For the third time in short order, a Southern California "America First" rally planned by U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, Republicans from Georgia and Florida, respectively, has been canceled.
The rally had been scheduled for the evening of July 17, 2021, at the Anaheim Event Center, a roughly 10-minute drive from Disneyland. But shortly after that announcement was made, the city released a statement saying the rally would no longer take place, citing concerns for public safety.
The city said it shared its concerns with the venue, which is privately owned, about the availability of police resources for the event on short notice, and the venue operator opted to cancel.
The Anaheim venue was the third rejection handed to Gaetz and Greene on their quest to hold a rally somewhere in Southern California. They had previously been turned away by the Riverside Convention Center, after a venue in Laguna Hills pulled the plug on the rally after learning who the speakers were.
Both Gaetz and Greene have a track record of incendiary rhetoric. For example, Greene has compared safety measures meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to the genocidal treatment of Jews during the Holocaust. Gaetz, who is under investigation for allegations of sex trafficking involving a minor, was scolded by a top U.S. military general in June 2021 after Gaetz accused the military of being "woke" for educating its ranks about the history of racism.
Both Greene and Gaetz have also promoted false claims by former U.S. President Donald Trump that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by massive scale voter fraud, which incited a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.