Key facts
- Hundreds of masked Patriot Front white nationalists marched through Washington D.C. on July 4.
- Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended the march as protected free speech.
- Burgum acknowledged that such actions can make democracy appear 'messy'.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended a July 4 march by hundreds of masked Patriot Front white nationalists through Washington D.C. as protected free speech. Burgum stated that while such demonstrations might make democracy appear "messy," they fall under the umbrella of free expression.
The Patriot Front is known for its white nationalist ideology and has been involved in similar public demonstrations.