CLEVELAND
Anti-racist movement organizing to confront Klan
By
Martha Grevatt
Cleveland, Ohio
For the first time since the 1920s the Ku Klux Klan will
rally in Cleveland. On Aug. 21, with hundreds of cops
protecting them, these hooded fascists plan to once again bring
their murderous hate propaganda to Ohio.
There have been 40 Klan rallies in Ohio this year alone, and
more are scheduled.
While the city government, the media and moderate clergy are
urging people to "ignore the Klan," a Cleveland Stop the Klan
Committee has been formed to organize a massive force.
Many groups are planning to participate, including Peoples
Fightback Center, Workers World Party, International Socialist
Organization, Anti-Racist Action and Northeast Ohio Coalition
for Justice for Mumia.
The committee has recently learned that anti-Klan protesters
will be subjected to the usual police harassment and
intimidation that accompanies these events: metal detectors.
Anti-racist activists will face possible searches and
videotaping.
In addition, cops will shunt protesters into a fenced-in
area. Each person will be allowed to carry only one key and one
piece of identification. No cameras or notepads will be
allowed.
In an Aug. 16 statement, the committee condemned these
measures as a fundamental violation of the protesters'
constitutional rights.
The committee stated that "it is outrageous that the city is
going out of its way to provide for the safety of these
fascists. With racist, sexist, anti-gay and anti-Semitic
lynchings on the rise, this agitation for genocide ought to be
banned, not protected."
Judging by past anti-Klan demonstrations and the extent of
current organizing, a huge demonstration will drown the
fascists out.
This article is copyright under a Creative Commons License.
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