Everyone Out Against the “Rock Stone Mountain” White Power Rally in Georgia, April 23rd!
An anti-racist mass mobilization against “Rock Stone Mountain”–the explicitly “white power” event planned for April 23rd at Stone Mountain, Georgia–is taking shape. As discussed elsewhere on this site, the Rock Stone Mountain rally is being organized by Klansmen, former members of the Aryan Nations, plus Billy Roper, the Arkansas white nationalist who used to chair White Revolution. Rock Stone Mountain is being promoted on major white supremacist websites such as Stormfront, as well as on blogs and Facebook. The racists plan “an openly White Power March up Stone Mountain that climaxes in a rally at the top. It is to be followed by a Pro White concert at a seperate [sic] location that evening.”
The white supremacist gathering will be resisted. Anti-racists are organizing a mass presence at Stone Mountain to shut down the white power rally and disrupt the racists’ plans. Following a series of discussions between anti-racists, a website has now been established for the anti-Klan mobilization. Check out All Out Atlanta’s website here for more information and to see the principles guiding our organizing. The site will be regularly updated with news and outreach materials. If you’re on Twitter, be sure to also follow us here.
The website for All Out Atlanta is now online, see here.
It is time to commit to making the anti-racist mobilization a success. All Out Atlanta is not organized as a handful of leaders telling a mass of followers what to do. We want a strong and multifaceted response to the Klan and neo-Nazis. This cannot be done unless large numbers make this effort their own. Get in contact and get involved!
Some initial things you can do:
- Spread the word! Outreach is essential at this time. Please share information about the anti-racist organizing that is underway with your friends, co-workers, community group, and so on.
- If you are a member of an organization, consider endorsing this mobilization by contacting All Out Atlanta.
- Host an educational event or a fundraiser in your community.
- If you’re out-of-state, now is the time to make travel plans! If you are too far away to travel to Stone Mountain/the greater Atlanta area, consider an event in your own community to challenge white supremacy and racist organizing.
(Note: All Out Atlanta is distinct from the neo-Confederate protest against “Rock Stone Mountain” that has been covered by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The broader neo-Confederate movement played a key role in setting the stage for the April 23rd white power event at Stone Mountain. Atlanta Antifascist Notes believes that it is disingenuous for the neo-Confederates to now oppose the blatantly white power event, claiming that it makes their cause look bad.)
National Socialist Movement to Rally in Rome, Georgia April 23rd
Another white power event is also now on our radar.
The National Socialist Movement (NSM), one of the nation’s largest neo-Nazi organizations, has announced that it will hold a rally in Rome, Georgia on April 23rd–the same day as “Rock Stone Mountain.” The NSM rally is being endorsed by the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations activists, Aryan Strikeforce, and a handful other organizations. Rome, GA is approximately two hours away from Stone Mountain (slightly less from Atlanta).
The NSM’s initial release for the rally in Rome stated that the event would coincide with the organization’s “annual National Meeting in Georgia this year.” NSM members from across the country are expected to congregate in Rome. NSM leader Jeff Schoep initially gave the dates of “April 22nd and 23rd” for the NSM event on Twitter, which suggests that some NSM members may be arriving in the city before the 23rd.
Some readers may be confused why Klan members and Aryan Nations militants are involved in two different white power events in the same state on the same day. A full explanation cannot be provided here, since we do not yet have all the facts. However it is important to note that different Klan groups seem to be endorsing different white power events–the Loyal White Knights are attending the NSM rally in Rome, while members of the International Keystone Knights are involved with planning “Rock Stone Mountain.” Further, while past affiliates of the Aryan Nations are involved with both events, this illustrates the highly fragmented nature of the Aryan Nations right now, in particular after Morris Gullet–one of the more prominent Aryan Nations leaders of recent years–completely shut down his operation last year. Aryan Nations holdouts had a “World Congress” on December 13, 2015 at the Georgia Peach Oyster Bar in Draketown (near Temple) GA that was attended by both NSM and Loyal White Knights representatives. The Aryan Nations/NSM coordination in December seems to have fed into the broader NSM plans for Rome.
It is also worth noting the differences in style between the two events. “Rock Stone Mountain” invites neo-Nazi rock bands to play in the evening; it uses an image of white supremacist terrorist Robert J. Matthews in promotional materials; and it involves notorious neo-Nazi Billy Roper in its organizing. However, the Rock Stone Mountain organizers for some reason do not want their attendees to bring Nazi flags on April 23rd, writing on the Rock Stone Mountain community page on Facebook: “Those who wish to bring ANY version of the Confederate battle flag or any of the Confederate national flags to this event are encouraged to do so. However, we respectfully ask that participants not bring flags or banners representing any foreign nation or power, historical or current, to the rally.”
By contrast, the National Socialist Movement fetishizes Third Reich imagery and the swastika. It is not a coincidence that their rally in Rome will take place on the weekend after Hitler’s birthday (April 20). It is likely that the different events on the same day do not reflect some sort of neo-Nazi grand strategy as much as they are the consequence of tensions between white power organizations and individuals, who have different ideas about how to organize and what’s important.
The National Socialist Movement has already released a flier for their post-rally evening event–they will be travelling to Draketown (near Temple) GA for an “after party” featuring a cross lighting and a live band. The NSM are giving the location for this event as the Georgia Peach Oyster Bar, a business which openly advertises itself as a “Klan bar” and frequently hosts neo-Nazi events (such as the Aryan Nations “congress” of December 13, 2015, and major gatherings of the neo-Nazi “Hammerskin Nation” in the past).
NSM event: rally in Rome, GA and evening event in Draketown/Temple, GA
It is presently unknown whether the “Rock Stone Mountain” organizers will attempt to combine their evening event with the NSM one, or whether there will be a separate white power concert for “Rock Stone Mountain” attendees.
Information Wanted
With all this going on, it is more important than ever for anti-racists and anti-fascists to be watchful about local far-Right organizing. If you have information on white supremacist organizing in Georgia (especially but certainly not limited to Metro Atlanta) please contact Atlanta Antifascist Notes. Leads about the April 23rd white power events can also be sent to All Out Atlanta. Information will be double-checked and then put to good use.
