Scores of armed black protesters marched through Stone Mountain Park in Georgia, calling for the removal of an infamous Confederate monument and warning “redneck” militias that “we’re in your house.”
Footage from the march, which brought out 100 to 200 demonstrators, showed heavily-armed black protesters marching through the park on Independence Day, leading some on social media to react with worry at what appeared to be a volatile situation as protests across the country have descended into violence.
“Threat. Counter threat. Because threats don’t mean s**t to us. Ya’ll been threatening us since Birmingham,” one man said through a loudspeaker at the event, going on to specifically target right-wing groups such as the Boogaloo Boys and Three Percenters, organizations that have been accused of being extremist militias.
“I don’t see no white militia, so to the Boogie Boys, the Three Percenters and all the rest of you scared-ass rednecks: we’re here… We’re in your house. Let’s go. NFAC…,” the man continued as others gathered in a military-style marching formation behind him.
The “NFAC” appears to refer to the name of the group behind the gathering, which is the ‘Not F**king Around Coalition.’
Brothers are calling out all these cowardly white supremacist groups who like to sneak around doing ambush attacks on protesters pic.twitter.com/PxBzYZPNZt
The park where the demonstrators made their stand is highly controversial thanks to a large carving of Confederates Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson. Another video shows a protester calling the park the “birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan,” referring to the fact that the racist organization was “reborn” at the park.
In 1915, card-carrying members of the KKK built monuments to slavery at the location, including a plantation house, according to the Atlanta History Center, and held a “rebirth” ceremony. The KKK still holds annual rallies there.
Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams previously called for the removal of the Confederate monument, which is part of a light show on Independence Day that tells the tale of the Confederacy to visitors. There have been renewed calls for its removal since the May 25 death of George Floyd.
Other video from the protest shows those gathered being told that if they are “not ready” to give their lives, then they can get out “right now.”
NFAC – Stone Mountain, Georgia July 4th 2020 #fireworkspic.twitter.com/gMat0Wkhug
Despite many on social media reacting to clips of the Saturday demonstration with worry, officials say the protesters conducted their business peacefully.
“It’s a public park, a state park. We have these protests on both sides of the issue from time to time. We respect people’s First Amendment right,” John Bankhead, a spokesman for the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, told WXIA-TV.
Footage did, however, show members of the gathered group, referring to themselves as “black militia,” arguing with white people in their cars, warning one driver: “We are your worst nightmare.”
Do the Black Panthers run Stone Mountain now or something? I have no problem with armed folks walking around with firearms as is their 2nd Amendment right, but they shouldn’t be interrogating motorists. pic.twitter.com/HOym2dy5Fh
Race-related protests around the nation have painted similar tense moods. Continued demonstrations in Portland saw activists shooting fireworks at a courthouse and police using tear gas to disperse crowds attempting to build barricades, while a Baltimore demonstration included the toppling of a Christopher Columbus statue.
Other protests around Independence Day included footage of protesters burning and stomping on the US flag outside the White House.
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