April 18, 2024

Idavox

The Media Outlet of One People's Project

Lawsuit names Donald Trump, Neo-Nazi Matthew Heimbach & Others As Defendants For Inciting Rally Violence

Do you realize that everything online about Matthew Heimbach has been first signed off by him – until now?

LOUISVILLE, KY – Three activists that were at the March 1 rally for presidential candidate Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against him and three others, including Matthew Heimbach, founder of the neo-Nazi Traditionalist Workers Party, for either inciting or participating in the attack on them at the event while they protested.

A page from the lawsuit. Heimbach's middle name is in error. His real middle name is Warren.
A page from the lawsuit. Matthew Heimbach’s middle name is in error. His real middle name is Warren.

Activist Molly Shah, 36, Kashiya Nwanguma, a 21-year-old college student and 17-year-old Henry Brousseau filed a lawsuit Thursday in Jefferson Circuit Court in Louisville, where they allege the assault took place. According to the lawsuit, Trump yelled to “get them out” of the rally, which says he was directing his supporters to “use unwanted, harmful physical force to remove protesters, including the plaintiffs.” Video of the assault had immediately gone viral, and it was one of the several incidents of violence at Trump’s rallies over the previous six months that prompted progressive activists to begin major protests against the Trump campaign, leading to a complete shutdown of a rally in Chicago days later, as well as a blockade of a road leading to a rally in Arizona weeks after that.

In addition to Trump and Heimbach, who is seen in the video shoving and shouting at Nwanguma and would later publicly boast about the assault, Alvin Bamberger, who is also in the video attacking Nwanguma but would later publicly apologize, an unnamed female and the Trump campaign itself have been identified defendants as well. One article suggests it may be hard to prove Trump actually incited the violence, noting the 1969 Brandenburg v. Ohio case that notes the speech at issue must be directed to inciting, and likely to incite, imminent lawless conduct.

The lawsuit comes as Trump’s campaign manages Corey Lewandowski was charged with battery after he on March 8 allegedly grabbed former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields at a Florida campaign event.

There was no dollar amount named in the lawsuit.

VIDEO

Matthew Heimbach is seen wearing a black t-shirt and red hat with Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again” on it.