PolitiFact: Lincoln Memorial isn't off-limits for gatherings

The statement

"The government is trying to now close the Lincoln Memorial for any kind of large gatherings."

Glenn Beck, June 28, on his radio program

The ruling

While hyping his "Restoring Honor" rally at the Lincoln Memorial, Glenn Beck ominously warned that it could be the last chance to attend a large rally at the historic Lincoln Memorial.

The comment came as Beck challenged critics who took issue with holding the rally on Aug. 28 — the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech — and doing so on the exact site of that famous address.

We contacted Beck's publicist for backup for the claim but got no response.

Then the National Park Service offered this statement via e-mail: "There is absolutely no attempt by the government to restrict gatherings at the Lincoln Memorial or at any of our sites," said Margie Ortiz, a National Park Service spokeswoman. "There is zero basis for his claim."

Major rehabilitation work on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and grounds will begin next month and could take two years, but National Park Service officials said that work will not prevent gatherings, and although the size of one would be considered, so far that has not been an issue.

Calling the memorial "a symbol of freedom," she said: "Why would the National Park Service close the Lincoln for any kind of large gathering? Wouldn't this be contradictory to everything the Memorial stands for?"

Those wishing to hold an event at the site need a permit, and applications are handled "in order of receipt," Ortiz said. "We remain content neutral to whatever 'message' the permit applicant brings with them."

Beck warned that "the government is trying to now close the Lincoln Memorial for any kind of large gatherings" and that his rally could be the last one. Gatherings as large as Beck's may be limited during nearby renovations, though none have been denied so far. Beck suggests that the government is trying to silence political speech by blocking future rallies, and there's absolutely no evidence of that. We rule Beck's statement Pants on Fire.

Edited for print. For more, go to PolitiFact.com.