Spokane: Nazi Terrorist Sentenced for Terror Bomb Attempt on MLK Unity Parade

Nazi Terrorist Kevin William Harpham was sentenced to 32 years in prison for a terrorist Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attempt to murder 2,000 people during a planned Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity March held on January 17, 2011, in Spokane, Washington.

Nazi Terrorist Harpham was part of online Nazi white supremacist extremist networks. As reported by the SPLC, “on January 17, 2011, less than 12 hours after posting on the Nazi Vanguard News Network (VNN), Kevin William Harpham placed an improvised explosive device concealed in a backpack along a Martin Luther King parade route in Spokane Washington. The lead sinkers in the radio-detonated IED were coated with Warfarin rat poison, evidently intended to increase bleeding. Had the device functioned, dozens of men, women and children would have been killed or injured. Harpham also distributed The Aryan Alternative.”

CNN reported: “Harpham, an unemployed electrician from Colville, Washington, pleaded guilty in September to charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to commit a federal hate crime. Shrapnel in the “improvised explosive device” contained anticoagulant to prevent blood clotting, authorities said. After he is released from prison, Harpham will serve the rest of his life under court supervision, federal prosecutors said. “Harpham admitted that he is a white supremacist and white separatist, and that he placed the explosive device at the march with the intent to cause bodily injury to the person or persons in order to further his racist beliefs,” a Justice Department statement said. Federal prosecutors had recommended that Harpham be sentenced to 32 years in prison, according to court documents. He was sentenced in federal court in Spokane. The January 17 march was attended by about 2,000 people, including racial minorities, authorities said.”

Nazi Terrorist Kevin William Harpham
Nazi Terrorist Kevin William Harpham

CBS reported that”just before he was scheduled to be sentenced, Harpham’s lawyer tried unsuccessfully to withdraw his guilty plea by questioning whether the explosive device in question met the legal definition of a bomb. Harpham said he intended to seek an appeal. The pipe bomb was loaded with lead fishing weights coated in rat poison, which can inhibit blood clotting in wounds, officials have said. The bomb was discovered and disabled before it could explode. The parade on Jan. 17 drew a crowd of about 2,000 on a cold winter morning. It was forced onto an alternative route after the bomb was found. Harpham walked in the parade and took pictures of young black children and of a Jewish man who was wearing a yarmulke, prosecutors have said.  Prosecutors said Harpham acted alone. He was arrested March 9 at his rural home near Addy, Wash.  The plea deal charged Harpham with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction, and the hate crime of placing the bomb in an effort to target minorities. Prosecutors dropped charges of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence and unauthorized possession of an unregistered explosive device. If convicted, he could have faced up to life in prison.  The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, has said that Harpham made more than 1,000 postings on the Vanguard News Network, a white supremacist website. The center also has said that Harpham belonged to a neo-Nazi group called the National Alliance.”

Nazi Terrorist Kevin William Harpham
Nazi Terrorist Kevin William Harpham

The Department of Justice press release stated:

WASHINGTON MAN SENTENCED TO 32 YEARS FOR ATTEMPTED BOMBING OF MARTIN LUTHER KING UNITY MARCH

SPOKANE, Wash. – The Justice Department announced today that Kevin William Harpham, 37, of Colville, Wash., has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for the placement of the improvised explosive device alongside the planned Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity March held on Jan. 17, 2011, in Spokane, Wash. Harpham will serve the rest of his life under court supervision after he is released from prison. Harpham pleaded guilty in Sept. 7, 2011, to two counts of a superseding indictment; attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempt to cause bodily injury with an explosive device because of actual or perceived race, color and national origin of any person.

On March 9, 2011, Harpham was arrested for placing the explosive device alongside the Unity March. The march was attended by approximately 2,000 individuals, including racial minorities. The explosive device placed by Harpham was capable of inflicting serious injury or death, according to laboratory analysis conducted by the FBI. Harpham admitted that he is a white supremacist and white separatist, and that he placed the explosive device at the march with the intent to cause bodily injury to the person or persons in order to further his racist beliefs.

“Acts of hate like this one have no place in our country in the year 2011, but yet, unfortunately, we continue to see attempted violence in our communities due to racial animus,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas Perez. “The Justice Department is committed to enforcing the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. hate Crimes Prevention Act, and all the tools in our law enforcement arsenal, to prosecute such egregious crimes.

“This case underscores the continuing threat from those who seek to express their hatred through violence and the serious consequences these individuals face for such actions,” said Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “The sentence handed down today is the culmination of an outstanding investigation conducted jointly by federal, state and local law enforcement officials.

Michael C. Ormsby, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, said, “I commend the law enforcement efforts at all phases of the investigation and prosecution of this matter. This was one of the most thorough investigations that I have ever seen and involved multi-levels of law enforcement and multiple offices and other professionals. Our office received significant assistance from the Civil Rights Division and National Security Division of the Justice Department. All who participated should be thanked and congratulated, this was truly a team effort.” U.S. Attorney Ormsby also added, “It is very important that Mr. Harpham receive the significant sentence that he did today to send the message to our community that hate and violence will not be tolerated.”

“Today, Mr. Harpham faces the consequences of his hate-filled act. A prototypical “lone wolf” such as Mr. Harpham presents a particularly vexing threat—with nothing foreshadowing a carefully planned attack,” said Laura M. Laughlin, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI Seattle office. “However, the actions of everyday citizens, the Spokane Police Department, the Spokane Explosives Disposal Unit, and the round-the-clock work of Joint Terrorism Task Force and its local, state, and federal members unraveled Mr. Harpham’s plan and swiftly brought him to justice. We will continue to tirelessly disrupt and rapidly apprehend others who attempt to express their hatred though violence.”

This investigation was conducted by the Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force comprised of the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Federal Air Marshal Service, the U.S. Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, the Spokane Police Department, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol, and with assistance from Stevens County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Employment Security Department. The Stevens County Road Department also provided significant assistance.

American Renaissance Group Plans White Nationalist Event in Charlotte, North Carolina

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights, including equality for all and our rejection of racism, racial hate, and those who would deny the right of identity groups to have human dignity in their diversity in a pluralistic society.  We urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.

Once again, the “American Renaissance” group is in the news.  The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has identified the American Renaissance organization as a “white nationalist” “hate group.” R.E.A.L. has previously demonstrated the American Renaissance group’s support by the Stormfront group (led by ex-Ku Klux Klan leader, former American Nazi Party member Don Black), American Renaissance’s defense on Stormfront leader radio shows, and support by South African apartheid apologist Dan Roodt.  R.E.A.L has separately reported on Stormfront, whose members regularly promote cross-burning and racist views, and one of whose members was pled guilty in 2010 regarding a terrorist plot.

In 2010, R.E.A.L. challenged the “white nationalist” American Renaissance group and its activists’ and its group’s views on minority races, and urged them to reconsider their views.  When they sought to hold an event here at our nation’s capital where R.E.A.L is HQ’d in 2010, I sought to have a counter-message to give an alternative view to their rejection of human diversity and the consistent studies and comments that seek to claim that people of minority races in the United States are inferior, among other views.  When R.E.A.L. sought to have provide such a counter-message, American Renaissance speaker Craig Bodeker stated: “I’d be surprised if someone didn’t decide to correct your behavior :) ” and “when someone does declares war on us, it’s OK to fight back. With any and all means.”

In 2011, the “white nationalist” group American Renaissance now plans to hold a meeting from February 4-6, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  In 2010, American Renaissance failed to hold a biannual conference in our nation’s capital, when hotels canceled their event after discovering the identity of the group.  The group previously booked its events using the “corporate” name of the American Renaissance group: New Century Foundation (NCF).

The American Renaissance Group has chosen Charlotte to promote its “white nationalist” views because their supporters claim Charlotte offers a more “patriotically-inclined ambience.”  Another “white nationalist” who promotes this event as well as former Ku Klux Klan David Duke, states that “to ensure security, the exact location of the conference venue will not be disclosed until 48 hours before the conference begins.”

In this year’s plan to hold a “conference” in Charlotte, North Carolina, the American Renaissance plans to have two “mystery guests,” including “one of the most dynamic leaders of the one of the most dynamic nationalist parties in Europe.”  In 2010, American Renaissance sought to have Nick Griffin of the British National Party (BNP) speak who has called the Holocaust as “the Holohoax,” and who has previously met with the former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.  Until recent years, David Duke also attended American Renaissance events.  Both David Duke and Nick Griffin appeared at a previous white supremacist conference that was attended by white supremacist terrorist James Von Brunn who killed black security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC in June 2009.  In 2010, Stormfront organization members eulogized Von Brunn’s recent death, and defendedVon Brunn’s terrorist actions in Washington DC.

The American Renaissance / New Century Foundation website provides a cacophony of White Supremacist hate commentaries mocking Black Americans based on their IQ, arguing that the genetics of Black Americans make them intellectually inferior, and railing against “the color of crime” with comments attacking Blacks and Hispanic individuals.  It warns its readers about “Transition to Black Rule” and attacks Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It’s focus is exclusively on a white supremacist perspective on race with books and articles entitled: “Why Race Matters,”  “Racial Heresies of the 21st Century,” and “Race and the American Prospect.”

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) promotes human equality, dignity, respect, rights, and love for one another.  We urge those who would promote racial hatred or disrespect to reconsider their actions.

R.E.A.L. has challenged the American Renaissance and its group’s views on minority races, and urged them to reconsider their views.  After receiving repeated threatening statements from supporters of American Renaissance, R.E.A.L.’s leader Jeffrey Imm chose to make a public statement on February 16 by himself.

R.E.A.L.’s position is the same as it was when we first approached American Renaissance as it is today.

We urge those with racial hatred in their hearts, to drop the burden of hate from their hearts.

Our message has consistently been not only to reject hate, but also to offer an alternative based on our universal human rights.  To those who hate their fellow human beings, remember that our universal human rights are also your universal human rights.  We challenge hate and we promote human rights, not just for us, but also for you.

We don’t offer you an upraised fist, but an outstretched hand and an invitation to…

Choose Love – Not Hate.  Love Wins.



Olney, Maryland Synagogue Vandalized with Swastikas, anti-Semitic slogans, Death Threats

On July 26, 2010, the B’nai Shalom Synagogue of Olney, Maryland, a suburb of Washington DC was vandalized by persons unknown spray painting swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans on the outside walls, parking lot and light posts.  NBC Washington reported that the attack on the Olney, Maryland synagogue happened the night before parents were to drop off their children for a summer camp.

Attack on DC Area Olney, Maryland Synagogue with Nazi, White Supremacist Vandalism (Photo: NBC Washington)
Attack on DC Area Olney, Maryland Synagogue with Nazi, White Supremacist Vandalism (Photo: NBC Washington)

See the NBC Washington video and NBC Washington report.

The Olney, Maryland synagogue was covered with swastikas on the outside and on the sidewalk, as well as spray painting of slurs against Jews.  The anti-Semitic phrases, scrawled using black spray paint, included “work will set u free,” a reference to a sign that hung over the Auschwitz concentration camp, and “Death 2 Zionists.” The vandals also used German, writing phrases including “Juden raus,” which means “Jews out” and was used by Nazis.

The spray-painted comments also included the phrase “Death 2 Zionists” and “14/88.”  14/88 is a reference used by white supremacists.  The “14” refers to the “14 words” promoted by white supremacists “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children,” which was promoted by David Lane, a criminal leader of the white nationalist group The Order.   The “88” refers to eighth letter of the alphabet, “H,” and stands for “HH” or “Heil Hitler.”

Olney, MD Synagogue: Death Threats, Promotion of Nazi and White Supremacists 1488 Message (Photo: NBC Washington)
Olney, MD Synagogue: Death Threats, Promotion of Nazi and White Supremacists 14/88 Message (Photo: NBC Washington)

Debbie Kovalsky, synagogue president, said the damage is “heart wrenching to see.”

The Jerusalem Post stated that “In addition to the synagogue vandalism, two homes in the area were also spray-painted with swastikas and other symbols.”   WJZ reports that “Police say two homes on Rolling Acres Way in Olney were vandalized, with swastikas and the symbols ‘SS’ spray-painted on the yards and trees.”

The Maryland Gazette reported that “B’nai Shalom First Vice President Jeff Orenstein said he was expecting to find a couple of swastikas when officials received the call from police Monday morning about the graffiti. But the vandalism went well beyond that, he said. ‘We were very shocked at how much more there was,’ he said. ‘It appears to us that this was more than a couple of kids that came by with a can of spray paint to play a prank. I think there is a lot more to this.’  ”

On July 28, 2010, the Maryland Gazette reported that “Faint outlines of hateful words and symbols still lingered outside of B’nai Shalom of Olney on Tuesday, despite the efforts of more than 200 people to clean up the graffiti that was found spray painted in black on the walls, parking lot and light poles Monday morning. The rest, synagogue President Debbie Kovalsky said, will have to be removed with a sand blaster. More than 500 people, including County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), attended a prayer service later that evening in a show of support for the synagogue. Clergy and parishioners from local churches and rabbis from synagogues in Rockville, Columbia and Baltimore also joined B’nai Shalom members.”

Montgomery County police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. Montgomery County Police ask anyone with information on the case to call 240-773-5500 and ask for the Investigative Services Division.

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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 death threats, such vandalism and attacks against houses of worship as seeking to intimidate and spread fear among those seeking their universal human rights of freedom of worship.  We reject the hate of Nazis and white supremacists, and we call up all those who hate to unburden the hate from their hearts.

We urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate, Love Wins.

Virginia: Ku Klux Klan (KKK) Promotes August 7 Cross-Burning on Stormfront Web Site

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) rejects racial supremacist hate views of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists, and we urge all those whose hearts are burdened with hate to choose love, not hate.

On the “white nationalist hate group” Stormfront web site, the “Knights of the Ku Klux Klan” (KKK) are promoting a planned cross-burning on August 7 in Martinsville, Virginia.  The event is promoted just below an advertisement for Stormfront’s radio show on WPBR-AM radio in Lake Worth, Florida, where Stormfront’s Derek Black and David Black now have a radio show five times a week.  Stormfront has also been the source for convicted white supremacist terrorist Daniel Cowart who tried to murder 100 black Americans, Pittsburgh police killer Richard Poplawski, and supporters of Holocaust Memorial Museum terrorist James Von Brunn. The Stormfront web site has promoted a wide range of “white nationalist” and racist events from the failed American Renaissance conference to numerous Neo-Nazi, KKK, and other racist events.

Stormfront Promotes Virginia Ku Klux Klan Cross Burning
Stormfront Promotes Virginia Ku Klux Klan Cross Burning

The “Knights Riders” of the Ku Klux Klan Virginia event is planned for a campground area in Martinsburg, Virginia.  The Ku Klux Klan members state their picnic and “cross burning” is open to public, as long as you are white, stating “White People Only.”  The Ku Klux Klan group claims to plan to have “political guest speakers and Christian prayer,” as well as a “cross lighting at dusk.”

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) urges white Americans and Christian Americans to denounce and reject the white supremacism of the Ku Klux Klan.

Ku Klux Klan image of "cross lighting"
Ku Klux Klan image of "cross lighting"

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) rejects racial supremacist hate views of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists, and we urge all those whose hearts are burdened with hate to Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.

Tennessee: Nazi White Supremacist National Socialist Movement to Rally August 14

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) rejects Nazism, racism, and other hate, and we urge all those whose hearts are burdened with hate to choose love, not hate.

According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, the Detroit, Michigan-based, National Socialist Movement (NSM) Neo-Nazi group plans to hold a rally with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in Knoxville, Tennessee on August 14.

The August 14 event is being led by the NSM/Tennessee Unit of the Neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement (NSM), led by “Lt. Brian Culpepper.” According to the Knoxville News Sentinel report, the August 14, 2010 applicant was Brian Culpepper, who is describing the event as an “anti-amnesty” rally to urge Tennesseans to create a law “tougher” than Arizona’s new immigration law.

NSM’s Brian Culpepper told the Knoxville News Sentinel he expects both Ku Klux Klan members and “various other factions of the white nationalist movement.”

The August 14 Neo-Nazi event is to be held at Knoxville Market Square with a walk and further rally on the steps of Knox County Courthouse.  Another group is planning a counterprotest.

The Neo-Nazi NSM group is encouraging Tea Party members to see them first hand, stating: “Tea Party patriots and those that have not seen the NSM in person are encouraged to come and see firsthand what our people and our message really are. ”

The Neo-Nazi group states that groups involved in the August 14 event will include: “1. Brotherhood of Klans: Guest speaker Imperial Wizard Jeremy Parker, 2. United Knights TN. KKK, 3. SSAG: Guest speaker Ted Dunn, 4. U.S. Presidential Candidate Brian Holland… Among the featured speakers will be Commander Jeff Schoep and members of the Officer Corps.”

Security Services Action Group (S.S.A.G.) was one of the post-George Lincoln Rockwell neo-Nazi groups, which was reportedly associated with street violence in Detroit.  Virginia’s Brian Holland views himself as a “National Socialist” presidential candidate for 2012, and Brian Holland calls himself a “Majority Rights Activist.”

Hate Group Speakers for Knoxville, Tennessee August 14 Event: NSM's Jeff Schoep, Ku Klux Klan Imperial Wizard Jeremy Parker, and Brian Holland (left to right)
Hate Group Speakers for Knoxville, Tennessee August 14 Event: NSM's Jeff Schoep, Ku Klux Klan Imperial Wizard Jeremy Parker, and Brian Holland (left to right)

Jeff Schoep has led the Nazi, Hitlerite National Socialist Movement (NSM) for years.  The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) quotes Jeff Schoep as stating: “The Constitution was written by white men alone. Therefore, it was intended for whites alone… When you put on your NSM uniform, you are not just representing the NSM but all National Socialists that fought and died for our Race and our Cause! You are showing the Jews and the rest of the world that our Fuhrer is not forgotten and that his life’s struggle was not in vain… All non-White immigration must be prevented. We demand that all non-Whites currently residing in America be required to leave the nation forthwith and return to their land of origin: peacefully or by force.”

Knoxville County Courthouse
Knoxville County Courthouse

R.E.A.L. previously reported on the NSM’s plans to rally with the Ku Klux Klan and “Christian Identity” group in Midland, Michigan on July 31, 2010.

In the past, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has reported on the Nazi NSM’s groups tactics to recruit young children.

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) rejects Nazism, racism, and other hate, and we urge all those whose hearts are burdened with hate to Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.

Michigan: Nazis, Ku Klux Klan (KKK), Christian Identity Plan July 31 Midland Rally

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) rejects Nazism, racism, and other hate, and we urge all those whose hearts are burdened with hate to Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.

The Midland Messenger reports that a coalition of Neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and the racist “Christian Identity” movement plans to hold an event at the steps of the Midland County Courthouse on July 31, and that the event is being promoted on the “white nationalist hate group” Stormfront. They report that members will include the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)’s Randy Gray, Nazi National Socialist Movement group’s Jeff Schoep, Christian Identity movement’s James Wickstrom. The united efforts by the racists and Nazis in joint rallies reflects a growing trend of racial hate groups in shared coalitions.

United in Hate: Ku Klux Klan's Randy Gray (image 1), National Socialist Movement's Jeff Schoep (image 2), and Christian Identity's James Wickstrom (image 3)
United in Hate: Ku Klux Klan's Randy Gray (image 1), National Socialist Movement's Jeff Schoep (image 2), and Christian Identity's James Wickstrom (image 3) (Photo 1 Midland Daily News, Photos 2 and 3 SPLC)

The Ku Klux Klan’s Randy Gray was reportedly a member of the Ron Paul presidential campaign in Michigan in 2008. KKK activist Randy Gray has been involved in promoting white supremacism in Midland, Michigan as previously reported by the Midland Daily News, where Randy Gray told the Midland Daily News that he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and had a protest in KKK robes the day after the election of Barack Obama.  He has also reportedly spoken at a white supremacist event in Kalamazoo.

Randy Gray has also promoted white supremacism in other parts of the country including leading an event in Tennessee.  At the Tennessee event, Randy Gray reportedly promoted the “Color of Crime” book promoted by New Century Foundation / American Renaissance.  The American Renaissance has unsuccessfully tried to hold a national convention in the Washington DC area to promote its views on race.

Video of Ku Klux Klan’s Randy Gray Speaking in Tennessee, where he condemns the “race traitors of Washington DC”.

Jeff Schoep has led the Nazi, Hitlerite National Socialist Movement (NSM) for years.  The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) quotes Jeff Schoep as stating: “”The Constitution was written by white men alone. Therefore, it was intended for whites alone… When you put on your NSM uniform, you are not just representing the NSM but all National Socialists that fought and died for our Race and our Cause! You are showing the Jews and the rest of the world that our Fuhrer is not forgotten and that his life’s struggle was not in vain… All non-White immigration must be prevented. We demand that all non-Whites currently residing in America be required to leave the nation forthwith and return to their land of origin: peacefully or by force. ”

The SPLC  states that “James Wickstrom may be America’s hardest-line preacher of the racist and anti-Semitic theology of Christian Identity. Known for violent, raging sermons that call for extermination of “the Jews,” Wickstrom, who has an extensive criminal history, has been preaching his hatred since his involvement in the 1970s with the anti-Semitic and antigovernment Posse Comitatus.”

The SPLC quotes James Wickstrom as stating: “I’d like to see these Jews all be brought to the VA [Veterans Administration hospital] and wooden chairs be put down on the lawn. Tie the Jews in. Bring these veterans down who have been mutilated … and give them baseball bats and let them beat these Jews to death! Every one of them! Take these chairs and Jews after they’re beaten to death, throw ’em in the wood chipper! And from the wood chipper let the remains go into a big incinerary [sic] truck, which is right behind the wood chipper, and give them the holocaust they rightly deserve!”

The SPLC quotes James Wickstrom as stating: “I have a dream! If that goddamn n**ger can have a dream, I can have a dream, too. I have a dream that in the days to come there won’t be anyone who isn’t white that’s gonna be in America!”

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The Midland Messenger report on the planned July 31 white supremacist / Nazi event that “A post on Stormfront, a website for neo-Nazis and white supremacists, announces a July 31 rally on the steps of the Midland County Courthouse. Scheduled to speak is Randy Gray, who was elected as a GOP precinct delegate in 2008. He was stripped of that position after he showed up the day after the election on the streets of Midland in his KKK robes protesting the election of Barack Obama. Also scheduled to speak is James Wickstrom, a longtime member of the Christian Identity movement. Wickstrom claims that only white people were created in the image of God and only white people have souls. He also claims that Jews are the ‘children of Satan’ and that white, Western Europeans are the true Israelites favored by God. Wickstrom lives in Rhodes, Michigan. A third speaker is Jeff Schoep, ‘commander’ of the National Socialist Movement which has its headquarters in Detroit. His organization wants a United States made up only of those with ‘pure White blood’ — and no Jews or homosexuals allowed. And although Schoep claims that his group is non-violent, their party platform demands that ‘all non-Whites currently residing in America be required to leave the nation forthwith and return to their land of origin: peacefully or by force.'”

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) rejects Nazism, racism, and other hate, and we urge all those whose hearts are burdened with hate to Choose Love, Not Hate – Love Wins.

Kentucky: July 4 “Yup, I’m a Racist” T-Shirts Sold at Fair

Louisville Independent Examiner’s Greg Skilling reports on “Yup, I’m a Racist” t-shirts sold on July 4 at Lexington, Kentucky fair.

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights of equality and liberty for all and rejects all racial supremacism.

Video Clip of "Yup - I'm a Racist" Shirts Sold on July 4 in Kentucky
Video Clip of "Yup - I'm a Racist" Shirts Sold on July 4 in Kentucky
Logo of "Yup - I'm a Racist" Shirts Sold on July 4 in Kentucky (Photo: Greg Skilling)
Logo of "Yup - I'm a Racist" Shirts Sold on July 4 in Kentucky (Photo: Greg Skilling)

YouTube Video

South Carolina: White Nationalist Group Promotes Confederate and Gadsden Flags

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) rejects the symbols of division and hate, and rejects the views of “white nationalism.”

On June 26, 2010, the white nationalist, anti-Semitic group Occidental Dissent held a rally in South Carolina promoting the Confederate Flag.  In their rally, they jointly waved the Confederate Flag and the Gadsden Flag together.

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 infiltrate political organizations to promote “white nationalism.”

South Carolina: White Nationalist, Anti-Semitic Group Occidental Dissent Flies Confederate and Gadsden Flags Together (Photo: YouTube)
South Carolina: White Nationalist, Anti-Semitic Group Occidental Dissent Flies Confederate and Gadsden Flags Together (Photo: YouTube)

One of the speakers at the event referred to the NAACP as the “National Association of Retarded People” to laughter from the crowd.

South Carolina: Pro-Confederate Speaker Attacks NAACP as "National Association for Retarded People" to Crowd Laughter (Photo: YouTube)
South Carolina: Pro-Confederate Speaker Attacks NAACP as "National Association for Retarded People" to Crowd Laughter (Photo: YouTube)

The Occidental Dissent views that the “Ku Klux Klan is an authentic expression of American nationalism.”  The Virginia-headquartered Occidental Dissent has been seeking to reach out to the Ku Klux Klan in Virginia, as well as the white supremacist Council of Conservative Citizens, (CofCC), the Nazi skinhead Volksfront group, and the American Renaissance, for the promotion of white nationalism and anti-Semitism.

Our Children Must Learn the Symbols of Hope and Unity, Not Hate and Division  (Photo: YouTube)
Our Children Must Learn the Symbols of Hope and Unity, Not Hate and Division (Photo: YouTube)

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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) supports our universal human rights, equality and liberty for all.  R.E.A.L. rejects racism, rejects anti-Semitism, and rejects hate and intolerance.  On August 28, 2009, R.E.A.L. called for an end to promotion of symbols of division and hate, at the Robert E. Lee Memorial.

Our children need to be taught messages of hope and unity, not ones of hate and division.

Our message to groups that promote symbols of hate and division is consistently the same…

Choose Love, Note Hate.  Love Wins.

R.E.A.L. Video to Occidental Dissent White Nationalists at Holocaust Memorial Museum Attack Remembrance – Choose Love, Not Hate

DC Public Remembers Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

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)
We Remember June 10, 2009 Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (Photos: Left – AP, Right – USHMM)

The public remembrance at Washington DC’s Freedom Plaza was organized by Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.), a human rights volunteer group that pulls together coalitions of volunteers from among the public for activism and public awareness on human rights issues.   Among R.E.A.L.’s core issues are religious freedom/pluralism and racial equality, which R.E.A.L. saw the June 10, 2009 attack on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum as defying such freedoms, urging “Never Again” to hate.

Speakers from among the public included R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm, Elisa Tetreault, Mrs. N. Washington, and Damanga Executive 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.

The event began with a brief rain shower, but the location of the event on the east side of Freedom Plaza provided some natural protection by nearby trees, and the shower quickly passed.  With a breeze that periodically gusted, volunteers held signs reading “We Remember June 10 Attack on U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum,” “We Remember Stephen Johns,” “Together for Love and Tolerance,” and “Choose Love, Not Hate, Love Wins.”

FOX 5 News Video

R.E.A.L. YouTube Video of Excerpts of Public Remembrance

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
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
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
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
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.

Volunteers Urge All to Choose Love, Not Hate
Volunteers Urge All to Choose Love, Not Hate

Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) applauds the efforts by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to continue to record and share the concerns and sympathies of the public regarding this terrorist attack, and urges the public to also publicly pledge their support against hate.  R.E.A.L. also urges all to make a gift to the USHMM Stephen Tyrone Johns Summer Youth Leadership Program Endowment Fund.

Freedom Plaza - Washington DC - 14th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW - Site of April 11 Rally for Chinese Freedom
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

Love Wins: Volunteers Offer Love, Tolerance to White Nationalist Heckler at Holocaust Memorial Museum Remembrance

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 infiltrate political 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
White Nationalist from Anti-Semitic Occidental Dissent Group Visits Public Remembrance of U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Attack

The group leader briefly heckled Mohamed Yahya, who is a well-known leader in fighting against genocide who has been recognized by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.  The group has previously criticized the efforts of Mr. Yahya and others in struggling against genocide, as well as those defying racial hatred.

As shown in a video of our encounter with the visitor, Mohamed Yahya’s response was “I love you… if you hate me, I give you love.”

Mohamed Yahya Responds to White Nationalist Heckler: "If you hate me, I love you"
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
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.

Volunteers Offer an Outstretched Hand, Not an Upraised Fist - to White Nationalism and Anti-Semitic Group Leader - 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

R.E.A.L. Video to White Nationalists at Holocaust Memorial Museum Attack Remembrance – Choose Love, Not Hate

A prayer was later said to call upon us all to remove the burden of hate from all of our hearts.

Choose Love, Not Hate.  Love Wins.

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