Controversial Rally Leader Denies Being a White Supremacist Because He’s Japanese American

Joey Gibson, the organizer and leader behind the recent Patriot Prayer rally in San Francisco, defended himself saying he has nothing to do with White Supremacists.

Gibson, who identifies himself as a Japanese American, spoke with SF Examiner on Aug. 16, about the upcoming rally that his group, Patriot Prayer, planned for Saturday at Crissy Field in San Francisco. The gathering, according to the interview, has already attracted several hate groups like White supremacists and Neo-Nazis, to name a few.

“We won’t let any extremists speak. We’ll let moderates speak. It’s a big part of the goal. We have 10 speakers now, and out of them, we have one white male speaking. There’s guy named Jake Von Ott, with Identity Europa, we tried not to let him in. There’s nothing we can do about [him attending]. We don’t want him there. We made signs saying we don’t support Identity Europa. I’ve literally disowned white supremacists [in his videos]. It’s getting old. We will not let them in. We’re not going to let the flags in. I give you my word, it’s a promise,” he said.

Some people were not in favor of the idea of allowing Gibson and his group organize a rally in Crissy Field, AsAmNews reported. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have urged the National Park Service to deny Gibson and Patriot Prayer to organize in the park.

Both Lee and Pelosi have described Patriot Prayer as a hateful group, and also cited the gatherings can be potentially dangerous as they are often violent, particularly the clashes it had in the past Portland and Seattle rallies.

Gibson, during the interview, reassured those who will attend the meeting that there will be security at the event. “It depends on the laws. All of them have concealed carry in California,” he said, after being asked if it will be an armed security. “We’ll see, it depends on the permit.”

Image via YouTube / Joey Gibson

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