Signs were spotted on Princeton’s campus last week announcing a self-identified “white pride” group called the New Jersey European Heritage Association (NJEHA) planned to hold a rally in Palmer Square today at noon. They never showed, claiming, yesterday, on their website that the whole thing was a hoax. However several hundred counter-protestors, including activist Cornel West, still showed up and held a peaceful anti-racism rally.
A variety of different organizations including Black Lives Matter, Democratic Socialists of New Jersey, and the Women’s March were represented.
Daryle Lamont Jenkins, a founder and Executive Director of One People’s Project, an organization that monitors the behavior and actions of racist groups, said “It was community people that put this together. They were the ones that organized it. They were the ones that contacted us and let us know.”
Rally participants walked the length of Palmer Square, chanting a variety of slogans like “No ban! No wall! Tear it down and free them all!” and “Black lives matter!” They brought the kinds of colorful signs that have become a hallmark of rallies starting with the first Women’s March back in 2016. Signs said things like “Stand against racism!” and “We are one human family,” and “Your hate can’t kill our love.”
On the NJEHA website homepage, they define their intent by saying, “ATTENTION ALL AMERICAN PATRIOTS! Our European race is in a struggle for survival. Don’t sit idly by as we fight for existence.” This is accompanied by a picture of a milk carton with a very blond, blue-eyed child on the side, below which reads “MISSING: A FUTURE FOR WHITE CHILDREN.”
Kristin Beatty, a protest organizer, and a co-chair for the Hudson County branch of North New Jersey Democratic Socialists said, “The casual acceptance of racism, and white supremacy–whether it be the police department or anyone who is in elected positions–we need to call out hate, call it out for the racism and the hatred that it is. [Rhetoric from groups like NJEHA] is never just freedom of speech, it is always violent. They are inciting violence against groups of people.”
Reached by email for comment today the NJEHA responded with only an invitation to join their group. Other than that their only statement was a release saying there was never going to be a march. “There was NO application for a permit. There were NO social media postings announcing a rally. Next time do a little more research than the FAKE NEWS MEDIA! Have fun and keep warm at your ‘anti-racist’ echo-chamber today.”
As Ashley Lewallen, a Hamilton resident attending the protest said, “Its okay to be white, but it is just not okay to be an asshole racist.”
The protest ended at 1:30pm when Kristin Beatty stood up in front of the group telling them, “Thank you for coming out to this event, it is extremely important. Even though the nazis backed down, they backed down because of you.”
Harvard Professor Cornel West, and Lamont Jenkins, stood up and thanked the crowd as well. They ended with a “We believe that we will win!” chant before the crowds parted.
