Chris Roberts, American Renaissance, August 29, 2016

A pro-refugee rally was held at the Washington Monument at the National Mall on Sunday. “DC Rally 4 Refugees” was organized by the Tides Foundation with the help of many different groups, including the usual suspects: CODEPINK, The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Amnesty International, and the Human Rights Campaign.

Speaker after speaker walked on stage to deliver the usual bumf about why we must open our borders. Sprinkled in with the academics and professional activists were a few artists reciting “poetry” and singing protest songs.

In one particularly dull performance, about two dozen people walked onstage one by one, dressed in black except for an orange life vest, paused in a row facing the crowd, took the life vests off and put them on the ground, and then walked off, one by one. Graffiti artists have more talent than these people.

The rally’s official color was orange–the color of many life vests–and the rally’s symbol was a stylized life vest. Attendees and speakers had been asked to wear orange in solidarity with refugees.

As with many gatherings, the speakers were largely an occasion for like-minded people to socialize with each other. The signs and costumes in the audience were more interesting than the presentations.

There was a handful of protesters.

Rally attendees did their best to keep the protesters out of sight by creating a human wall around them. The irony was not lost on me.

Shortly after that, someone brought in the National Mall’s security force, and after some negotiation, got the protesters to move much further away from the rally.

Near the stage were a few tents operated by different pro-immigration groups.

The signs were condescending, the speakers incoherent, and the organizations backing it all subversive, but there is good news: attendance was low. For a rally about one of the Left’s favorite topics, launched by groups with such deep pockets, located on the National Mall, and held on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., I thought thousands would show up, but there could not have been more than 300 people. The event was planned well in advance too–I first heard about it two weeks ago–and the organizers even made special t-shirts for the event.

Donald Trump announces rallies just one day in advance, and attracts thousands. If that isn’t sign for hope, I don’t know what is.