Organizers for the march claim that “Google is a monopoly, and its abusing its power to silence dissent and manipulate election results.” | Virginia Mayo/AP Organizer puts March on Google on hold after threats

The conservative organizer who had planned a March on Google at nine locations nationwide this weekend put the event on hold Wednesday amid concerns that there could be violent clashes similar to the ones that roiled Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend.

Jack Posobiec, a far-right media figure who helped push the "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory, had played a lead role in organizing the March on Google as a way to protest the tech giant's decision to fire an employee earlier this month over an anti-diversity memo he penned and circulated.


“Google is a monopoly, and its [sic] abusing its power to silence dissent and manipulate election results,” Posobiec wrote for his blog marchongoogle.com. “Their company YouTube is censoring and silencing dissenting voices by creating ‘ghettos’ for videos questioning the dominant narrative. We will thus be Marching on Google!”

He encouraged people to peacefully protest in front of nine Google offices as a demonstration of their freedom of speech. Posobiec, a Trump supporter, also released a code of conduct for the march, which stated that it was not an "alt-right" event and that it was an “event for First Amendment supporters from across the country, from all backgrounds, ethnicity and walks of life.”

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The term "alt-right" has become associated with white supremacy, white nationalism and the neo-Nazi movement.

In a marchongoogle.com blog post Sunday titled “March on Google Condemns Violence and Commits to Peaceful Rallies,” Posobiec said that anyone who incited violence would not be part of the event. The group, however, received threats of automobile violence mirroring the Charlottesville protests last weekend and therefore delayed its action.

“Following the articles, credible threats from known Alt Left terrorist groups have been reported to and relevant authorities have been notified,” Posobeic wrote Wednesday. “We look forward to the day when the human right of peaceful Free Speech is once again able to be practiced in America.”

Mountain View (Calif.) Police Department spokeswoman Katie Nelson would not disclose security details it had planned for the event, but said the department had received expressions of concern from the community over the past few days.

"We will continue to actively plan to provide an effective and appropriate police presence at the event and throughout the city, and we will be prepared to ensure a peaceful expression of everyone's First Amendment rights," Nelson said in a statement after the event was put on hold. "We will do everything we can to ensure that everyone not only is able to peaceably protest, but that everyone is also safe."



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