A Harley Davidson dealership near Washington, D.C., faced massive Internet backlash over the weekend after word spread on social media that it planned to host a rally sponsored by the Nation of Islam.
Bikers participating in Rev. Louis Farrakhan’s “Ride for Justice” originally planned to meet up at the Fort Washington, Md., motorcycle dealership, but a huge online backlash forced them to change their minds.
A petition circulating online calling on the owners of the dealership to cancel the event already has close to 6,000 signatures, and appears to have worked. According to The Associated Press, the event has been called off.
The petition also called on the Harley Davidson corporation to revoke the franchise license of the D.C. location if it chose to go through with the event and denounced Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam as a racist organization.
“Farrakhan has recently publicly called for the deaths of white people, white Christians, police officers, and anyone in the federal government who will not bend to his will and do his bidding,” the petition reads.
The ride was planned in support of Farrakhan’s “Justice or Else” commemoration of the Million Man March, which will take place Oct. 10 in Washington, D.C. The march is intended to support the Black Lives Matter movement in its quest for equality.
Harley Davidson responded to the controversy repeatedly on its Facebook page, distancing itself from the D.C. dealership and saying it never supported the event.
In response to numerous comments on the page, the motorcycle manufacturer gave some variation of the following comment:
“Harley-Davidson of Washington DC, an independently owned dealership, has informed us that they will no longer serve as a meeting point for the Ride for Justice. We also want you to know we are not and have never have been a sponsor of this event.”
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