Multiple outlets are reporting that around 150-200 individuals who affiliated with the Patriot Front, a right-wing organization, made their way towards the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., via the National Mall, on Sunday. They were being accompanied by several Metro DC police officers who were working to ensure a safe separation between this group and any potential counter-protesters.

Thomas Ryan Rousseau is a far-right political activist who is the founder and leader of the Patriot Front. The group is known for its use of propaganda, including posters and banners, which display slogans promoting white supremacy, antisemitism, and other extremist ideologies.

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Who is Thomas Ryan Rousseau?

Rousseau, who was born in 1998, grew up in Texas and attended Coppell High School before reportedly enrolling at Texas State University. In 2017, he founded the Patriot Front, which is widely considered to be a white supremacist organization and has been linked to several hate crimes, including vandalism.

The Patriot Front is a faction that emerged from the alt-right movement and is known for promoting extremist ideologies. The group splintered off from the neo-Nazi organization Vanguard America in the wake of the Unite the Right rally that occurred in 2017.

According to reports, in the lead-up to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, Rousseau gained control of Vanguard America’s web and Discord server. He went on to lead Vanguard America’s contingent at the rally. After the negative publicity generated by the event, Rousseau left Vanguard and used the group’s domain name to establish the Patriot Front as a new organization.

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He recruited many of the former Vanguard members to join the Patriot Front, which became known for its promotion of extremist ideologies. Rousseau has been arrested repeatedly in the group’s activities.

Rousseau has been the subject of numerous media reports and has attracted criticism and condemnation from civil rights groups and anti-racism activists. He has been arrested and charged in connection with several incidents, including an alleged assault in Michigan and a hate crime in Colorado, although it’s worth noting that he has not been convicted of any crimes at this time.