About 100 people were in Penn Square late Saturday afternoon to protest the scheduled appearance of former ultra-conservative media personality Tucker Carlson at the Lancaster County Convention Center.
Many at the gathering, which was organized by the Lancaster Democrats, held homemade signs with a range of messages, from “Truth Matters” to “Russia is not our friend.” Demonstrators called out to well-dressed people arriving at the Lancaster Marriott’s main entrance for Dayspring Christian Academy’s “Remember America” event, where Carlson was the featured speaker.
Marla Garza-Friel, a Democratic volunteer from Manheim Township, said the rally is “democracy in action.”
“This is what our military brethren, our police, our elected officials ... need us to do to support them. We have to express ourselves so people hear our message and know they’re not alone,” she said.
Speakers at the rally included Lancaster Pride President Tiffany Shirley; Manheim Township school board President Nikki Rivera; Lancaster City Council member Jaime Arroyo; and Brad Chambers, a Columbia resident who is running for state representative in the 41st Legislative District.
State Rep. Izzy Smith-Wade-El was the final speaker and ended by leading the crowd in a call-and-response chant: “Public dollars! Public schools!”
The sold-out fundraiser for Dayspring Christian Academy comes almost a year to the day after Fox News fired Carlson as host of its most-viewed show. Carlson has celebrated authoritarian leaders overseas and used his massive platform to spread racist conspiracy theories about immigration.
Dayspring has brought other conservative media personalities to the county to speak at its annual fundraiser, including Glenn Beck, a radio host and political commentator; and Charlie Kirk, the head of Turning Point US, a group that encourages students “to Rise Up against the radical Left,” according to its website.
