Masked Patriot Front white nationalists stage July 4 march

Hundreds of masked members of the white nationalist group Patriot ‌Front marched through parts of Washington, D.C., on Saturday ahead of Independence Day festivities planned for the evening that have been criticized as divisive.

The group posted on social media that it had arrived in the capital with about 400 members, and Reuters photographers saw hundreds of people dressed in Patriot Front ​outfits traveling on D.C. Metro trains.

Videos posted on various social media platforms and shared on Patriot Front's own Telegram ​channel showed the group marching to drummers near the U.S. Capitol and the Union Station transit center ⁠while wearing khaki pants and caps, blue shirts, white face coverings and sunglasses. Many were carrying the group's flag, Confederate flags, and ​variations of the U.S. flag, at times chanting "Reclaim America."

Around midday, they boarded Metro trains and exited at New Carrollton, Maryland, in Washington's ​northeast suburbs.

Washington's Metropolitan Police is tracking Patriot Front's "First Amendment" activities, a spokesperson said, adding that there were no reports of arrests, complaints filed or calls for assistance associated with the group's march.

"MPD recognises the rights of individuals to peacefully express their views and remains committed to maintaining public safety ​and security for DC residents and visitors," the spokesperson said.

Patriot Front, known for its uniforms, face masks and flash-mob-style demonstrations, formed ​in 2017 after the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, breaking off from the Vanguard America white supremacist group that was at the ‌center of ⁠that protest, according to the Southern Poverty Law Centre.

-Reuters