KKK Holds Rally in Georgia Against "Latino Invasion"

by Alex DiBranco · 2010-02-23 15:17:00 UTC
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Yes, I am talking about the infamous KKK of burning crosses and lynching black people. The Ku Klux Klan might not be in a strong enough position to string up African-Americans and commit acts of terrorism these days (although a few members did have a plot to blow up a power plant foiled by the FBI in the late 90s), but, unfortunately, there are some thousands of Klan members still hanging around the country. And about 50 of them decided to come to Nahunta, GA, this week, primarily to rally against immigrants.

Klan Imperial Wizard Jeff Jones told the crowd, "We are here to tell you wake up Georgia and stop the Latino invasion now,” peppering his remarks with racial slurs and casting suspicion on the patriotism of Mexican-Americans, according to the Flordia Times-Union. Supporters in the audience greeted him with cries of "white power," making the nativist-racist tie clear, and waved Confederate flags. Klansmen worse their distinctive traditional hats and robes, but were not permitted to be masked, which is against Georgia law for rallies.

Nearby, the NAACP had organized a unity rally to counter the KKK's message of hate and bring the community together. Most residents felt that the Klan had right to freedom of assembly and free speech, although they were not happy that to have the rally in their backyard. "They’re spewing hate,” Viola Hazelhurst, a resident of a nearby town, stated. “Everybody here is an immigrant except the Indians." Fifteen-year-old Diamond Thomas was shocked at the display: "I pray for them," she told a reporter.

"This is going to leave a bad scar on the city," said Nahuta Mayor Ronnie Jacobs.

Update: Thanks to Joeff Davis for sending me the link to his excellent footage of the KKK rally.

Photo credit: Image Editor

Alex DiBranco is a Change.org Editor who has worked for the Nation, Political Research Associates, and the Center for American Progress. She is now based in New York City.
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