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Neo-Nazis Trash Israel by Jo Freeman

National Alliance demonstrates at the Capitol

Saturday, Aug. 24 2002— Several hundred neo-Nazis demonstrated on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. demanding withdrawal of all U.S. support of Israel. Organized by the National Alliance, which was founded in 1974 to promote the white race, demonstrators also demanded a separate white state and denounced “forced diversity.” Swastika flags were vastly outnumbered by those with the National Alliance symbol on it.
Across the street, separated by a moat of stone walls, plastic fences and police, a couple hundred counter-demonstrators shouted their opposition. Each side tried to out-shout the other, but given the distance between them it was impossible for either to hear what the other had to say — not that they wanted to.
The counter-protestors were organized and recruited by the Progressive Labor Party, a small Maoist group founded in the 1960s, and the International Socialist Organization. While they carried signs saying “Smash the Nazis” they agreed with them that the Israeli occupation of Palestine should end. Both wanted to “Free Palestine from its Israeli Concentration Camp.”Protesting the National Alliance
Off on the edge of these highly vocal but small demonstrations two people held up a sign saying “Zionists Against Nazis.” Neither were Jews. Half a dozen anarchists also joined in; identifiable by their fashion statement of black clothes and facial bandannas, despite the 90-degree heat. Many of the neo-Nazis also wore black and some wore dark suits, but none covered their faces. All were white; 80 percent were male; quite a few were well-tattooed. The counter-protestors were about 80 percent white, with only a few tattoos; half were female.
Over a thousand police outnumbered the demonstrators by two-to-one. There are numerous separate police forces in Washington, D.C. The National Capitol Police encircled the demonstration on the Capitol lawn, while the Park Police and the D.C. police escorted the counter-protestors to and from their place on the Mall via a separate route. When their routes brought the two groups within shouting distance of each other they were separated by a line of police horses as well as one of officers on foot.Neo-Nazis
Neo-Nazis are not new. George Lincoln Rockwell founded the American Nazi Party in 1959. He was assassinated in 1967, and the ANP became pretty much of a shell, doing little more than collecting dues and publishing magazines. Its place as chief organizer of right-wing anti-Semitism was taken by the National Alliance, founded by William Pierce, a former physics professor and ANP supporter, as an expansion of a youth group he founded four years earlier. Pierce, who died last July 23 of cancer, was the author of The Turner Diaries, a novel describing a violent race war in the U.S. The FBI said Timothy McVeigh was inspired by the book. It gave him the idea of bombing the federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, which killed 168 people.
From its headquarters in rural West Virginia, the NA sells books, pamphlets, videos and music promoting white separatism. Estimates of the income from these enterprises range from one to two million dollars a year. It admits that its membership declined in the 1980s, but says it has grown considerably in the last few years, although it won’t release actual figures. A count of demonstrators as they marched out of the west lawn came to 444 (plus the counter). The NA claims members in 21 states.Neo-Nazis set fire to an Israeli flag
The NA differs from the ANP in its greater emphasis on hatred of Jews, and its belief that all things bad in the U.S. happen because “our leaders let Israel control them and drain our wealth.” The ANP, while certainly anti-Semitic, gave top priority to denouncing blacks. The NA produces and sells a video game called Ethnic Cleansing, about “urban warfare between whites and non-whites.” But to win, the player has to find and assassinate Israel’s prime minister, Ariel Sharon. The ANP wanted to send blacks back to Africa or limit them to small reservations. The NA wants whites — defined as gentiles of wholly European ancestry — to have separate enclaves.
Like many other groups, the NA is capitalizing on the War on Terrorism to push its own causes. The permit for Saturday’s demonstration was made out to Taxpayers against Terrorism. Like many on the Left, the NA asserts that “Israel’s terrorist actions against the Palestinians and others are the direct cause of acts of terrorism against the United States.”

Resources for studying Neo-Nazi extremism:

  • The Anti-Defamation League — Founded in 1913 to fight anti-semitism, the ADL maintains a detailed database of hate groups.

  • Teaching Tolerance — A project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching Tolerance has excellent curricula and activities for teachers and students.

  • Simon Wiesenthal Center — Founded by a Holocaust survivor, the Wiesensthal Center in Los Angeles has extensive resources for researching hate groups. Much of this material is available through their website.

Neo-Nazi websites:


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