split-off from Vanguard America in the wake of the Charlottesville 'Unite the Right' rally. They are lead by Thomas Rousseau, and have been known for making unannounced 'flash rallies' in various large American cities, most recently in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. Rousseau has previously described himself as a fascist (see https://twitter.com/FordFischer/status/1226629333160275968), as have members of the group, and many of the Patriot Front flags feature the fasces symbol, surrounded by 13 stars. Of the group's growth since 2017, Rousseau stated in 2020 "We have found a prosperity that very few nationalist organizations, especially in the United States, have been able to parallel” (see https://odysee.com/@keithwoods:e/thomasrousseau:1). The group is also known for various logo 'stencils' and flag/banner drops on highway overpasses throughout the U.S.

Saturday's rally marks the fourth annual appearance by the group at pro-life/anti-abortion events in Chicago. The March for Life Chicago organizers responded to a tweet ahead of the event on rumors of the group making another appearance, stating "The March for Life Chicago is in no way affiliated with the Patriot Front and opposes white supremacy." (see https://twitter.com/March4LifeChi/status/1478041179853926400 ). Patriot Front marched alongside the group for only about 3 blocks midway through the march before breaking off, with both the rest of the march's procession and the Patriot Front group's departure from the Chicago Loop continuing without incident Saturday afternoon.