Former Trump Strategist Bannon To Appear At St. Louis Rally
ST. LOUIS (AP) — President Donald Trump's former chief strategist is scheduled to appear Sunday at a rally in St. Louis, a city still in the midst of protests following the acquittal of a white former police officer in the shooting death of a black man.
Protest organizer Cori Bush declined Thursday to speculate whether protesters will gather at Steve Bannon's appearance.
Bannon is scheduled to receive an award Sunday from Phyllis Schlafly's Eagles, a spinoff of the conservative think tank Eagle Forum. He is later expected to appear at the organization's "Put America First Rally."
A spokeswoman for Phyllis Schlafly's Eagles says the rally was planned long before the spate of protests that began Friday, when a judge found Jason Stockley not guilty in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith.
Schlafly was a conservative icon who died last year aged 92.
Bannon is one of the reportedly confirmed speakers that Berkeley "Free Speech Week" organizers claim will be attending their event next week.
The Berkeley Patriot, the student group organizing the event, has filed a complaint claiming discrimination by the university, calling for the Department of Justice to step in.
UC Berkeley officials say they have tried to work with organizers, only to have the group miss deadlines and fail to provide a full list of speakers.
On Facebook, ultra-conservative pundit Milo Yiannopoulos -- another of the high-profile guests slated to appear during Free Speech Week -- has promoted an appearance by Bannon.
Free Speech Week is scheduled to run September 24-27 starting this Sunday.
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