From Rose City Antifa:
One year after the infamous June 4, 2017 far-right rally held by Joey Gibson, he and his group Patriot Prayer plan a return to Terry Schrunk Plaza in downtown Portland with a rally scheduled for June 3rd, 2018.
The 2017 rally– staged days after white supremacist Jeremy Christian murdered two people and critically injured a third who stood in the way of his racist tirade against two young women on a MAX train– drew a wide selection of racists, fascists, and far-right bigots into the city. The community answered, surrounding Gibson’s group on three sides and demonstrating clearly that organized hate would not be tolerated in Portland. The Portland Police Bureau then attacked anti-fascist activists with chemical weapons and explosives to facilitate the racists’ escape.
In the year that followed, the city of Portland has extensively witnessed just what sort of crowd Joey Gibson draws to himself:
- MAX murderer Jeremy Christian attended Gibson’s march at Montavilla Park on April 29th, 2017, after being active in Patriot Prayer Facebook threads before hand.
- At the same event, Jacob Von Ott, organizer for Identity Europa, was present along with several members of the PDX Stormers. This marked the beginning of out-and-out fascists’ participation in Gibson’s events throughout 2017.
- The Hell Shaking Street Preachers have attended numerous rallies with Gibson, led by self-declared white nationalist Allen Puckett.
- On June 4th, 2017, a crowd of Identity Europa members was present lead by Jacob Ott, as was Traditionalist Workers Party member Matthew Brian Stafford, Identity Europa representative James Allsup, True Cascadia leader Andrew Harkins, fascist bonehead Raul Gonzalez, far-right III% militia members, members of the violent, misogynist Proud Boys hate group, and many other unaffiliated racists and fascists. Anti-Semite Tim Gionet was one of Gibson’s invited speakers, and was observed reciting racist slogans with Identity Europa members and others, including teenagers. After the rally, members of the PDX Stormers and the Traditionalist Workers Party hung an anti-Semitic banner over I-205.
- Later that summer at rallies on August 6th, 30th, and September 10th of 2017, fascists from Identity Europa and the PDX Stormers gathered at Gibson’s rallies. Among the many other recorded nazis in attendance at these rallies were: Jacob Von Ott, Steve Shallenberger and Kip Beebe, Jarl Rockhill, Alexander Becker, and a contingent of fascists and white supremacists coming from PSU, such as Liam Wynn, Matt Duffy, Ethan Devries, Cody Bussard, and Stephen Johnston. Patriot Prayer encouraged nazis to attack anti-fascist activists at these events, side by side with their own membership and the Proud Boys.
- On December 9th, 2017, Gibson staged an anti-immigrant rally. There, members of the PDX Stormers, Identity Europa, and the Proud Boys attacked anti-fascist counter-protesters. Additionally, 17 year-old hopeful Hammerskins member Noah Gunn attacked a Native woman, hitting her in the face with a stick. He later bragged about this on a Hammerskins forum.
It is no coincidence that Gibson is trying to come back into Portland on the anniversary of his previous defeat. As the widespread rise in far-right violence last year was met with fierce opposition from anti-fascists around the country, fascists and white nationalists have been forced into a retreat. While demoralized, they remain active. Many fascist groups have continued to grow in membership. Even now, white nationalists are planning to return to Charlottesville in August, on the anniversary of the fascist “Unite the Right” rally during which anti-fascist activist Heather Heyer was killed by a member of white nationalist group Vanguard America (since rebranded, they now operate under the name Patriot Front).
After being turned away from Portland time and time again by antifascists standing strong against his racist followers, Gibson began holding events elsewhere in Washington, and has begun a contentless campaign for the position of Senator in that state. While Gibson claimed he was done with rallies and ready to focus on “serious politics”, he has apparently now forgotten his ill-fated ventures into our city, and is testing the waters in Portland once again. Despite the fact that his run for the senate has received little attention from mainstream media, his ambitions continue to to make space for fascists and other violent reactionaries to march and organize, in a transparent bid to stoke his own ego and meager celebrity. He may hope that the people of Portland have forgotten his violent carnivals of 2017, and that the community’s guard has dropped and he might be celebrated by racists once again.
Joey Gibson and Patriot Prayer have short memories, but our community does not. Rose City Antifa knows now, just as we did last year: Gibson is a magnet for violent white supremacists and bigots. The time between then and now has only reinforced our resolve, and the evidence of Patriot Prayer’s racist ties has accumulated to undeniable quantities.
We will not allow racists and fascists to parade through Portland’s streets, threatening activists and targeting at-risk communities. No matter how many times they try to sneak back in, this city will stand united against them. We ask the community to join us at 4:00 pm on June 3rd in Terry Schrunk Plaza, to show Patriot Prayer, just as we showed them last year, that their violence and hatred has no place in Portland.
Signed,
Rose City Antifa
Pacific Northwest Anti-Fascist Workers Collective
Eugene Antifa
To sign on to our coalition, please email us at [email protected]
On June 13, former neo-Nazi Elisa Hategan, will join filmmaker Sylvia Novak to screen and discuss the new documentary focusing on Ernst Zundel. Hategan, who worked with Zundel in the nineties, served as a consultant on the film. This will be one of two days that they will screen.
From the Doc Now website:
Using archival materials, 206 Carlton brings together a story of racism and resistance in the city of Toronto, through focusing on one address, one house. At the center of this story is Ernst Zundel, a former resident of 206 Carlton Street, and internationally infamous Holocaust denier. From this downtown Victorian townhouse he spread hate materials that found their way to the hands of hateful groups around the world.
About the Artist
Sylvia Nowak is a Toronto based activist, documentary maker and artist. Her academic background began in still photography but has shifted to include video and digital media. At the core of all her work is an interest in social issues and an investigative instinct. She is the current co-chair of the DocNow Documentary Festival.
Please join me and filmmaker @SylviaNowak at the screenings of 206 Carlton, a documentary that spotlights Toronto’s racist history & infamous Holocaust-denier Ernst Zundel. I was a consultant on this film & so excited to see it come to life @docnowfestival https://t.co/VfvuJW9ZvM pic.twitter.com/tVrCvkEhRQ
— Elisa Hategan (@elisahategan) June 4, 2018
Should have known this would happen. The American Renaissance Conference has made this park their home for a number of years now, so now other hate groups are attracted as well. Two months after AmRen takes place, there will be a joint conference put on by the American Freedom Party and the Council of Conservative Citizens. Now there is some cross-pollenation with this conference and AmRen, as some of the same people will attend both (Jared Taylor of American Renaissance is a one time board member of the C of CC). But now we are also dealing with those who have more of an inclination towards violence, and that means a lot of people who are simply going to enjoy the the park are going to be hurt.
Needless to say, folks in Nashville are pissed, so there is going to be a call to oppose both AmRen and this latest thing. We will keep you posted.
From the Doc Now website:
Using archival materials, 206 Carlton brings together a story of racism and resistance in the city of Toronto, through focusing on one address, one house. At the center of this story is Ernst Zundel, a former resident of 206 Carlton Street, and internationally infamous Holocaust denier. From this downtown Victorian townhouse he spread hate materials that found their way to the hands of hateful groups around the world.
About the Artist
Sylvia Nowak is a Toronto based activist, documentary maker and artist. Her academic background began in still photography but has shifted to include video and digital media. At the core of all her work is an interest in social issues and an investigative instinct. She is the current co-chair of the DocNow Documentary Festival.
ACT! For America doesn’t do anything that doesn’t involve demonizing and undercutting the rights of Muslims in this society, so naturally they are going to big up those they think are their shock troops in this endeavor. The event in Philly is being organized by one of their members, Scott Ryan Presler, who is also putting one together in St. Cloud, MN for the same day. His Facebook and Twitter account is basically nothing but fanboy adulation for Donald Trump, and that pretty much seems to be his life. But he hates Muslims and sometime finds to hate Hispanics from time to time, so yeah, he wants to hold rallies where he will find a lot of both and not too many Trump supporters.
OPPOSE HATE IN THE OCEAN STATE!
SHOW UP BEFORE 11AM AUG 4TH
Not kid friendly, not a speaking rally.
CALL TO ACTION:
Ocean State Against Hate, a coalition of anti-racist, anti-sexist, pro-LGBTQ, anti-fascist, socialist, labor, and community organizers will host a counter-demonstration to oppose a rally by a far-right umbrella group known as “Resist Marxism”. One might wonder what they could possibly do to resist Marxism that has been overlooked by the police, the FBI, the corporations and media, and the various intelligence and military agencies, but here we are.
Beyond the group’s moderately-right-wing veneer are various racist and fascist dog-whistles, and a nationwide history of organizing with violent hate groups and individuals. While the umbrella group “Resist Marxism” may assiduously avoid racist language in its promotional materials, it uses several dog-whistles (“cultural Marxism,” “globalism,” “nationalism,” etc) that have fascist, anti-semitic origins. The founder of the organization, Kyle Chapman (alias “Based Stick-man”) is a repeat violent felon with ties to fascist groups and individuals. At events held by the group’s Boston chapter, security was provided by American Guard, a neo-nazi paramilitary group from Indianapolis with possible chapters in New Hampshire. They are an extreme anti-immigrant and anti-refugee group with many members in designated hate groups. A posting about the August 4th rally on the /pol/ section of 4chan, a notorious neo-nazi internet hangout, promised that the August 4th event in Providence would be the debut of a local chapter of the Proud Boys, a “western chauvinist” fascist gang. Kyle Chapman, the “Resist Marxism” founder also founded a more extreme, violent group within the Proud Boys – the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights, who have committed multiple assaults with sticks and other weapons at protests. Another Boston “Resist Marxism” member, Chris Hood, is also a member of Patriot Front, an openly fascist hate group. This group split off from Vanguard America (which has a presence in Providence), a member of which is charged with the murder of Heather Heyer by a car that plowed into protesters (injuring 20 others) in Charlottesville, VA last year. There are more connections with other heinous groups and individuals, too many to list. These groups, along with other fascist, nationalist, and white supremacist formations, have a clear history of racist, sexist, anti-immigrant, homophobic, and transphobic violence. We as a community ignore them at our peril.
These groups and other far-right and white supremacist organizations have no place here in Providence. The community will not sit by idly while they organize to oppress and murder us. We will oppose them at every turn.
Coalition Points of Unity:
-Fascism is an existential threat to already oppressed and targeted communities.
-To oppose this threat, we must oppose all its facets
-White supremacy in all its forms
-Misogyny and violence against women (including trans-women) in all its forms
-Violence against immigrants and workers in all its forms
-Capitalist imperialism in all its forms
-Settler colonialism in all its forms
-Directly affected communities must always be at the forefront of all aspects of our political work, including anti-fascism
-Fascism cannot be debated, it cannot be coddled, it must be smashed aggressively and efficiently.
-A community’s ability to defend itself by any means necessary is crucial to combat fascism.
Their rally is reported to start at noon on August 4th. Join us by 11AM to oppose them.
ACT! For America doesn’t do anything that doesn’t involve demonizing and undercutting the rights of Muslims in this society, so naturally they are going to big up those they think are their shock troops in this endeavor. The event in St. Cloud is being organized by one of their members, Scott Ryan Presler, who is also putting one together in Philadelphia, PA for the same day. His Facebook and Twitter account is basically nothing but fanboy adulation for Donald Trump, and that pretty much seems to be his life. But he hates Muslims and sometime finds to hate Hispanics from time to time, so yeah, he wants to hold rallies where he will find a lot of both and not too many Trump supporters.
Patriot Prayer is a violent Neo-Fascist organization based in Washington State and the Proud Boys is a violent Neo-Fascist organization with chapters all over the country. They have made no bones about the fact that when they hold their regular rallies in Portland, OR, they intend to, as Proud Boy Tusitala “Tiny” Toese, put it, engage in a “physical fight, whatever kind of fight — we’re coming… and we’re gonna raise hell.” Those fights, by the way go beyond rallies. Toese and another Proud Boy Donovan L. Flippo were picked up by police for assaulting a Black man in the street who simply yelled back at them while they were driving down the street in a pickup championing Trump’s wall.
The violence they are bringing has increased with each rally, and that also meant a decrease in attendance for the neo-Fascist crowd until June 30, when fellow fash from around the country went to Portland to fight those countering the rally that day. Well, Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson announced another rally on Aug. 4, and this time antifa has said enough of this shit. Now THEY – including One People’s Project – are making it a point to be there for this latest outing. The hope is this will be the nail in the coffin, and if not it will be made clear that Portland, which has been seeing battles like this with Nazis in their town for decades, will not keep giving this crowd quarter.
For more information go to:
Rose City Antifa. Includes information about their local fascists.
Legal Fund Against Fascist Violence.
R.A.S.H Northwest presents our third Rock Against Fascism PDX a benefit concert. Local bands will be donating their time to help us raise money to support antifascist prisoners. Hard left from Oakland will be traveling up here to donate their time also.
Artist:
Hard Left (punk)
The Faction (pdx hip hop)
All Worked Up (SHARP Oi!)
Rum Rebellion (pirate Punk)
Death Ridge Boys (left wing Oi!)
All proceeds will go to help antifascist prisoners.
From the Facebook event page:
Last August (2017), groups of white supremacists, aided by police and politicians, attempted to take over Berkeley’s Martin Luther King Jr. Park in order to build a base in the Bay. A crowd of thousands—including students, unionists, faith-based activists, teachers, and other everyday people—was there to confront them. We worked together to shut down the fascists and send them packing. Nationally, we sent a message that hate will not be welcome in the Bay. (Photo essay of 8/27 here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/kellyjohnsonrevelationaryphotography/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1371548832961154)
Once again, a group of white supremacists, Trump supporters, and fascists has announced a rally in downtown Berkeley for August 5, 2018. This event is part of a week-long nationwide “commemoration” of the hateful acts that took place nearly a year ago in Charlottesville, in which DeAndre Harris was beaten and Heather Heyer murdered. It is our duty to loudly and publicly reject their hate and to redouble our efforts in building a truly just and liberatory world.
We are calling on all members of our community to assemble together to stop white supremacist and state violence from growing. As history demonstrates, regular maintenance is required by people of heart and conscience to shut down white supremacy and fascism, which are foundational violences of this settler-colonial state. We’ve got to tend to the relationships and values that fuel, nourish, and inspire us to build a vision of collective liberation.
Share widely!
EXPOSED: Far-right #Berkeley organizers linked to Unite the Right 2, funded by Alex Jones https://t.co/Q1vNe96n1h #ProudBoys #PatriotPrayer #August5 #August5th #BayArea #AltRight #Oakland #SanFrancisco #SF #UniteTheRight #AbolishICE #OccupyICE #AllOutBayArea
— Occupy Oakland (@OccupyOakland) July 23, 2018
On August 5, we will gather to maintain a Bay Area free of fascism and white supremacy, sweeping out those that seek to deport, cage, harm, or extinguish members of our communities. Attacks on immigrants, Black and Indigenous people and other people of color, Muslims, the un-housed, queer and trans folks, disabled people, and/or women are becoming more prevalent as fascism reasserts itself in governments, state agencies, and increasingly organized groups across the globe. In the US, law enforcement, ICE and other deportation agents, and the jails and prisons work to remind people that this country was built on Indigenous land, on the backs of enslaved people, and that the prison industrial complex currently functions to maintain racial capitalism. We are reminded of this every time police kill another Black, Brown, and/or trans person in the streets. This country was founded on white supremacy and we must rise up with others around the world in an international movement to resist the fascism of both government and vigilantes. It’s time to take out the trash.
This is a community-wide call for each of us to perform critical community maintenance by removing fascists and white supremacists from our community. This will be a festival of resilience starting in Ohlone Park at 2pm going to MLK park for August 5, 2018. Featuring local artists, activists, musicians, comedians and everyday people. Our rally will send a clear message: “No hate in the Bay.”
#TrashtheFash #FashFreeBayArea