Republican representatives. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene are suing two Southern California cities and several advocacy groups for conspiring to infringe on their right to free speech by pressuring venues to cancel a 2021 rally.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court on Thursday, alleges the venues caved in to pressure from the cities of Anaheim and Riverside and canceled contracts for their America First rally because they disagreed with Greene and Gaetz’s politics. The two legislators are known for their strong support for former President Trump.

The lawsuit argues

First 1st

Amendment gives legislators the freedom to use the venues “on the same basis as other organizations and political figures, regardless of their position or the point of view of the speakers at their event.”

A spokesperson for the City of Riverside declined to comment on the lawsuit Friday. Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster said the city “has not formally received the claim, but is aware of it and will review it.”

The lawsuit also names 10 advocacy groups or political organizations that allegedly pressured city officials and the venues not to host the rally.

Gaetz, Greene and their fundraising committees are seeking a statement saying that each of the defendants violated their rights to freedom of speech and association as part of the lawsuit.

They are also asking for an injunction prohibiting the cities from denying private venues or “forcing them to enter into facility use contracts with plaintiffs for future political rallies” and unspecified damages for emotional distress.

Alexander Haberbush, an attorney representing Greene and Gaetz in the lawsuit, declined to comment.

Greene, a Georgia congressman, and Gaetz, who represents much of the Florida Panhandle, attempted to hold their July 2021 meeting at two locations in Orange County and one in Riverside, but the locations continued to back out.

After the third location is canceled, Gaetz and Greene head to Riverside with “protest against communism.”

The first venue to fall over was the Pacific Hills Banquet & Event Center in Laguna Hills. The venue’s general manager told the Orange County Register at the time it opted to cancel after learning that Gaetz and Greene would be speaking.

The meeting was moved to the Riverside Convention Center, but the city soon received complaints. Councilor Gaby Plascencia said at the time that the legislators are “the antithesis of everything Riverside stands for”.

Raincross Hospitality Management, which operates the convention center, claimed it canceled the event due to the discrepancy on the certificate of insurance provided, the lawsuit said.

With less than 24 hours until the meeting, the group moved the event to the Grand Theater, a private venue in Anaheim, but controversy ensued. Dozens of people contacted the city to denounce the event.

The lawsuit alleges that a city code enforcer called the Grand Theater told the owner and manager that the venue’s conditional use permit would be “in jeopardy if they didn’t cancel the event.”

With no venue, lawmakers instead held a “peaceful protest against communism” outside Riverside City Hall.

These people tried to cancel our venues, but they can never cancel our patriotism or our American spirit, Gaetz said in a video filmed outside Riverside City Hall. They will hear us all across Southern California.