White nationalists and neo-Nazi groups are planning for a “White Lives Matter†rally Saturday, and a Tennessee community is preparing for the worst.
The League of the South, The Nationalist Front, The National Socialist Movement and The Traditionalist Workers Party are planning to stage a “White Lives Matter†demonstration Oct. 28 in Shelbyville, Tennessee.
These white nationalist groups, among others, are considered to be “hate groups,†according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that specializes in civil rights and public interest litigation.
Kristine Hoover, Director of the Gonzaga University Institute for Hate Studies, said rallies have been present lately because of the complexity of today’s American society.
“Our country is struggling to identify who we are,†Hoover said. “We’re struggling to know what it means to be an American.â€
Hoover said each group is unique, and when a group gathers to protest, society needs to learn and understand what they think.
“People continue to feel that they are less than others in this country,†Hoover said.
Hoover said United States citizens should be spending time dedicated to what they believe in and using their abilities to go out and promote it.
“Free speech is a value,†Hoover said. “Hate is not.â€
SafeHome ranked U.S. states based on the number of hate groups present per one million residents in the state. Tennessee was third with 6.21 hate groups per one million residents, which could be a reason the “White Lives Matter” rally will be in Middle Tennessee.
The survey states: “Mississippi, Tennessee and Montana had between five and six hate groups each per 1 million residents. Combined, they host neo-Nazi, black separatist and racist skinhead groups, among others.â€
Anti-immigrant hate groups have the most followers from any other on social media, and this includes white nationalists, the survey found.
According to The Tennessean, more refugees and other immigrants have moved to Tennessee over the past 15 years, and the League of the South, an organization seeking independence for southern states, decided to have the rally in Shelbyville to raise awareness of these immigrants’ growing presence.
Matt Parrott made a post on TradWorker.org, a Traditionalist Workers Party blog, explaining while the events in Charlottesville were “a historic victory,†his party is taking steps to ensure as few “comrades are arrested or injured as possible†in the future.
The Shelbyville Times-Gazette said the city will be enforcing strict locations and times for the rally, and some businesses and events in the area will be closed or postponed in order to stay clear of any disturbances.
According to The Times-Gazette, some local churches’ events on Saturday would be cancelled due to safety concerns from the protest, but others will be holding prayers and ringing bells during the rally.
The Times-Gazette said counter-rallies by the Tennessee Anti-Racist Network and Shelbyville Loves would be held alongside the white nationalists’ rally to protest the hate.
