Neo-Nazi event creates parallels to clash in 1979
GREENSBORO — It’s a familiar script in this town. Neo-Nazis. Anti-Nazi protesters. A day picked for a confrontation.
But the date for this showdown isn’t 1979 — it’s 2009.
In response to suggestions that the National Socialist Movement is planning a conference in Greensboro, protesters are organizing what they’re calling a counter-response.
A poster on an anarchist Web site, Infoshop News, has issued a “call to action” for a confrontation during the conference scheduled for Aug. 29.
“As they are inviting white supremacists and fascists from all over the East Coast, North Carolina anti-racists are inviting anti-racists from all over the East Coast to join us in confronting them,” the site says. “We won’t take this lying down.”
The possibility of a confrontation between neo-Nazis and opponents provides an uncomfortable echo of one of the darkest episodes in the city’s history: the 1979 Klan-Nazi shootings, during which five people died.
The plans for the confrontation are vague, but the goal is “keeping these kinds of groups weak and disorganized,” according to the site.
The National Socialist Movement’s plans are hazy as well.
The Detroit-based group, which is “open to non-Semitic heterosexuals of European Descent” and promotes white separation, has announced only the date for the conference, not the location.
The group’s Web site urges members from 10 states along the East Coast to attend the meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
That will be followed by a gathering for those interested in learning more.
“The NSM then will host a meet and greet for supporters and interested parties ...to come and see what makes the NSM the fastest growing and most active White Civil Rights group in the Country!” according to the site.
Despite the lack of firm information, police are preparing for the event based on information that the city could serve as host.
“There’s a lot of planning in the works,” Capt. Janice Rogers said. “We’re going to allocate the resources to keep everybody safe.”
Police are staying quiet about the possibility of a protest during the event.
“I have no comment to make about this right now,” Rogers said.
The potential of dueling groups meeting in Greensboro comes 30 years after the infamous Klan-Nazi shootings, which took place during a “Death to the Klan” march in a public housing community.
Five marchers were killed in the confrontation with Klan members and neo-Nazis.
According to the anarchist site, the hotel that would serve as host to the conference hasn’t been announced yet, but it promises that more details will be made available.
“It is typical for fascists to keep logistical details secret until the last minute to prevent disruption or confrontation,” the site says. “Tell your friends, take the day off work, and stay tuned.”
Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or jason.hardin@news-record.com
An article that ran Thursday about a potential National Socialist Movement conference in Greensboro needs clarification. A poster on the Infoshop News Web site issued the call to action for a confrontation.
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