‘I was terrified’: Fil-Am recounts encounter with white supremacists
Photos from roswellencina/Instagram, AP
LOS ANGELES – A Filipino American leader said he felt “terrified” after finding himself surrounded by members of the Patriot Front aboard a Washington Metro train, following the group’s march near President Donald Trump‘s Freedom 250 celebration in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.
Encina is seen seated on the Metro train in a widely shared Getty Images photograph, surrounded by masked members of the white supremacist group.
He told the Advocate he did not immediately recognize the men but began to realize who they were after noticing their patches and logos.
“I would be lying if I said no,” Encina said when asked if he was afraid. “I was terrified, honestly, just because I wasn’t sure what the motives were.”
Patriot Front has been identified by the Anti-Defamation League as a white supremacist group, by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a white nationalist hate group, and by George Washington University’s Program on Extremism as part of the white supremacist movement.
In this image provided by Mark Sherman, members of the group Patriot Front wear masks as they march through Washington before Independence Day events honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (Mark Sherman via AP)
The group was founded in 2017 following the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, according to the Guardian. “The neo-fascist hate group has gained visibility over the years as those connected to white supremacy organizations have been widely embraced by the Trump administration,” the media outlet reported.
Earlier that day, Patriot Front members were seen marching in formation through Washington carrying American flags flown upside down near Trump’s Freedom 250 celebration.
In this image provided by Mark Sherman, members of the group Patriot Front wear masks as they march through Washington before Independence Day events honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (Mark Sherman via AP)
The Washington Post reported that the masked marchers were dressed in matching uniforms, carried shields, drums and flags — including the Confederate flag — and chanted, “Reclaim America!”
Encina, president and CEO of the US Capitol Historical Society and former chief communications officer for the Library of Congress, shared his experience on social media.
Roswell Encina is the president and CEO of the US Capitol Historical Society. Photo from roswellencina/Instagram
“I found myself on a @metroforward train with hundreds of masked white supremacists. It was unsettling,” the Fil-Am leader wrote in an Instagram post.
“I came to this country as an infant and became a U.S. citizen. So sitting there, on the Fourth of July, I couldn’t help but think about the promise of America and the work still required to protect it.
“Moments like this remind me why civic education matters. Democracy is strongest when we understand it, participate in it, and reject the hatred that threatens it. That’s work worth doing every day.”
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