Outside the Beltway

D.C. Rally for Denmark at Noon (Updated)

James Joyner · Friday, February 24, 2006 · 4 comments

Don’t forget, the D.C. Rally for Denmark that Christopher Hitchens organized is from noon-1.

Update: I made it, although not without driving around for 15 minutes to find a parking spot, a mile walk to the embassy from said parking space, and managing to trip and tear my suit pants while trying to make up time.

The turnout was pretty good, considering the late notice and out-of-the way location. Watching people who are (mostly) conservatives hold a rally is rather amusing, however, as only a handful of people had any desire to participate in chants or hold up signs. As regular readers and acquaintances might guess, I was among the non-demonstrative demonstrators.

Among the attendees I recognized were Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, Washington Times editorial page editor Tony Blankley, and Heritage Foundation media programs director Mark Tapscott.

I spoke briefly with Hitchens, who as one might expect was surrounded by reporters the whole time, and quipped that this was not a group that attended a lot of protests. He replied that he had been to a lot over the years and that “this was, by far, the most respectful one” he had ever attended.

I took a few photos that I’ll post this evening from home.

Update 2: Tapscott has a more thorough report.

Vital Perspective has a very short report but several photos, including of people holding up “Lego My Freedom of Speech” and “We are all Danes Now” signs. The latter was also the chorus of a chant the pretty girl in the wool hat (top photo) was trying to lead.

Update 3: Wonkette (Who is a man, oddly enough. Perhaps I’ll start calling him Wonk.) wonders,

Seriously, did you ever think you’d see these guys carrying signs around protesting s—? Is Thomas Friedman gonna write an op-ed mocking them now? Because these are the people who got together and officially declared protesting to be Ridiculous and Futile back in the go-go ’90s, aren’t they?

I don’t think anyone has ever argued against protests or demonstrations, merely the standard variety where a bunch of unkempt people who seem to show up at every protest rant, rave, and disturb the peace. Candlelight vigils and other quiet shows of support for a cause seldom get ridiculed. Of course, as Glenn Reynolds implies, they don’t get much attention either.

Andrew Sullivan, rumored to be in attendance, in fact was as evidenced by a photo a reader sent Wonk. I actually saw him but, despite having seen him several times on television, did not recognize him. Apparently, in his case, the camera takes off several pounds.

Update 4: Greg Tinti has more photos and commentary. Meanwhile, Vital Perspective has been taken down by an Instalanche and is currently inaccessible.

Apparently, Hitchens gave a short speech toward the end of the event, which I missed. I needed to trek back to the car, make my way out of D.C. traffic hell, and get back to Falls Church for work. Plus, there was no indication that anything was going to happen, it was mostly just people standing around.

Updates 5 and 6: Photos moved to Denmark Rally Photos.

Update 7: The fellow I didn’t recognize as Andrew Sullivan was, in fact, not Andrew Sullivan. A fellow I didn’t see but would have recognized as Andrew Sullivan had I seen him was in fact there. Stephen Green–who wasn’t even there–has the photo, along with several others.