Manassas GOP Headquarters Vandalized on Independence Day; Police Investigating
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MANASSAS, Va. – The Manassas City Republican Committee headquarters was vandalized on July 4, 2025, in an incident now under investigation by police.
Zachary Murphy, a committee member, discovered the damage shortly before 9:45 a.m., Saturday, July 5, while walking to the city’s farmers market. He had spent the morning decorating the headquarters at 9016 Center Street for Independence Day, hanging an American flag, and putting up patriotic bunting. “While I was walking to the farmers market, I got a text about what had happened,” Murphy said.
On the front window of the building, someone had scrawled the word “Fash”—an apparent attempt to write “fascist.” “It looks like they were trying to write ‘fascist,’ but they weren’t very good at spelling or spacing,” Murphy noted. He also observed a suspicious substance on the window that he believed to be urine. Murphy removed the graffiti using nail polish remover and rubbing alcohol.
Murphy said that someone had also pulled down one of the American flags, but there was no video surveillance on the building to capture the vandalism. Manassas police responded to the scene, and a bystander reported seeing a suspicious individual in the area. Another committee member, Stephen Kent, visited the building at 9:30 p.m. on July 4 to retrieve his bike and confirmed the flag had been removed.
Murphy expressed frustration but also called for constructive civic engagement: “Get your message out—it’s your civic duty to speak your mind—but it’s got to be constructive.”
The vandalism came as the local GOP committee prepared to celebrate July 4 and support its slate of candidates in upcoming elections. The Republican Party in Manassas advocates for conservative principles outlined in the Republican Party of Virginia’s creed, including free enterprise, fiscal responsibility, constitutional limits on government, and a strong national defense.
In April 2024, George Ellis was elected the new chairman of the committee. The committee holds monthly meetings, typically on the second Wednesday, at Old Towne Sports Pub in downtown Manassas.
The committee endorsed Xiao-Yin “Tang” Byrom for mayor and Robyn Williams, Lynn Forkell Greene, and Stephen Kent for City Council in the 2024 local elections. It has also nominated Nate Fritzen for City Treasurer and Deon Shamberger for Commissioner of Revenue in 2025.
The group encourages civic participation through volunteering, campaigning, and attending events. For more information, visit manassascitygop.com.
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