Demonstrators gathered in downtown Sault, Michigan on Sunday in opposition of a white-supremacist-attended ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Charlottesville rally was a gathering of right-wing groups protesting the removal of a statue of civil-war general Robert E. Lee and drew out several counter-protesters in opposition of the right.
The New York Times reported the event was attended by white-supremacists who chanted phrases like ‘Jews will not replace us’.
Just after police shut down the rally, a car reportedly rammed into a crowd of counter-protestors, killing one woman and injuring at least 19 others.
The event prompted the last-minute organization of a demonstration in Sault, Michigan organized by Sault Ste. Marie activist group Forward Action Michigan.
“This should be a non-partisan issue, speaking out against hate,” said Allison Youngs, who helped organize the event but is also the chair for the Chippewa Democractic Party. "We’re all part of the human race, we all have to come together, it’s one world.”
Chairperson for the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Aaron Payment, said he attended the Sault Michigan rally because he was shocked that something like ‘Unite the Right’ could be happening in 2017.
"I’m a dark-skinned person that grew up at the tail end of an overtly racist era," said Payment, who is aboriginal. “Just the image of white people carrying torches is horrifying . . . it’s an image intended to terrorize.’
Payment said the gathering of white supremacists marching at night with torches was reminiscent of times when lynchings were not uncommon in America.
“(Unite the Right) was a lynch mob and a young lady was killed,” said Payment, referring to the alleged car-attack.
Over 30 people reportedly attended the Sault Ste. Marie peace rally which was held from 6-7 p.m. on Sunday at the corner of Ashmun Street and Portage Avenue.
Protesters held signs like: ‘The greatest generation fought against hate. Honor your grandfathers, reject the alt-right”, ‘USA. We can, we have before, we will unite again’, and ‘All races are equal! Stop Hate!’.
Youngs and Payment said that most drivers and passersby were in support of the group — some even stopped to join in — however, it wasn’t everyone.
“A few people yelled at us. I did have one person comment on the street . . . he said it was all b.s., there’s no Nazis in America even though the (Charlottesville rally) had Nazi swastikas and armbands. Then he just called us all a name and went back inside. He was just filled with hatred,” said Youngs.
Payment said one person drove by the protesters three times.
"He was flipping us off, telling us to get a job, that we were delusional, and under mind control (and he talked about) stuff like fake news and fake media. He seemed attuned to that alt-right argument. He tried to get a rise out of us. It almost got me,” said Payment.
Aaron Payment said he thought the 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville, Virginia was reminiscent of racist lynch mobs. Image SuppliedPayment said the protestors started singing the civil rights-era protest song ‘We Shall Overcome’ to keep focused.
“It’s a tool to allow us not to feed into the hate,” he said.
But for the most part people were supportive.
The peace rally was held in conjunction with around 820 other events across America.
Indivisible is an activist group that, after the 2016 presidential election, wanted to use Tea Party style tactics to unite local activists in 'taking down Donald Trump's agenda'.
Indivisible says that there around 820 events being held in opposition to 'Unite the Right'.
These include public speeches, peace rallies, and candlelight vigils.
Chippewa County Republicans chair Anthony Stackpoole questioned whether the local peace rally really was non-partisan because he wasn’t given an invitation.
He said if he heard about the peace rally he would have shared information about it on social media.
Stackpoole said he doesn’t think Nazism is on the rise in America but he did comment on the 'Unite the Right' protest.
“From what I understand, seeing it in the news today, is that a group wanted to hold a protest, they were approved to have a protest in the city, that permit got revoked by the mayor at the last minute. They held it anyway. They bussed in violent counter-protesters and the police tried to move them out when violence erupted,” said Stackpoole. “The Nazis have gone away a long time ago. The people that were there were angry and disgruntled. I don’t know what their problem is, I don’t know them, but they do have a right to speak. Everyone is entitled to their first amendment right to speak. They may look like assholes but they have a right to do it.”
