Brief recap: July 8th 2017 Anti-KKK Counterprotest, Charlottesville VA

To see photos of the demonstration, check out the Virginia Defender's album here. 

This past Saturday, I attended a counterdemonstration opposing a Klan rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. A segment of the Ku Klux Klan from Pelham, North Carolina held a rally in Charlottesville's Justice Park, in front of the Robert E. Lee statue, to protest the city's decision to sell its monuments honoring Confederate leaders. To my understanding, the group Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Charlottesville called this specific counter-demo, but there were a ton of groups with a presence, and various events earlier in the day. Lots of Richmonders were there in solidarity.  

There were about 2,500 counterdemonstrators, around 100 police officers from the city, county, and state, and approximately 30 to 40 Klan members. There were also a handful of Klan supporters in the crowd, but they were a tiny minority who mostly stayed clustered near the police. 

Police erected barriers to allow the Klan to move in and out of the park; a couple of activists tried to prevent their entry, and were arrested. The Klansmen ultimately entered at about 3:45, guarded by police in riot gear, and stood around shouting racial slurs and doing Nazi salutes for a while— I'm certain they spoke, also, but they were drowned out by boos and chants. When they were eventually ushered out, still under heavy guard, another group of counterdemonstrators tried to block their egress and were arrested. The police then issued an order to disperse, declared the gathering unlawful, and used three tear gas canisters. Mayor Mike Signer is now saying that police were provoked when protesters attacked them with pepper spray, but there's no evidence, video or otherwise, that this actually happened. Black Lives Matter Charlottesville has a write-up confronting this claim here. 

Throughout the course of the event, 23 anti-Klan activists were arrested. You can contribute to their legal fund here. 

Prior to the demonstration, anti-racist activists in the area faced police surveillance and unannounced visits to homes and workplaces from detectives wanting information on their activities and affiliations. Al-Jazeera recently published an article on the disparate reaction of Charlottesville police to left groups vs. far right groups like the Klan. 

Groups like the Klan hold events like these for two reasons: to intimidate, and to recruit. When you show up to oppose them in numbers like Charlottesville did this weekend, you prevent recruiting and show them for cowards. For all their posturing, they were only able to show up and scream racial slurs from behind a line of riot cops. 

That said, let's get ready for Round 2: a local white supremacist has called a larger "Unite the Right" rally on August 12th, at Charlottesville's Emancipation Park. More details on that in another post. 

"What is #J20 Anyways?" An Info-Sharing Session on Mass Resistance to the Inauguration

Next Monday, January 2nd 2017, at 7pm, at Gallery5 (200 West Marshall Street, Richmond VA), ASH (Antifascists of the Seven Hills) is holding an info-sharing session on mass resistance against the presidential inauguration, which is coming up on January 20th. Protests, a national general strike, and more are being planned around the country. This event will be a chance to share news, get informed, make connections, and plan. 

Free, open to the public. Street parking only. 

For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google calendar, click here. 

Preparing for the Trump Era: an Anarchist Perspective

Next Wednesday, December 14th 2016, from 6-9pm, at 3110 West Leigh Street, Richmond VA, the Antifascists of the Seven Hills (ASH) are hosting contributors to the CrimethInc Ex-Workers Collective, a decentralized anarchist collective active globally since the 1990s, for an evening of presentations and discussion on the 2016 Presidential election. From the event description: 

"How did Trump come to power, and what does that tell us about the era we are entering? What strategies will be effective in countering repressive government policies and the rise of grassroots nationalism? Framing Trump's victory in a global context, the presenters will explore various approaches to self-organization and self-defense, drawing on the principles of mutual aid and direct action."

Dinner will be served to attendees. Street parking only. Donations are requested. 

This looks like a really fabulous opportunity; the best fix for feeling powerless is to figure out how you're going to link up and fight back. 

For more info and to RSVP, see this link. To add this event to your Google calendar, click here. 

Columbus monument splashed with red paint for Thanksgiving

The semi-annual Thanksgiving defacement of the Columbus statue near Byrd Park appears to have gone down in the early hours of November 24th, right on schedule. 

Richmond, Virginia 2016. Photo credit to Antifascists of the Seven Hills (ASH). 

Direct Action and Organizing Workshop 2 with ASH (Antifascists of the Seven Hills)

Tomorrow, Monday November 21st 2016, from 4-7pm, at the Richmond's Main Branch Library (101 East Franklin Street, Richmond VA), ASH, Antifascists of the Seven Hills, is holding another direct action and organizing training for people interested in resisting the new Trump administration and its policies. This event will be a repeat of the November 20th training, which saw high interest, not a part two. From the event description: 

"The workshop will focus on how to be safe, strategic and powerful while marching in the streets. It will also cover the basics of organizing to provide you with skills for building power with those around you to oppose the fascist agenda of Donald Trump."

The organizers are asking for a $5-10 donation, to go to the legal fund of 12 protesters arrested in Richmond on November 9th, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Open to the public. 

For more information and to RSVP, see this link. 

Direct Action and Organizing Training with ASH (Antifascists of the Seven Hills)

Sunday, November 20th 2016, from 4-7pm, at the Rag & Bones Bicycle Co-op (3110 West Leigh Street, Richmond VA), ASH (Antifascists of the Seven Hills) is holding a direct action and organizing training for people interested in resisting the new Trump administration and its policies. From the event description: 

"The workshop will focus on how to be safe, strategic and powerful while marching in the streets. It will also cover the basics of organizing to provide you with skills for building power with those around you to be oppose the fascist agenda of Donald Trump."

The organizers are asking for a $5-10 donation, to go to the legal fund of 12 protesters arrested in Richmond on November 9th, but nobody will be turned away for lack of funds. Open to the public. 

For more information and to RSVP, see this link. 

What fascists operate in Richmond?

Below is my answer to a question submitted to the Active-RVA Tumblr. If you have a question you want to ask, the best way to reach me is at activerva@gmail.com. Here it is:

To my knowledge, there aren’t currently any openly fascist organizations operating in Richmond. However: 

The Traditionalist Worker’s Party, whose ideology is essentially fascist (they want an authoritarian white-only America where opposition to non-white immigrants unites whites across class lines), is trying to establish a chapter at VCU. To my knowledge, they’ve got like 2-3 students involved, but their activities are currently limited to fliering and posting in VCU-related Facebook groups. Their primary organizer is a philosophy student named Derrick Davis. 

The Virginia Flaggers are neo-Confederates whose primary goal is to put Confederate imagery on things. They mostly protest in front of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts a couple of times a week, organized armed patrols to protect Monument Avenue’s Confederate monuments from vandalism, and every year or so they raise a bunch of money to erect a huge Confederate flag somewhere visible to the highway. Their ideology is weird to pin down, because they very much buy into the “Heritage Not Hate” slogan, and even have a single black member they hold up against charges of racism. However, they’ve also got members who used to be with the Klan, a relationship with the League of the South (advocates modern Southern succession to establish a whites-only state), and are friendly with Matthew Heimbach (founder of the Traditionalist Worker’s Party, described above). 

Around the state, we’ve got chapters of the Ku Klux Klan and the Wolves of Vinland, a white nationalist group structured like a motorcycle club which is mostly a prison gang. They own property in Lynchburg. 

If you want to fight fascist and white nationalist organizations in the area, link up with the newly-formed Antifascists of the Seven Hills (ASH).

Interest Meeting for New Anti-fascist Group ASH, Antifascists of the Seven Hills

Sorry about the very short notice- I'm a little disorganized over here.

Today, from 6-10pm in Richmond (message the organizers to receive the address), the newly-formed local organization ASH- Antifascists of the Seven Hills- will be holding an interest meeting and pizza party. This new organization is a group of anarchists and communists dedicated to fighting fascism here on the ground in Richmond.

This is an especially necessary organization now, when we're seeing a resurgence of both fascist orgs (like the Traditionalist Worker's Party, which intends to establish a chapter at VCU) and proto-fascist factions with racist, anti-worker, and xenophobic politics. Go check out ASH, and join the fight.

For more info and to RSVP, see this link.