A small group gathered Sunday afternoon outside the Arkansas State Capitol for an anti-fascist rally in response to last week’s sighting of a masked neo-Nazi group in Little Rock.
The demonstration was organized by the Committee of Labor for Arkansas Workers, also known as CLAWS. “The goal here is to gain more people out yelling about it,” said Joan Cates, CLAWS’ general secretary. “If the Nazis are coming out to march through our neighborhoods with guns and our response is silenced, then that number of Nazis grows, and we can’t have that.”
Police bodycam footage showed more than 20 men from the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, who were told to remove masks and provide identification during the encounter. Arkansas state and Little Rock police cited the driver of a truck involved and required other members to find alternative transportation. No additional sightings have been reported.
Through chants and signs, rally participants called for progress and urged community involvement. “Being a radical is okay. Get out in the streets. Tell the Nazis they’re not welcome,” Cates said. He added that the group plans to continue outreach efforts in other communities.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office referred to a previous statement saying, “Racism has no place in Arkansas, and I condemn this vile protest.”
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