Maxine Waters defenders gather to counter far-right protest that doesn’t happen: report

A far-right, anti-government group outraged over Rep. Maxine Waters’ (D-Calif.) call for the public to confront Trump administration officials planned a protest outside her office on Thursday – but then never showed up. 

The Oath Keepers called on members this week to show up outside the California Democrat’s South Los Angeles office for a “protest against Maxine Waters’ incitement of terrorism, and a stand FOR ICE and the Border Patrol.”

But police at the protest site told the Los Angeles Times that the group had notified authorities that it no longer planned to hold the demonstration, in order to keep the peace.

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By that point, though, dozens of counterprotesters had already arrived on the scene, despite the advice of Waters, who had warned supporters to steer clear of the area. 

“The Oath Keepers have a history of engaging in violent and provocative behavior,” she said in a statement. “The Oath Keepers would like nothing more than to inflame racial tensions and create an explosive conflict in our community.”

Waters stirred outrage among President Trump’s supporters last month when she demanded that people “push back” against members of the administration when they are seen out in public.

The demand surfaced days after White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave a Lexington, Va., restaurant because of her role in the Trump administration. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen also faced protests as she patronized a downtown Washington Mexican restaurant.

Some conservatives have criticized Waters’ remarks, suggesting that the California Democrat was promoting violence against the president and his aides and allies, which she denies.