Time, New York magazine, and others have reported that protesters on inauguration day will be barred from organizing at the Lincoln Memorial. But fears that Donald Trump is shutting down protesters are unfounded. The National Park Service (NPS) is actually following standard procedure, and once permits are sorted out, protesters will have space to hold demonstrations.
Starting with a report in the Guardian, it has been claimed across the web that the NPS is blocking protesters from gathering on Inauguration Day, specifically stopping a “women’s march” from demonstrating at the Lincoln Memorial where other famous protests have taken place. With the Presidential Inaugural Committee having the right to map out inauguration activities, it was easy to implicate Trump in “shutting down” protests; however, the Washington Post reports that the NPS always books federal lands in advance for the inaugural committee, and permits go out to demonstrators after plans for the inauguration are set.
If the inaugural committee does not want to use the Lincoln Memorial, the women’s march (or other protests) could still take place there.
This year, such a large amount of protesters are applying for First Amendment Permits that it has complicated the process. With about 20 groups all seeking to protest on federal land, it is apparently taking longer than normal to sort out, but there is no federal effort to “block” protesters, nor is there evidence that Trump is trying to shut down anyone’s First Amendment rights. You can chalk up that outrage to misleading reports.