Jason Kessler, center, led a small group of white nationalists during a heavily protected rally in Washington on Sunday. They were greatly outnumbered by counterprotesters, police officers and representatives of the news media: Jim Lo Scalzo via Shutterstock
By Glynn Wilson –
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Jason Kessler and his tiny band of white boys from Virginia, described as white nationalists, white supremacists or neo-Nazis, tried to make a show of bringing their racist message to the nation’s capital on Sunday to allegedly “Unite the (political) Right.” Instead their “rally” of about 10 guys was cut short and they may not have made it out unscathed if not for a massive show of force by the DC Metro Police as they were vastly outnumbered by anti-racist counter protesters chanting “No Trump! No KKK! No fascist USA!”
Anti-racist counterprotesters controlled the streets as the small band of neo-Nazis had to be protected by police: Glynn Wilson
It was the first anniversary of the protest last year in Charlottesville over a statue of Robert E. Lee, where city leaders denied Kessler a permit for fear of more violence. The Metropolitan Police in Washington geared up for the event with a massive show of force, blocking off all the streets and sidewalks for blocks around the White House, where President Donald Trump was absent, spending the weekend at his golf resort in New Jersey.
The president was not forgotten by the 10,000 or so protesters, however, made up of peace activists, liberal groups, Democrats, Black Lives Matter, Methodists preaching love and the AntiFa Army dressed in black with covered faces ready for war with the Nazis had they not been escorted in and out of the rally by the Secret Service, DC police and the Metro Transit Agency.
Anti-racist counterprotesters controlled the streets as the small band of neo-Nazis had to be protected by police: Glynn Wilson
Two members of the D.C. Council and the union representing Metro employees blasted the transit agency and the police for providing extra protection for the Nazis after being told last week that the group would not be given special treatment.
“Giving white supremacists & hate groups a private Metro rail car is so unbelievably wrong & disgraceful,” DC Council Member Charles Allen said on Twitter. “Beyond the horrible precedent it sets, what does it tell the riding public & operators? Plus, it’s the exact opposite of what @WMATA said they’d do.”
Kessler, who told reporters he was there to promote “free speech” and “white civil rights” and falsely claiming the protest in Charlottesville had been “non-violent,” had said he expected to be joined by 400 marchers and former Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon David Duke. But there was no sign of the Klan or other neo-Nazi groups in Washington to support his rally. An activist with AntiFa told me one Nazi news site urged its members not to show up, because they don’t like or support Kessler, who they consider to be a showboat lacking true Nazi credentials.
The lopsided turnout felt like victory to some protesters, although the real victory would be at the ballot box on Election Day November 6 and again in 2020.
According to local news reports, Kessler and his small band came into the city across the Potomac River from the Vienna Metro station, where they were escorted by police into the rear car of a waiting Metro train. They arrived in the city at the Foggy Bottom Metro station, where an even larger police contingent escorted them for several blocks past counter protesters shouting at them and chanting “Nazis go home.”
Once inside Lafayette Square park by the White House, Kessler’s small group was kept far away from protesters and AntiFa, who were gearing up for battle but blocked by police on the wrong side of the White House. At one point there was confusion in their ranks, with some shouting “retreat” and “you are going the wrong way” while others lit a smoke bomb in the street.
On the other side of the White House in Lafayette Square, about 10,000 protesters drowned out Kessler so no one could hear what he was saying from the closest sidewalk accessible for bystanders. The rally was called off just before 5 p.m. when it started to rain.
Anti-racist counterprotesters pack Lafayette Square as the DC Metro Police protect a small band of neo-Nazis by the White House: Glynn Wilson
The massive police presence made the area away from the protest feel almost surreal, since there were no cars and very few people on the streets for blocks. Over-hyped news reports of the potential turnout for the event urged the public to stay away from the area, and it appeared to work. Even around George Washington University, the streets and sidewalks were empty.
Some local reports highlighted the significant expense to the city for police and security overtime pay, although the federal government will be reimbursing the city for some of the expense since the event took place on National Park Service controlled land. The group was awarded a permit for their rally since the Park Service supports free speech by all in the nation’s capital.
More Photos
Anti-racist counterprotesters gathered in Freedom Plaza before marching to the White House, shown here with the Trump International Hotel clock tower in the background: Glynn Wilson
Anti-racist counterprotesters controlled the streets as the small band of neo-Nazis had to be protected by police: Glynn Wilson
Anti-racist counterprotesters controlled the streets as the small band of neo-Nazis had to be protected by police: Glynn Wilson
Anti-racist counterprotesters controlled the streets as the small band of neo-Nazis had to be protected by police: Glynn Wilson
Anti-racist counterprotesters controlled the streets as the small band of neo-Nazis had to be protected by police: Glynn Wilson
DC Metro Police on motorcycles and with the K-9 force keep a watchful eye on protesters as they depart Freedom Plaza for the Lafayette Square by the White House: Glynn Wilson
DC Metro Police protect a small band of neo-Nazis by the White House: Glynn Wilson
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This Day in History – April 16 – “After the outbreak of the February Revolution, German authorities allowed Lenin and his lieutenants to cross Germany en route from Switzerland to Sweden in a sealed railway car. Berlin hoped, correctly, that the return of the anti-war socialists to Russia would undermine the Russian war effort, which was continuing under the provisional government.”