Mayor Ed Lee said Tuesday that he expects the National Park Service to issue a permit for a “Free Speech” rally at Crissy Field despite an outcry from city officials fearful that the event will bring white supremacists to San Francisco.

The National Park Service has until Friday to make a decision on whether to issue the permit to Portland-based Patriot Prayer, which has distanced itself from white supremacy.

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Many are concerned that the rally will result in violence after a protest over the removal of a confederate monument in Charlottesville, Va. turned deadly Aug. 12.

“We continue to insist that the permit should be reevaluated just given what happened… in Charlottesville,” the mayor told reporters Tuesday. “Having said that, we are not in control of this permit, the National Park Service we expect will issue it.”

Presidio Trust spokesperson Dana Polk said the National Park Service has yet to make a decision. But Patriot Prayer organizer Joey Gibson told the San Francisco Examiner that he expects to receive the permit Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a number of local and federal agencies continue to meet to discuss security for the rally.

S.F. Examiner Staff Writer Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez contributed to this report.

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