A viral video shows a white supremacist group parading down a street in Charleston, West Virginia amid a city anti-racism event.
On Saturday (April 27), Mike Pushkin, Chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party, shared a video of the white supremacist group Patriot Front marching towards the state Capitol, holding flags and a banner that read: “America is not for sale.”
"So these a**holes from Patriot Front just marched through our beautiful town. While I support their 1st amendment right to PEACEFUL assembly…I also support our right to flip them off!" Pushkin wrote on social media alongside the video.
The white supremacist gathering came during YWCA Charleston’s 8th annual Race to End Racism, which is an event that “aims to raise funds for community engagement and racial equity and inclusion programming," according to Newsweek.
In a statement, Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin condemned the video footage of Patriot Front.
“First, I want to thank the organizers and supporters of the YWCA’s Race to End Racism today in Charleston. It is important for our community to celebrate coming together and stand up against hate,” Goodwin said. “When our City team learned of a national hate group demonstrating earlier today, we acted quickly and appropriately to make sure all in our community remained safe.”
“They want us to share their propaganda—and repost their photos on social media—I will not. We cannot let voices that want to spread hate be louder than the voices of those of us who want to celebrate our community,” she added.
Social media users called out the lack of police presence as the white supremacist group took to the streets of downtown Charleston. The critique comes amid increased police presence at pro-Palestinian protests occurring at colleges across the nation.
"So where are all the police in riot gear?" one social media user questioned of the Charleston incident.
"Where are the swat snipers on buildings? Oh, that’s right, they’re in Ohio harassing peaceful students," another user wrote.
"Interesting that zero police are rushing in to body slam the masked members of this hate group to the ground. Students and teachers are fair game, but not a loud bona fide hate group disrupting the peace without a permit?" a third person commented.
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