Council candidate speaker at Jan. 6 Washington D.C. rally

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Posted September 13, 2021 | By Matthew Cretul, matthew@ocalagazette.com

Lori Martin Gregory was a featured speaker at one of the rallies held on Jan. 6 in Washington D.C.

Martin Gregory, who is one of six candidates running for Ocala City Council’s District 4 seat, was speaking at “The Rally for Health Freedom” at a park near the Russell Senate Building in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol. While the focus of the rally where Martin Gregory was speaking was the anti-vaccination movement, many of the protestors in the city that day were denouncing what they felt was the fraudulent election of President Joe Biden. No evidence of widespread voter fraud has been uncovered.

Shortly after Martin Gregory spoke, a throng of protesters from another rally in front of the White House marched toward the Capitol. Some of those protestors breached the building, causing damage and sending lawmakers into lockdown.  

Five people died in the riot, including a Capitol Police officer who died after suffering a stroke. A protestor died after she was shot by an officer, and three other demonstrators died of natural causes.

Hundreds have been arrested after the riot – including at least six Marion County residents – which saw protestors break into the U.S. Capitol as legislators voted to certify Biden’s presidential win. Many of the rioters were supporters of President Donald Trump.

Martin Gregory, on Monday, denounced the violence which occurred at the Capitol.

“I support peaceful protest of every sort per the first amendment, and I oppose violence of any sort. Anybody who committed violence should face appropriate and even-handed justice,” she wrote in an email on Monday. 

One of the masters of ceremony at the rally was Charlene Bollinger, who along with her husband, Ty, have received national attention for their anti-vaccination stance.

During the rally, she mentioned that Ty Bollinger had joined the crowd massing in front of the Capitol.

“He just texted me… ‘I’m about to go inside the Capitol. Pray. Teargassing,’” Charlene Bollinger said while looking at her phone.

In the background, emergency sirens could be heard, as well as the far away roars of a crowd.

“All this noise going around us, this really is a warfare. It’s a spiritual warfare but now it is turning into a physical war,” she said.

During her speech, which can be viewed on YouTube, Martin Gregory promoted a film produced by her company and touched on a range of topics including becoming a Donald Trump supporter after he reportedly said too many people were being vaccinated.

She also made a reference to the 2020 election results.

“When your opponent has to cheat to win, you’ve won. It’s just a matter of time before the truth is exposed,” she said.   

Despite multiple promotional flyers listing her as a featured speaker at the MAGA Freedom Rally, Martin Gregory said she was not a part of that event.

“Same day but not part of the same group [MAGA Freedom Rally],” Martin Gregory wrote. “The permit for the health freedom rally that I spoke at was by the Virginia Freedom Keepers, which had nothing to do with the White House event.”

Martin was recently endorsed by Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 129, as well as the Ocala City Employees Unit of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1205. 

The MAGA Freedom Rally isn’t the first time Martin Gregory has been a headline speaker at rallies put on by a Political Action Committee, however.  

She was also listed as a speaker on flyers for the 2020 Health Freedom Nashville, put on by the United Medical Freedom Super PAC, and the 2019 Winter Conference & Seminar put on by The Academy of Regenerative Practice.

According to her LinkedIn page, Martin Gregory is the CEO at 7th Chakra Films and is also the Founder and Editor of the Mom Street Journal.  She describes herself as a “Health Freedom Activist” and a citizen journalist and appears alongside Dr. Andrew Wakefield as part of his eponymous podcast.

 The City of Ocala General Election is set for Sept. 21.