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Neo-Nazis welcomed by anti-immigrant protesters in Phoenix
by godless
Tuesday, May. 01, 2007 at 10:54 PM
Lured by promises of free pie, Neo-Nazi skinheads were prominent among a handful of anti-immigrant demonstrators organized by car salesman Rusty Childress's organization, United for a Sovereign America.
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A few dozen counter demonstrators showed up at the Arizona State Capitol on May 1 to show their opposition to the 15,000-strong immigrant rights march in Phoenix, part of a nationwide day of marches and other actions. The protest was organized by United for a Sovereign America, the pet project of local car dealer and hedonist Rusty Childress, and featured free apple pie and ice cream.
Although the pie tasting was not officially organized by the better-known Minutemen, the group was well represented at the event. In fact, one of the the most prominent banners in the crowd of anti-immigrants was "Minutemen Civil Defense Corps - Now Recruiting". Apparently, now that Minutemen Arizona Chapter President Stacy O'Connell has resigned to run for Phoenix City Council, the group is having trouble finding warm bodies to show up to protests. Perhaps that's why they're scraping the bottom of the barrel and openly working with neo-Nazi skinheads.
Although the anti-immigrant movement has always claimed to disavow racists in their midst, this time there was no attempt to hide the cozy relationship between the "mainstream" anti-immigrant crowd and the out-and-out white power racists at the event. These pictures show skinheads mingling with other protesters and even helping them hold their banners. The neo-Nazis--decked out in combat boots, well-known racist symbols, and "White Pride" tattoos--may have been lured by the promise of free pie, but it was the shared camaraderie and hatred for brown-skinned immigrants that had them coming back for seconds.
(Of course, it's entirely possible that none of the organizers or other attendees noticed or recognized the prominently displayed neo-Nazi symbols, the characteristic skinhead dress, or the words "White Power" tattooed across the chest of one of the racists wearing a tanktop. But if that's the case, how can the anti-immigrant movement claim that they don't work with racists if they can't even recognize open neo-Nazi skinheads in their very presence?)
For more information about the symbols displayed by the neo-Nazis, go here, here, and here.