Far-right “Pizzagate” conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec tweeted videos and photos Wednesday showing him leading a group of people protesting a Vladimir Lenin statue in Seattle.
Video shows Posobiec leading the group in a chant of “tear it down, tear it down” as the protesters — wearing “Make America Great Again” caps and holding placards bearing phrases like “Lenin is Hitler” and “Alt Left Hate” — marched around the statue.
It appears that about 7 people, including Posobiec, attended the demonstration.
Some alt-right websites lauded the protest, with political blog Gateway Pundit calling it “amazing.”
Many on Twitter, however, had a field day commenting on the small turnout.
As SeattlePI notes, the Lenin statue ― located in Fremont, a quirky neighborhood known for its bustling art scene and annual solstice parade ― has drawn public ire before.
When it was first unveiled in Seattle in 1995, some locals condemned it as a symbol of oppression and the millions who died under Soviet rule.
Others, however, have defended the statue, calling it an example of “art outliving politics.”
The story of how the Lenin statue got to Seattle in the first place is a strange one. According to the Seattle Weekly, the statue had originally been erected in Czechoslovakia during the Soviet era. After communism fell in that country, an English teacher from Issaquah, Washington, found the statue in a junkyard and had it transported to the U.S.
The statue, which is up for sale for $250,000, now sits on private property in Fremont. It is frequently vandalized with red paint, and could be seen wearing a colorful outfit during Pride Weekend.
