Westboro Baptist Church Hate Group Protester with Anti-Semitic Sign "God Hates Jews"
On July 9, 2010, the WBC plans to picket and protest a Jewish house of worship in Dallas, Texas (Congregation Beth el Binah), as well as the Dallas Holocaust Museum, Jewish Community Center of Dallas, Yavneh Academy of Dallas, and Texas Jewish Post.
The Jewish Star has reported on the WBC: “The automated telephone greeting at the Westboro Baptist Church features a pleasant, Southern-accented female voice who advises if you are a ‘Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, or Christ-rejecting Jew,’ that ‘God hates you all.'”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)supports our universal human rights, including our universal human right of dignity, and our universal human rights of freedom of religion, freedom of worship, and freedom of conscience. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
We condemn such protests against houses of worship as seeking to intimidate and spread fear among those seeking their universal human rights of freedom of worship.
Media sources report that a Jewish synagogue in the central Russian city of Tver was damaged by a “homemade bomb” in the middle of the night, but no one was hurt.
— ITAR-TASS reports: “The explosion hit the synagogue at about 02:00 a.m. Moscow time , damaging its entryway and breaking out window glasses in nearby houses, said Igor Elgardt, the chairman of the regional organization Jewish National and Cultural Autonomy.”
— “‘This is not the first vandalism case here,’ he said. ‘Previously, anti-Semitic writings appeared on the synagogue’s wall. There are reports that anti-Semitic leaflets are circulated in the city.'”
— ITAR-TASS also reports: “Anti-Semitic writings have appeared on the walls of the synagogue, anti-Semitic leaflets have been circulated in the city and some 140 graves were vandalized in the Jewish part of the local cemetery in 2009, the statement said.”
On a hot and rainy day in Washington DC, on Sunday, June 13, 2010, volunteers of diverse religions, races, ethnic backgrounds, genders, and age groups came together to remember the June 2009 attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and to remember the tragic death of museum guard Stephen Tyrone Johns a year ago on June 10, 2009.
We Remember June 10, 2009 Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (Photos: Left – AP, Right – USHMM)
Speakers from among the public included R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm, Elisa Tetreault, Mrs. N. Washington, and DamangaExecutive Director Mohamed Yahya. Other volunteers came to help organize, record, and promote the event among the public. Attendees included an employee of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum who attended as a private individual, and who expressed his appreciation for the volunteers’ public remembrance. Media attendees included FOX 5 News and a contributor to the Washington Jewish Week.
Jeffrey Imm spoke of the need to have a public remembrance on the June 10 attack and the murder of Stephen Tyrone Johns, in addition to the museum’s private remembrance on the morning of June 10. He stated that the volunteers had gathered to share the grief of Mr. Johns’ family and also to stand united to defy hate and to urge “our fellow human beings to Choose Love, Not Hate.” He also stated that he recognized that some had told him that they were afraid to come to a public remembrance, but we should not let fear terrorize us from standing up for equality, liberty, dignity, and love for our fellow human beings.
He stated that “Some believe that this attack was someone else’s problem. They believe that the attacker James Von Brunn’s white supremacist hate is only a problem for non-whites, and has nothing to do with the Jewish public. Some believe that his Holocaust Denial is only a problem for those remember the Holocaust, and this is only a problem for the Jewish world. But the fact is that terrorist attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was attack based on hate. No one could possibly doubt that an attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was a attack on all Jews – not just one type of Jew, American Jews, or Jews in Washington DC – but an attack on all Jewish people everywhere around the world. Moreover, the attacker’s Holocaust Denial is an attack against the terrible truth of the Holocaust itself. No one could possibly doubt that this attack by a white supremacist also was hatred against black Americans.”
“But the attack was not just against Jews and black, not just in Washington DC, and not just Americans. The attack was one motivated by hate itself. The terrorist Von Brunn himself documented his philosophy in writing to a Nazi sympathizer in Germany, stating that hate was ‘natural, normal and necessary,’ and that ‘compassionate nations’ would ‘die.’ Such an attack of hate was one that speaks to the violence against all people that have compassion, all people that defy genocide, all people that seek justice, and yes all people that seek to love their fellow human beings. The cancer of hate leads to that much destruction. We stand here today united, not just to remember that attack on June 10, 2009, but also to reject that hate that motivated it. We stand here today to remember the awful consequences of allowing hate to go unchallenged. We stand here today to say ‘Never Again’ to such hate, not just in others, but also in ourselves. But in our challenge to hate, in our unwillingness to be afraid, we don’t offer an upraised fist, but we offer an outstretched hand. We urge those who hate to drop the burden of hate from their hearts. We urge them to Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.”
Jeffrey Imm Speaks on Remembering Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Elisa Tetreault that all “men and women are equal before the law, without discrimination because of sex, blood, language, social origin, or religion. Equality is not something that you should practice because it is the law, but something you should practice because it is right.” She urged others “to take a look at who we are, take a look at who we are standing next to. It can be men, women, gay, straight, black, white, Latino, Asian, Christian, Jewish, Muslim. Each of us are fighting for justice in different ways.”
She stated that: “On June 10, 2009, Stephen Tyrone Johns was shot to death by a white supremacist and Holocaust Denier. It is tragic when anyone loses their life, especially at the hands of hate. It is hard to believe that the actions of one person can cause so much hurt. The truth is that all it takes is one person. What I have learned is that we all make a difference. A wise man once said ‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.’ This is what we are here for. This is what we are fighting for. It does not matter your skin color or the religion you practice or your sexual orientation, we are all equal, we all bleed the same color. I stand here before you to say that one person can make change. Act as if what you do makes a difference, because it does. Remember to Choose Love, Not Hate.”
Elisa Tetreault Speaks on Remembering Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Damanga Executive Director Mohamed Yahya has great experience in fighting against hate in the ongoing genocide in Sudan’s Darfur. Mr. Yahya spoke of his sympathy and grief for Stephen Tyrone Johns in his efforts to protect the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum as a real hero and a great, great man. He spoke of how America is viewed around the world as a nation that prizes freedom, equality, liberty, and compassion toward others – freedoms and dignity that is lost in many other parts of the world, including his war-torn home of Darfur and Sudan. Mohamed Yahya has been recognized as a leading fighter against genocide by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Mohamed Yahya Speaks on Remembering Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Mrs. Washington spoke of the importance of remembering the attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was not a random act of violence, but was a targeted attempt to attack and terrorize Jewish Americans and to deny the reality of the Holocaust itself. Mrs. Washington also pointed to the importance of where this public remembrance was being held – Freedom Plaza, and the important symbolic nature of this location. The Freedom Plaza in Washington DC is named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked on his “I Have a Dream” speech in the nearby Willard Hotel. In 1988, a time capsule containing a Bible, a robe, and other relics of King’s was planted at the site.
Mrs. Washington urged the public to stop and take a moment to reflect on such critical issues for our freedom as the need to stand defiant against hate and the need to understand that an attack on the human rights of one of us represented an attack on such rights for all of us. Mrs. Washington pointed to the need to continue to realize this dream of equality and liberty, dignity, respect, and love for all of our fellow Americans and fellow human beings.
Mrs. Washington Speaks on Remembering Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
The volunteers stood together at the Freedom Plaza area to urge others to Choose Love, Not Hate.
Freedom Plaza – Washington DC – Open Air Plaza on Pennsylvania Avenue – Between 13 and 14th Streets NW – Site of June 13, 2010 Public Remembrance of Attack on US Holocaust Memorial Museum
On June 13, 2010, volunteers from the Washington DC area joined together to have a public remembrance of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum attack on June 2009 and to remember the tragic murder of museum guard Stephen Tyrone Johns by white supremacist, Holocaust Denier James Von Brunn. We also remember that there were those whose hearts were burdened by hate, who praised Von Brunn’s terrorism, and that the struggle against white supremacism and anti-Semitism continues.
Near the end of the public remembrance of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Musaum attack, two members of a Charlottesville, Virginia-based “white nationalist,” anti-Semitic group, Occidental Dissent, sought to heckle speakers at the public remembrance. The Occidental Dissent group claims to seek “the creation of a Jew-free, racially exclusive White ethnostate in North America.” The group also has a history of seeking to deny women’s rights, and has publicly stated its goals are to infiltratepolitical organizations to promote “white nationalism.” The visitors included the group’s leader who calls himself the pseudonym “Hunter Wallace” or “Prozium” (based on the movie “Equilibrium”) and Mike Capatano (who left after a moment). The group’s leader “Hunter Wallace” remained behind, wearing a yellow Gadsden Flag shirt.
White Nationalist from Anti-Semitic Occidental Dissent Group Visits Public Remembrance of U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Attack
Mohamed Yahya Responds to White Nationalist Heckler: "If you hate me, I love you"Volunteers Stand United in Love and Tolerance - Urging All to Choose Love, Not Hate
R.E.A.L. founder Jeffrey Imm quickly reached out to the Occidental Group group leader, as one of our brothers and sisters in humanity who we must work to reach, and indicated this demonstrated an important reason why we held such a public remembrance. The R.E.A.L. founder pointed out that we do not offer an upraised fist against white supremacism and anti-Semitism, but we offer an outstretched hand to all to choose love, not hate. R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm then in fact extended such an outstretched hand to the group’s leader and urged him to choose love, not hate.
Jeffrey Imm, Mohamed Yahya, and Mrs. Washington Offer an Outstretched Hand, Not an Upraised Fist - to White Nationalism and Anti-Semitic Group Leader - We Urge Choose Love, Not Hate
A year ago, on June 10, 2009, in Washington DC, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was attacked by a white supremacist, Holocaust denier James Von Brunn, who sought to enter the museum with a rifle to kill Jews. In his murderous rage, he shot and killed black security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns, who was in Von Brunn’s way. The terrorist James Von Brunn was shot and stopped by security guard Harry Weeks and other security guards, and Von Brunn died in a prison hospital on January 6, 2010.
June 10, 2009 Terror Attack (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
This philosophy of terrorist hate should give us all pause to reflect. If anything were to be learned from the June 10, 2009 terrorist attack, it is the cancerous destruction that hate will cause.
In our support for our universal human rights of equality and liberty, we offer another approach. While we defy hate, we also offer an outstretched hand, not an upraised fist, to those who hate. We urge those who hate to release such burden of hate from their hearts and to join us in defending our human rights, which are also their human rights.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is intended to remember the worst atrocity committed against an identity group in human history. When such a place is itself the target of terrorist hatred, it should be a severe warning signal for Americans and all human beings. But that warning signal has been scrupulously ignored, as has the terrorist attack itself been largely forgotten. Even worse, some have sought to rationalize hate against other identity groups themselves, and sadly like Von Brunn, have come to view that compassion is only for the weak.
The cancer of hate has continued to spread. Months after the June 10, 2009 terrorist attack, I saw some people with signs in the streets of Washington DC promoting racial hatred, some carrying signs with swastikas, and some with signs spewing vulgar and obscene messages. Racial supremacist and anti-Semitic groups have sought to promote their cause in our nation’s capital and around the country. On our public airwaves, there are those openly call for bombing houses of worship, who openly promote racist views, who question American legislation designed to guarantee our civil rights, and who ultimately believe that hate is the answer to our nation’s and to the world’s problems.
The lesson that has been taught by the Holocaust has been summarized as “Never Again.”
The lesson that the June 10, 2009 terrorist attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum must teach us is “Never Again to Hate.”
That is a lesson that too many are not interested in hearing about. But if we ever seek to be responsible for equality and liberty, it is our most vital lesson to be learned.
For many reasons, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum terror attack must not be forgotten. But on June 10, 2010, a year later, there was little interest in remembering it. Washington DC area mainstream newspapers only posted AP wire reports to their web sites buried in the “local news sections,” and the private remembrance by staff of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was covered primarily by Washington DCtelevision stationson their web sites that cover “local” news. Such a terror attack of hate is no longer viewed as “national” news.
We Will Remember Stephen Tyrone Johns (Photo: U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum)
In terms of public activism, however, we believe that American citizens also have an obligation to do their part, in remembering this terrorist attack. We are holding a public event to remember the event. We also urge those who seek to express their commitment to challenging hate to share your thoughts with us at info@realcourage.org, and we will share your statements on our web site.
On Sunday, June 13 at 2 PM, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) is hosting a public remembrance in Washington DC of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum attack and the murder of Stephen Tyrone Johns. We have invited the public to join us in this public remembrance, and to share their testimonies of the need to promote tolerance, dignity, respect, and equality for our fellow human beings.
We will hold this public remembrance at Freedom Plaza in Washington DC, near where Martin Luther King, Jr. worked on his speech “I Have A Dream.” We too, have a dream, of human dignity, of human rights, and of equality and liberty – not just for all American, but also for all human beings. We have a dream of our fellow human beings united to be responsible for equality and liberty.
But we know that we cannot begin to make that dream a reality without defying and denying the cancerous growth of hatred in our nation, in our society, and around the world.
On June 13, when we publicly remember the terrorist attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, our united message will be “Never Again to Hate.”
On Sunday June 13, 2010, at 2 PM, Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) invites Washingtonians to a public event to remember the June 10, 2009 attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and to remember the loss of Stephen Tyrone Johns. Choose love, not hate.
We will meet at the Freedom Plaza in Washington DC, near where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked on his speech “I Have a Dream,” and will stand united in our diverse religions, ethnicity, and races. We will stand united for equality. We will also say “Never Again” to hate.
Freedom Plaza - Washington DC - 14th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW - Site of June 13, 2010 - "Never Again to Hate" Event
We will remember black security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns who was shot to death on June 10, 2009 while on duty defending a museum that stands in remembrance to the Holocaust. We vow that his death will not be in vain, but that such sacrifices will remind us of the need to be ever-vigilant and defiant against the forces of hate that seek to spread in Washington DC and throughout America.
As those who promote hate seek to create ever-increasing numbers of hate groups in America, our message to them is that America will never retreat on hate. But we don’t answer hate with hate. Instead of an upraised fist, we offer outstretched hands and hearts to those who do hate, to urge them to release the burden of hate from their hearts, and join us in defending the universal human rights and dignity of all people.
— Date: Sunday, June 13, 2010
— Time: 2 to 4 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time
— Location: Freedom Plaza, Washington DC, 20004 – on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 13th and 14th Streets NW
— Contact: Jeffrey Imm, info@realcourage.org, 301-613-8789
The Freedom Plaza in Washington DC is named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., who worked on his “I Have a Dream” speech in the nearby Willard Hotel. In 1988, a time capsule containing a Bible, a robe, and other relics of King’s was planted at the site.
— Parking lots: the nearby National Theater reports the following parking lot areas include:
— PMI
— 1220 E Street, NW – Enter on E Street between 12th and 13th Streets
— 424 11th Street, NW
— 1325 G Street, NW – Enter on G Street between 13th and 14th Streets
— QUICK PARK
— 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW – Enter on 13th Street between E and F Streets
In Warwick, Rhode Island, the Temple Am David synagogue was vandalized by hate mongers putting graffiti including a backwards swastika and racial slurs on the synagogue. A member of Temple Am David, Paula Oliveri, told news media that the synagogue works with the community and with Holocaust survivors. The police are reviewing surveillance footage from the synagogue’s cameras.
If you have information regarding those responsible, you are urged to contact the Warwick Police Department: Phone Number: (401) 468-4200, Crime Stoppers Tip Line: 732-8477(732-TIPS).
The Associated Press reports that “Police Chief Stephen McCartney says if the vandalism is determined to be a hate crime, the perpetrator could face stiffer penalties. State Jewish leaders say the vandalism may have been sparked by the Israeli commando raid on a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip that left nine people dead.”
NBC 10 News asked Temple Am David Cantor Richard Perlman if the attacks may be linked to Gaza, and he told the NBC 10 News “I certainly hope that his has nothing at all to do with that. However, one would be silly to believe that that may not be a possibility. What’s going on in the Gaza is a terrible thing.”
(Note: From our experience in covering Nazi hate crime, it would appear that most committed Nazis involved in hate crimes usually know how to draw the Nazi swastika correctly, rather than “backwards,” suggesting that perhaps the vandal was someone other than a Nazi.)
Warwick police are investigating the spray-painting of a swastika and part of a racial slur on the exterior of Temple Am David in Warwick, Rhode Island. Notably, the swastika is "backwards" from a Nazi swastika. (Photo: The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson)
Gettysburg Times reports on planned June 19, 2010 Aryan Nations Nazi Rally and Gettysburg Times also reports on the plans of the YWCA to hold meetings on peace, and another group to hold a separate event that same date. The Gettysburg Times has also reported on the YWCA’s efforts in a report “Peace promoters want message to resonate beyond Aryan rally,” stating that “Those [interested in the YWCA peace efforts] who cannot attend, but would like to be informed of the planning process, should contact Andyshak Hayes at 717-334-9171, ext. 113 or aahayes@ywcagettysburg.org.”
Gettysburg Times: “As community members continue to hold meetings at the YWCA Gettysburg & Adams County to promote peace during the Aryan Nation’s June 19 visit to Gettysburg, the event is beginning to draw national attention.” “Knight Sor, conciliation specialist for the United States Department of Justice, attended Monday evening’s meeting. Sor told roughly 20 people at Monday evening’s meeting that a group known as 4 Civil Rights received a permit for the same date, time and place as the Aryan Nation to demonstrate. ” “According to Sor, 4 Civil Rights will hold a peace rally on the east lawn of the Cyclorama on June 19 from 1 to 3 p.m. No one at the meeting was aware of this group or its receiving a permit at the same time as the Aryan Nation. Sor said that the permit is under the name Carlene J. Mayers.”
BY SCOT ANDREW PITZER Times Staff Writer Published: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 1:10 AM EDT
Gettysburg Police Department has signed an agreement to provide law enforcement services next month when a white supremacist group rallies at Gettysburg National Military Park. The nine-member Gettysburg Borough Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve its resolution with the Park Service for the June 19 event. “We have to put whatever police we have there, in case something comes up,” GPD Chief Joe Dougherty said regarding the event, scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. near the old Cyclorama Center. Taxpayers are underwriting the cost of staffing the Aryan Nation event with law enforcement. U.S. Park Service Police and Cumberland Township Police are also likely to attend the rally. “We pay our own bill, they pay their own, and neither one gets repaid by either side,” said Dougherty, noting that overtime is a budgeted expense. Law enforcement costs are not finalized at this time, but in 2006, when the World Knights of the Ku Klux Klan held a similar Gettysburg Battlefield rally, taxpayers forked over $64,000 for law enforcement. The KKK was not charged, and the Aryan Nation won’t be charged June 19, with the Park Service citing freedom of speech issues. “It’s very similar to the agreement we had when the Ku Klux Klan was here years ago,” explained Gettysburg Mayor William E. Troxell. Borough police logged 21 hours of overtime at the 2006 rally, and were paid $1,157. Borough Council Solicitor Harold A. Eastman Jr. explained that the borough was approached by the Park Service for the police presence. He described the pact as a “cooperative agreement,” and proactive, in case a police incident transpires. “It’s a safety net in case things go badly,” said Eastman. “Everything will be in place ahead of time.” Veteran Councilman Ted Streeter recounted the 2006 event, noting that the KKK was quarantined in a fenced-off area, and there was no spill-over into the borough. The rally, held on a rainy afternoon, drew 200-300 people, and there were no reported police incidents. “They all go home, and you wouldn’t know they were here if you didn’t go see it,” Streeter said Monday night. Dougherty reported that the “biggest impact” the event is expected to have upon the borough is road closures, with Taneytown Road and Steinwehr Avenue. As an alternative to the Aryan rally, the local YWCA is planning a family-oriented event to draw attention from the neo-Nazi rally. “We don’t really expect any problems,” said Chief Dougherty. “The majority of everything involved is going to be taken care of by the National Park Service,” said Chief Dougherty, adding that federally-trained officers are attending the event. Four citizens attended the 50-minute session Monday night, as council continues its “six-month experiment” in holding two monthly business meetings. The board also approved its annual allocation of $150,000 in state Community Development Block Grant funding, with $80,000 going to American with Disability Act upgrades throughout town, and $40,000 to code enforcement work.
— AP reported on May 20, 2010 that “The National Park Service has approved a permit for a white supremacist group to hold a rally at Gettysburg National Military Park next month.”
— “The Aryan Nations group plans a rally June 19 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. near the old Cyclorama Center.”
— “Park spokeswoman Katie Lawhon said the park is obligated to make the land available to the public to exercise their free speech rights guaranteed by the Constitution.”
— “The group has said it plans speeches and discussions of current issues such as immigration and homosexuality.”
A German synagogue was attacked by arsonists in the Rhineland-Palatinate city of Worms. It had been doused with flammable liquids in several areas and set on fire. However, alert fire officials were able to minimize damage to the synagogue’s outward walls. Letters were reportedly left on the scene, claiming that the terrorist attack was the goal of those who opposed the Israel’s views towards Palestinians. Some were not certain which group was behind the attacks.
Terrorist Arson Attack on Worms Synagogue in Germany (Photo: DPP)
— The Local reports: Arsonists attack Rhineland synagogue
— “Fire fighters in the city were able to put out the blaze quickly, and the building was not heavily damaged. The walls were however blackened by soot, a fire department spokesperson said. ”
— Jerusalem Post reports: “A synagogue in the German city of Worms was attacked by arsonists on Monday.”
— “The attackers left a note linking their torching of the synagogue with the Israel-Palestinian conflict, according to a report in the regional paper Wiesebadner Kurier. German police found eight copies of a note written in ‘awkward’ German, claiming responsibility for setting the place blaze.”
— “‘So long as you do not give the Palestinians peace, we are not going to give you peace,’ stated the note.”
— “Observers of the attack said they believe the perpetrators could have been extreme leftists, neo-Nazis or radical Islamists. What unites these groups, they said, is their common hatred of Israel.”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) condemns such hate and violence. We support our unqualified, universal human rights, including our freedom of conscience and the pluralism to allow such freedoms. We urge all those who promote hate and violence to unburden their hearts from hate and violence.
— Daily Press reports:
— “Man admits vandalism guilt
— “Norfolk — A man entered a guilty plea Thursday to vandalizing a Norfolk synagogue with anti-Semitic stickers, and a judge put him on probation.”
— “Christopher John Brooks, 25, entered a guilty plea to one count of injury to cemetery or church. He had been in jail since his arrest in April 2009. He was given a five-year sentence, with all of the time suspended except for the year that he had already served.”
— “A co-defendant in the case, John Edward Grogran, 30, pleaded guilty to similar charges in February and is scheduled to be sentenced next week.”
