Written by Jorge Rivas for colorlines.com
On Saturday, a Neo Nazi hate group in Charlotte, North Carolina held a rally made up of about 50 supporters. But their biggest enemies turned out to be over a hundred clowns. According to local reports, the Neo Nazi protesters were outnumbered at least five to one.
The National Socialist Movement (NSM), a neo-nazi hate group, was supposed to hold an anti-immigration rally but they were drowned out by all the clowns making noise.
Counter-protesters brought squeaky toys, whistles, noise-makers, red noses and flour—every time the NSM mentioned “white power” the counter demonstrators sprinkled white flour in to the air.
The counter demonstration was organized by the Latin American Coalición, according to their website they’re “a community of Latin Americans, immigrants and allies that promotes full and equal participation of all people in the civic, economic and cultural life of North Carolina through education, celebration and advocacy.”
“The message from us is, you look silly,” Lacey Williams, the youth coordinator for Charlotte’s Latin American Coalición, told WCNC. “We’re dressed like clowns and you’re the ones that look funny.”
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the NSM is an organization that specializes in theatrical and provocative protests and is one of the largest and most prominent neo-Nazi groups in the United States.
(All photos courtesy of Yash Mori)
The National Socialist Movement?
Aren’t these the same people who accuse President Obama of being a socialist?
Of course “National Socialists” are otherwise known as fascists, or even Nazis. Not sure about this specific group. The use of “socialist” dates back to Hitler and Mussolini, though I think that last preferred corporatist. Socialism was “cool” back then, with a lot of intellectuals riding the intellectual socialist bandwagon. The Nazis and other fascists thought they’d use the very popular term, but the modifier is “National,” as in nationalistic, and of course the joining hands of the corporations and the government, often to the detriment of the general public.
These guys? I doubt they even know much of the history. They just seek attention and identifying with Nazis gets that for sure.
I’m sure they probably did. But “socialist” has become a curse word on the right, one they know little about, IMO. I have had many arguments with those who think Socialist and Communist are one in the same. One might argue a tad related, at best. Marx did use the term, but of course he sought more control than mere socialists, and his final vision was never achieved. The brief rule before the masses took over always turned permanent. One wonder if what he dreamed of was ever even possible…
You probably know a lot of this, just something I tend to rant about.