Dozens of men, their faces covered with white masks and waving flags associated with the rightwing organization Patriot Front , marched in front of Philadelphia's City Hall the night before Independence Day.

They received a less than warm welcome from Philadelphians. 

Videos posted to Twitter that night showed onlookers cursing at the group and shouting that they "should be ashamed" of themselves. Many also, called them cowards, noting that their faces were covered, presumably so that they could not be identified.

In past white supremacists rallies, such as the one that took place in Charlottesville in 2017, participants who were identified ultimately lost their jobs.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, Patriot Front is “a white supremacist group whose members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it solely to them.” 

The group, which according to NBC Philadelphia is based out of Texas, often participates in localized flash mobs in cities across the country. The Independent reported that a similar group, also claiming to be members of Patriot Front, marched in Washington DC the same night. 

While their DC march apparently went largely uncontested, in Philadelphia, some locals engaged the white supremacists head on. Some "minor pushing and shoving with members of the group," was reported and some kind of colored smoke, can be seen billowing amongst the crowd in one of the videos. According to the outlet itself an NBC Philadelphia photographer who was on site had his cell phone taken by members of the group, though he later recovered it. 

White supremacist groups and racial violence have been on the rise since the election of Donald Trump. Many felt that the former president encouraged such groups with his often-inflammatory rhetoric, including a now infamous moment during the 2021 Presidential debates in which he told another white supremacist group, the Proud Boys, to "stand back and stand by."

Several white supremacist groups were also implicated as part of the January 6th Capitol Riot, in which armed rioters stormed the building intent overturning the election results that confirmed Joe Biden as the next President of the United States.

Despite the tension, the confrontation between white supremacists and onlookers in Philadelphia was relatively peaceful. However, several people noted the lack of police presence on site during the incident and according to the Daily Beast no arrests were reported.

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