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Supporters of President Donald Trump protesting the 2020 election result have a surprising new opponent: the Republican Party.
A viral video of protesters, as well as posts on the Talking social media platform, indicate that Trump supporters are seeking to boycott the next Georgia Senate run-off.
A video, shared to Twitter on Saturday, shows a protester speaking into a microphone criticizing Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Utah Senator Mitt Romney, both Republicans. The protester calls them “traitors”.
Apparently, reacting to the certification by election officials in Georgia that President-elect Joe Biden had indeed won Peach State following an election recount, protesters disowned the GOP.
“Any Republican who allows this to happen is an accomplice, and we’ll finish you off,” the protester shouts, pulling on a camouflage sweatshirt with an elephant on it, into the microphone. “For all the Republicans who don’t explicitly help Trump ‘stop the theft’, we’ll make sure you never get elected again.”
Another protester can be heard shouting a long “We are the new GOP”.
Reading remarks on his phone, the camouflage protester vows to dismantle the party.
“If the Republican establishment takes a step back and stands ready and lets the theft pass, we will do whatever it takes to completely destroy the Republican Party,” he said. “We will not accept anything less than a victory for Donald Trump.” He also accused the recounts and ballots of being “bogus” – yet allegations of electoral fraud have been largely denied.
While the in-person protests urged officials to call Trump’s election, a number of Republicans on the social media site of “Free Speech” Speak demanded a boycott of the Senate second-round elections, citing a conspiracy theory on “rigged” voting machines. Screenshots shared by reporter Marcus Baram showed that users of the app accused Kemp and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger of being “RINOs” – an acronym for “Republican in name only” – and trying to lead to victories for Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. Warnock and Ossoff challenge incumbent Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, respectively.
Many of the articles resembled the language used by people who believe in the QAnon conspiracy theory.
“DO NOT VOTE IN THE RUNOFFS OF GEORGIA, THE DEEP STATE WILL COLLECT INFORMATION FROM EVERYONE. THIS IS A CHARADE, WHICH MEANS IDENTIFYING PEOPLE WHO DO NOT VOTE DEMOCRATE,” read a post, which also lamented that the potential victories for Warnock and Ossoff come at a small price to pay. “
The second round of the election in Georgia is scheduled for January 5, with early voting starting on December 14. The second round will determine which party controls the Senate.
Besides the Republican Party, many supporters have also turned to Fox News, upset that the network has also called for the election of President-elect Joe Biden. Another video of the protests shows a person saying Fox “betrayed us” by calling Arizona for Biden.
“After Fox News called Arizona prematurely for Joe Biden, I said, ‘I will never watch Fox News again,’” the protester said.
Trump praised supporters in Georgia for their rally, sharing a story on protests from conservative media Breitbart.
“Large rallies across the country. The evidence is pouring in. A lot more votes than necessary. It was a landslide,” he tweeted on Saturday afternoon.
Watch: Hundreds of activists gather for ‘Stop the Steal’ rally in Georgia https://t.co/vUG1bqG9yg via BreitbartNews Big Rallies across the country. The evidence pouring in is undeniable. Many more votes than necessary. It was a landslide!
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 21, 2020
Georgia Republican Party contacts did not respond Newsweek’s sent email requests for comment in time for publication.
Elijah Nouvelage / Getty
Update 3:44 p.m. EST: This story has been updated to include Trump’s tweet about rallies in Georgia.
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