Shutting down the Nazis in L.A.

LOS ANGELES--More than 1,500 anti-racist activists gathered at Los Angeles City Hall April 17 to protest a rally by the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement (NSM).

As many as 600 police in full riot gear were on hand to prevent the NSM from having to face opponents of their vile white supremacist ideology.

Protesters--including socialists, anarchists, immigrant rights supporters and antiwar activists--showed up early and staged a block-long picket while waiting to run the racists off. The anti-racist crowd employed a number of lively chants including "White supremacists, get off our premises," and "The cops and the Klan go hand-in-hand."

When the NSM finally arrived, there were fewer than 30 of them. The police made sure there was a wide gulf between the racists and their opponents, who outnumbered them 50-to-1. Such a huge numerical advantage prevented the racists from trying spread their message of hate.

After roughly 40 minutes, the police unceremoniously escorted the NSM Nazis back to the heavily guarded parking lot where they received a police motorcycle cavalcade out of the area.

It's important to oppose racists like the NSM any time they dare show up in public. It's also important to question why the city of Los Angeles would grant a permit and dedicate so many resources to a handful of neo-Nazis at the same time as the city is closing libraries on Sundays, closing down Adult Education Schools and making so many other cuts to services.