Community Mobilizes in Opposition to First Neo-Nazi Rally in Minneapolis in Over a Decade
UPDATE Saturday Afternoon: 4 Nazis who showed up leave after being confronted by 150-200 anti-racists. Photos: 1 | 2 | TCDP Coverage/video
This Saturday, October 3rd, 2009, the neo-nazi National Socialist Movement (NSM) has threatened to demonstrate against an anti-racist workshop being held at the YWCA on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. The NSM has declared the anti-racist organizers "traitors" to white supremacy. A counter-demonstration, which promises to be large, has been called ahead of the Nazis planned arrival at 10am.
At a press conference on Friday, organizers from the ad-hoc committee opposing the Nazis spoke about the importance of not allowing them a toehold in Minneapolis, before fanning out to leaflet the neighborhood. "We have a two and a half decade history of preventing neo-nazi organizing in the Twin Cities," said Dan Gannon, one of the organizers. "To ignore them would embolden them. It would give them a toe in the door."
Protest Against Nazi Rally | Uprooting White Supremacy Workshop | Help Leaflet | Callout | Minnesota Independent | MIRAC Statement
In Austin, Minnesota, the local chapter of the NSM has had success with their anti-immigrant organizing precisely because they were not vigorously opposed from the very beginning. Nazis there even showed up to and participated - uncomfortably - in an anti-racist workshop put on by Centro Campesino, and have swayed City Council decisions. Although Austin locals are responding, Twin Cities anti-racist activists don't intend for the response here to take as long. In fact, they want to claim as much space as possible outside the YWCA on Lake Street before the Nazis even arrive.
Addressing first amendment concerns - namely, the well-worn argument that even Nazis have free speech too and so a counter-protest is needlessly provocative - Gannon clarified the matter. "There is a difference between hate speech and free speech," he said, particularly hate speech that demonstrably leads to violence such as the recent racist attacks in Brooklyn Park.
"We don't want to see neo-Nazi flags on Lake Street."
From the organizers' announcement:
This provocation also has a wider goal: The NSM has been holding racist anti-immigrant rallies in southern Minnesota, and now they are seeking to establish a presence inside the City of Minneapolis. For years Minneapolis has been a virtual "no-go" area for organized racist activity, due to the efforts of young anti-racist organizers.
In the wake of the racist attacks in Brooklyn Park last week, the nazis' threat cannot be ignored. They plan to bring their racist, homophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic message of division and hate right into the heart of the city. They must not go unopposed!
10:00 am Saturday
October 3rd 2009
Lake Street & 22nd Ave (outside the Midtown YWCA)
Solidarity Against Racism!
No to the Nazis!
Check Twin Cities Indymedia for updates!
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Alert the Community- Doorknock about the Nazi Threat on Friday
-Please forward widely-
Community outreach against Racism!
Defend Our Neighborhoods!
Meetup #1: 11:30am Friday October 2nd 2009
Lake Street & 22nd Ave (outside the Midtown YWCA on Lake St.)
Meetup #2: 2:30pm, corner of 31st St. and 21st Ave. (corner of the YWCA)
This Saturday, October 3rd, 2009, the neo-nazi National Socialist Movement (NSM) has threatened to demonstrate against an anti-racist workshop being held at the YWCA on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. Anti-racists are holding a counter-demonstration against racism at 10am Saturday, October 3rd.
We are gathering at 11:30am and again at 2:30pm on Friday, October 2nd, to do outreach in the neighborhood. We want to make sure people in the neighborhood know about this threat on their doorsteps and know about the counter-demonstration. Please come out and help us spread the word. Meet us in front of the YWCA at 11:30 or at 2:30. We will have fliers in English and Spanish.
Please also spread the word for the Saturday rally. The announcement for the Saturday rally is below.
Defend Our Neighborhoods!
Defend Anti-Racist Organizing!
Saturday
I created an email account and sent an email to the organizers of the fascist rally...they intend to meet at 10 am sharp...show up @ 930 and lets be ready for the nazis!
"In Austin, Minnesota, the
"In Austin, Minnesota, the local chapter of the NSM has had success with their anti-immigrant organizing precisely because they were not vigorously opposed from the very beginning."
Just a note that MIRAc has sent folks down twice this year to oppose their hateful message in Austin and Albert Lea, though admittedly not with the same level of support that we will see Saturday.
No to Nazi's! No to hate!
The Austin counter-mobilizations have been important
I agree, the Austin counter-mobilizations have been important.
And we'll all need to be there again later this month against the NSM
Kdog
anti-fascist anarchist
rally
nazi comment by this guy removed - robert hester
I'm anti-blind hate.
....aaaaaaaaaaaan if you weren't convinced this is a good idea yet, take a look at the comment titled "rally"!
Where is their BOP?
Here's my goal for the next couple of months:
1. Find the headquarters of base of operations.....or maybe a more proper name is the base of demented, twised individuals
2. Set-up a warm-as-possible location outside of the door with a sign that says "You guys are assholes."
I don't know why, but that's all I want to do. Don't care how cold it is. Not trying to start a physical fight, just would really like them to know that I think they're all a bunch of assholes.
Person Of Interest
Not at all.
A good old fashioned boot party would be a fine way to "greet" you and your kind of racist, Nazi filth.
Which is what would have happened if you and your three buddies had not been hiding behind the skirts of the police.
So which bone head are you? Not the old guy are you?
Your tears make me smile.
Your tears make me smile.
It's hilarious that some
It's hilarious that some people I've seen are bringing up the distortion that people opposed to the neo-nazi's are against freedom of speech. They were planning on being there to put pressure on an anti-racist workshop and to hopefully stop them from talking about white privilege and racism. Seems like they are pretty opposed to freedom of speech to me and I had no interest in being there to censor them, they are allowed to think what they want but I have a problem with them from trying to stop people from talking about racism.
rally autin mn [Eds - LOL]
once again the ara has shown the population of austin that they are a violent subversive org that have no regarde for themselvs of the public in general by throwing items and swearing when it was not even called for , arrests were made on thier part 3 in total, the nsm was peacefull and respectful , but again the ara has no respect for anything , free speach is out the window for them and in my oppinion are the racists, clearly trying to spread their marxist communism ideals throghout the communities and cant even draw a crowd in austin we r a group that laughs at the ara and their communistic ways they r a bunch of durg addicted unemployed rabble rousers that had a bad up bringing and are clearly confused on facts, they live in the past and always bring up old idaes and try to make them new, so i say to u dont spew your hate on us , we have an agenda, and u keep turning it into something else , get a life get a job and get a clue because one day when the shit hits the fan u will have no where to run
stfc robert hester
[sic] Your durg-addicted communistic TCIMC collective has decided to leave this up for your entertainment, because we r that kind of marxist communisms. We can't help it--we were up bringed that way!
nazis are wimps
seems like you were the only ones running today...
i wonder how tough you are when you don't have a dozen cops to hide behind
revolutionaries out front
"In Austin, Minnesota, the local chapter of the NSM has had success with their anti-immigrant organizing precisely because they were not vigorously opposed from the very beginning."
Not true! The latest neo-nazi bonehead gang to terrorize Austin, Minnesota-- the Sam Johnson and Robert Hester tag team duo-- have been vigorously opposed since their very first rally in Austin Minnesota last June! The driving force behind organizing the counterprotests the whole time was high school kids. There were tons of other organizations that have had a strong presence in fighting these local boneheads, such as the Socialist Workers Party, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, FMLN Minnesota, and to a lesser extent Centro Campesino (an organization which it is important to realize is heavily oriented towards ineffective reformism, mailing congressmen, etc.) Centro Campesino only got involved when high school-aged "Trots" convinced them to!
In my humble opinion, the simpleton irony and neanderthalishness of Mr. Johnson is so outrageous that it will probably chase the more sane fence-sitters in Austin into the pro-immigrant lobby because the reaction of most normal people is to automatically hate anyone who does "heil himmler" salutes, worships Hitler, and complains about Mexicans all day long.
The article also states,
"Nazis there even showed up to and participated - uncomfortably - in an anti-racist workshop put on by Centro Campesino, and have swayed City Council decisions. "
This is total bullshit. When Mr. Neo-Nazi went to the City Council to tell them to start deporting more immigrants, the mayor actually said he was refusing to sign anything they put forward and just left, so basically the neo-nazis have been getting shut down wherever they go.
The real issue at heart here is economic exploitation. The capitalist system is making its profits by dividing the labor force with the Rio Grande. Racists and nationalists rely on these divisions to alienate us from our working class brothers and sisters in Mexico and Amerikkka. The more exploited one section of the proles, the more exploited the proles are as a whole! Nazis are class collaborationists and are a bunch of ignorant morons; how can you be nationalist and socialist!?
P.S. Sam Johnson uses food stamps to buy his twinkies at kwik trip in Austin and he is an ex-con, and he is also severely overweight and unattractive. What a loser! Also skinhead culture was a creole subculture with JAMAICAN influences so these boneheads are complete retards!
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yes, i too
would like to post a link to my web sites here for random search engine goodness. But see how I resisted the urge?
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