Georgia county GOP cancels prayer vigil for Jan. 6 'patriots'

The Cobb County Republican Party in Georgia has canceled a candlelight prayer vigil for suspects in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack — an event that was dubbed an "homage to treason" by Georgia state Rep. Teri Anulewicz (D).

The vigil was part of a larger program called "The Patriots Are Awake, Willing and Eager to Protect Their American Freedoms and Liberties" that had been scheduled for Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Capitol riot. Cobb GOP Chair Salleigh Grubbs said in a statement the event's intent was "to acknowledge Americans who lost their lives and pray for those who have been denied justice," and the county GOP did not condone "any form of violence nor the glorification of what happened at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021."

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Greg Bluestein tweeted an event flyer, which stated the candlelight vigil was for "J6 Prisoners" and "J6 Patriots." Time had also been set aside to watch a livestream of former President Donald Trump's press conference, which was canceled on Tuesday.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The party said the event was called off due to its "mischaracterization" and "ensuing concerns for the safety of those in attendance." This was welcome news to former chair Jason Shepherd, who told the Journal-Constitution that the Cobb County GOP "made the right choice. It will go a long way into encouraging unity among Cobb Republicans."