Early Saturday morning, an email went out from “Shut Down All Ports of Entry” protest organizer Stasyi Barth stating that due to “threat of mass violence to attendees, along with very suspicious activity on the Facebook site,” plans to protest along the entire length of the U.S.-Mexico border had been cancelled. This just hours before the protests were scheduled to take place.
“Shut Down All Ports of Entry” had planned to block border crossings stretching from San Ysidro in San Diego, California, the busiest land port of entry in the western hemisphere, to Brownsville, Texas. The stated aim of the protest was to send a message to government regarding seven stated issues, Breitbart recently reported.
In a Friday evening message, the protest organizer, Stasyi Barth wrote, “Stay safe, take lots of pictures and enjoy expressing your right to peacefully assemble and air your grievances to your government!”
However, at about 2 a.m. Saturday morning, a message went out to all protest organizers and on the Facebook page reading, “PROTEST IS CANCELLED…..PROTEST IS CANCELLED……” and went on to mention the threats of violence against protestors.
Breitbart Texas received the following from Barth Saturday morning:
Cartel threatening mass bloodshed. One of the guys in Texas was followed into a Walmart, on the freeway, then approached at his hotel. At the same time, I got a bunch of requests to join the [Facebook] page from Sonora Mexico. I grabbed as many as I could, but realized it was getting out of control fast, and I didn’t want them to see who the attendees were. This is after it was requested that we avoid certain areas, because of the recent border threats, unrelated to us. The cartel has people at every port listed… waiting for us, so I was told.
Barth cited threats of violence from these sources as the reason for cancelling the event, saying, “Risking anyone’s life is not worth it!”
Barth warned in prior communications regarding the event, “There very well may be a counter-protest at the ports.”
Along the way, event plans have met a number of obstacles, which raise the question of the “unsubstantiated” threat’s legitimacy. At one point, confusion ensued over whether or not the event was connected to the militia. That connection was quickly refuted. Whether the source of the “unsubstantiated threat” actually has any connection to cartels has also not yet been verified.
Breitbart Texas reported this morning: “While the protest calling for the shut-down of the bridges had a big following on social media, it remains unclear if there were any protesters actually willing to shut down the bridge. Around the various bridges and rallying points, Breitbart Texas reporters didn’t see any individuals that may have been preparing for a protest.”
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana
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