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MINNEAPOLIS—On
Oct. 3, a cold and rainy Saturday morning, hundreds of people gathered
in front of the Midtown YWCA here to oppose the presence of the
National Socialist Movement (NSM), a neo-Nazi fascist hate group that
openly displays swastikas. The local branch of the NSM had advertised
on its website that it would be protesting an anti-racism workshop that
was being held at the YWCA that morning. According to the Twin
Cities Daily Planet, the workshop was called, “More Than Skin Deep:
Uprooting White Privilege and White Supremacy One Cell at a Time.”
The
Midtown YWCA is located in the heart of a working-class neighborhood
that is heavily populated by immigrants and people of color. It seems
to be no accident that the NSM chose to hold their protest in this
particular location.
This
was only the second in a string of attempts by the NSM to gain a public
forum for its hateful views in Minnesota. In mid-September, the same
members of the NSM had attended a workshop on immigrant rights in
Austin, a small farming community in Southern Minnesota, where their branch is
based.
They
wore steel-toed boots, black clothes, and swastikas to the meeting.
While they stopped short of openly attacking anyone in the room, they
were still able to deliver their hateful message. In fact, one woman
who was supposed to speak on a panel about her experience as an
immigrant felt too intimidated to come to the meeting. In this way, the
NSM was able to accomplish their goal of physical and psychological
intimidation.
The
community response to the NSM presence in Minneapolis was much more organized. In
the 1990s, community groups worked hard to organize a resistance to the
presence of hate groups in Minneapolis. They used peaceful
strategies to prevent groups like the NSM from using public spaces in
the city to deliver their message. Because of these efforts, hate
groups were not able to gain a foothold in Minneapolis in the same way that they
have been able to do so in other cities. In light of the economic
crisis and the recent debate over immigration reform, it seems as
though the NSM is once again testing the waters in Minnesota in an attempt to gain a
wider public hearing.
When
the NSM announced they would be protesting the anti-racism workshop at
the YWCA, community members responded by holding several emergency
meetings to organize a response. According to the Twin Cities Daily
Planet, at least one of these meetings was attended by over 100
people.
On
the morning of Oct. 3, over 200 people attended the counter rally. Four
members of the NSM showed up, carrying signs that said, “Help the white
race.” The protest itself was attended by mostly young people, who were
full of positive energy. Many white people attended, as well as people
from a diverse range of minority groups. Many different community
organizations also had a presence, including antiwar groups, socialist
groups, immigrant rights groups, GLBT groups, and the faith community.
In
light of the huge community response, police escorted the members of
the NSM to their car, while the protesters followed behind. Afterwards,
protesters held a rally in front of the YWCA. Overall, this was a very
successful action in Minneapolis, but the fight against hate
is far from over.
In
a powerful statement written for the occasion, the Minnesota Immigrant
Rights Action Coalition (MIRAc) said, “They
[the NSM] believe that they can capitalize, during a period of economic
crisis, on the confusion over dysfunctional immigration laws that
mistake a legal status for the dignity of a human being. …We uphold the
dignity of every immigrant regardless of possession of papers, language
spoken or color of skin.”
As
the economic crisis continues, groups like the NSM will continue to
fuel a racist dialogue blaming immigrants and other working-class
groups for many of the problems here in the United States.
It
is up to the rest of us to continue to mobilize against their hateful
message, joining together to declare, with MIRAc,
“Down with racism! Down with homophobia! Down with the hatred of
immigrants! Down with fascism!
“We
stand with all those whom the National Socialist Movement would oppress
and eliminate.”
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