This weekend’s March on Google protest has been postponed.
In a blog post on Wednesday, organizer Jack Posobiec—who considers himself “new right,” not “alt-right,” a loose-knit group associated with white nationalists—cited “credible terrorist threats” as the chief reason for delaying the march. He said such threats were made by the “alt-left,” a made-up term for radical leftists.
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/897678095079092226
Posobiec, known for his involvement in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory and his reported role in creating a “rape Melania” sign at an anti-Trump protest, said he was concerned for the safety of “citizen participants” and allegedly received a threat that paralleled the deadly attack in Charlottesville. He also accused mainstream media of inciting violence for covering the march as an event for Nazi sympathizers.
But there are several other factors that may have influenced Posobiec’s decision to postpone, like poor projected attendance. While it isn’t clear how many members were planning to attend, Business Insider points out that few people signed up in most cities. In fact, only 39 people on Facebook said they’d go to the main rally at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. Nearly 200 counterprotesters in New York City signed up against March on Google.
Additionally, city officials told USA Today that no one had signed up for permits to hold a demonstration, calling into question whether there were ever any plans to hold the march.
The March on Google was organized after Google fired engineer James Damore for writing an “anti-diversity memo.” His 10-page manifesto alleged fewer women were employed in tech because of biological reasons, not social constructs. Among his claims are that women inherently have worse anxiety, while men have a greater strive for status.
The protest against Google was scheduled to take place in nine U.S. cities: New York; Washington, D.C.; Austin; Boston; Atlanta; Los Angeles; Pittsburgh; Seattle; and Mountain View, California.
Posobiec said he plans to reschedule, and hopes to have the march in a “few weeks time.” Google told Quartz it was aware of the march, but didn’t specify what measures it would take against it.