NEO-NAZI BONEHEADS RALLYING AND MARCHING IN PHILADELPHIA
ALL OUT AGAINST THE FASCISTS!!
WHERE: Philadelphia, Boathouse Row, Fairmount Park (Thorfin Karlsefni Statue along Kelly Drive)
WHEN: October 19, 2013 @ 11:00 AM
Its that time of year again. Every October for several years the “White Nationalist” Nazis of the Keystone State Skinheads (KSS) have held their “Leif Ericson Day Celebration” in Philly’s Fairmount Park. KSS has been in decline in recent years but have been attempting a resurgence. KSS memorializes the “first European to land in America” because they feel it justifies their ludicrous claims that the US is a “white nation” belonging only to people of “pure” European Descent. And like almost all of those several years, Antifascists in the region are mobilizing to confront them.
Why oppose this event? For several reasons: KSS have been operating in PA for over ten years with relative impunity, but Philadelphia remains one of the few places in the state with an active resistance to their organizing and recruiting attempts. Areas where they are able to grow openly and unopposed are inevitably the locations of fascist violence. Several known examples (which tend to represent the tip of the iceberg) of violence perpetrated by KSS members include a 2002 assault in Feasterville, a 2003 hate crime assault in Scranton, an attempted homicide in New Stanton in 2006, and homicide charges brought against 2 members in 2007 for a double murder of 2 homeless men in Florida.
Incidents like this have (thankfully) slowed down due to KSS’s decline. However, KSS, along with Blood and Honour USA, put on a large white power concert near Altoona this year. They also attended a rally and a WP show in New Jersey, both events well attended. If we allow the Fascists to regroup and recruit, we only ensure a much more difficult battle in the near future. However, if we respond with a furious opposition willing to expose, oppose and confront these Neo-Nazis, we can smash KSS for good and put a serious dent in Blood and Honour’s attempts to coalesce various White Power groups.
In addition to stemming the tide of Fascist violence and the possibility of finishing off KSS, there is the matter of solidarity. Even if you do not feel that KSS affects you, there is no debating that their violence has very real victims. Turning a blind eye to the attempts to resurrect KSS is a tacit concession to many more incidents of fascist violence.
We will be gathering at the Thorfin Karlsefni statue along Kelly Drive in Fairmount Park at 11:00 AM with the intention of occupying their rallying location. Another group, Residents Against Racism, is also going to be protesting the Nazis. They have called for a peaceful protest and we intend to respect that as far as the area around the statue and their bloc, but we will be adhering to a diversity of tactics in all other parts of the park and reserve the right to defend ourselves from Fascist attack.
This call is for all good people who will not be silent in the face of Fascist aggression. Unity is our strength. Enough is enough is enough. They want a race war. They’re only going to get the last half.
For an end to Fascism in our lifetime,
Philly Antifa
phillyantifascists@gmail.com
phillyantifa.wordpress.com