Nancy,

This same group came to my hometown(Wakefield, MA) for a "meeting". The
meeting was held in our magnificent library. The trustees of the library
decided that they could not prevent this neo-nazi group from meeting after
consulting their lawyers. Similar to the recent events in Maine there was a
counter demonstration in Wakefield at the same time as the neo-nazi meeting.
  I attended the counter demonstration held at a church not far from the
library. The theme was about love and tolerance. A large crowd attended.
However, I questioned whether this was a proper response. I decided that I
should in some way show my outrage at what was happening in my town. I
walked to the library and to my amazement it was like walking on to a movie
set. Main Street was closed, thousands of people were in the streets,
hundreds of riot police in full battle gear surrounded the library. Only
about a dozen people attended the meeting in contrast to the thousands of
people outside protesting. Somehow I felt that standing outside the library
in protest was the proper response. The protest was peaceful except for one
incident of a protester hitting a member of the nazi group over the head
with a sign causing a concussion.

Bob Summers








>From: Nancy Gish <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: "T. S. Eliot Discussion forum." <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Proud of Maine--OT
>Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2003 00:57:27 -0500
>
>Dear List Members,
>
>I feel very proud of Maine tonight, and I hope many of you will find this
>interesting.
>
>A neo-Nazi hate group called "The World Church of the Creator" came to
>Maine to openly call for the removal of the Somali community in Lewiston.
>These are the people whose leader, Matt Hale, was arrested in Chicago
>last week on charges of soliciting the murder of a judge. They are proud
>about being against everyone--blacks, Jews, Asians, gays, anyone not
>"white" by their definition--and being about "love" of white people.
>
>Anyway, Lewiston spent a couple months planning for them: they
>organized an alternative rally called "Many and One" and arranged a space
>for the hate group to do their thing--protected by riot police and snipers.
>They arrived--12 of them--and went in to the building with the Mainers who
>came to hear them. 8 came. At the other rally, 4000 came, including the
>new governor, the attorney general of Maine, Senator Snowe, and people
>from the whole state.
>
>The Lewistorn administration was pretty thoughtful about it.
>Unfortunately,
>they found, the only available venue for the hate group was five miles out
>of
>town and had room for only about 40 people, but as only 12 + 8 arrived, it
>was comfortable. But it did require a long walk in Maine winter to make
>it.
>It's still above zero, though, this week.
>
>Thousands streamed into the alternative rally (also walking far in the
>cold)
>to say no one wanted the "World Church" in Maine and they were wasting
>their time.
>
>I had planned to go but was unable to, but I watched the news all day.
>And it seems a kind of wonderful thing I wanted to tell about this state.
>Nancy


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