By Jaylyn Preslicka, Editor-in-Chief
Late in March, various flyers for a “White Lives Matter” rally began to circulate on social media. Beginning on Telegram, members of the Proud Boys (a white supremacist subsection) posted on various platforms alerting individuals of their rallies beginning on Sunday, April 4 in Orange County and continuing in major cities throughout the United States as well as in Europe.
In order to keep in contact, the Proud Boys used Telegram, a social media platform similar to Facebook, and urged users to follow accounts with names “@WLM(Yourcity),” according to a post.
In the Orange County area, the greeting messages stated, “Hello Everyone, we will be planning the WLM rally in Orange County in solidarity with Americans all over the nation on 4/11. Tentative location will be in front of Huntington Beach Pier. More information to follow. Send this channel to all patriots in SoCal who will stand against anti-White racism and violence!”
As of April 8, 526 people saw the message.
In Newport and Huntington Beach, some residents received small plastic bags containing a rock and piece of paper promoting the rally originating from the terrorist group “Mystic Insignia of a Klansman” (MIOAK), which is a subsection of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
“This is an obvious attempt by the Federal intelligence agencies to slander and destroy public support for the WLM movement,” a post on the Orange County WLM Telegram said.
As of Tuesday, April 6, there were no further messages.
Regardless of the initial organizers of the rally, police have been preparing for individuals across Huntington Beach to gather in protest. With the history of alt-right protests, many have been urging people residing in surrounding areas to remain inside.
“Our staff continues to diligently gather relevant information about upcoming planned events, including this Sunday in order to be as prepared as possible,” Huntington Beach Police Chief Julian Harvey said. “We do have a very robust plan in place and the plan continues to take shape depending on the information that we gather as the events get closer.”
For the rest of California, rallies have been planned in Sacramento as well as Bakersfield on the same days. It is not certain but, according to statements from the Proud Boys, the protests will not be circling the same people and will rely on individuals in their respective communities to organize themselves.
No “official” Proud Boy pages have endorsed the local rallies.
“It is what YOU make of it. There is no central organizer. YOU are the organizer,” The Proud Boys said on Telegram. “If your local march doesn’t happen, it’s because YOU didn’t arrange one. If it turns out to be a honeypot, it’s because of the company YOU keep, and YOUR inability to host an event.”
Residents remained worrisome of the potential harm to their communities posed by the rallies, but various fliers for counter-protests circulated social media in hopes to send a message.
One titled, “March Against Racial Injustice and Police Brutality” was planned for Sunday, April 11, two hours before the WLM march. It was promoted by Cliff Smith, NAACP party leader in Huntington Beach.
The rally’s turnout resulted in around 500 people, but did not last past 3 p.m.
Many of the counter protestors held “Black Lives Matter'' signs as they chanted that the Proud Boys and others were not welcome in their city.
There were multiple threats by both sides, but very few cases of physical interaction. 12 arrests were made in total, two for “amplified sound,” one for obstructing an officer while carrying self defense tools, and the other for “intoxication,” according to reports.
The counter protestors did not hesitate to identify any potential WLM or KKK individuals, keeping their eye out for Nazi dog whistles, otherwise known as subtle identifiers. This had resulted in tension among the groups, and the counter protestors made it clear that white supremacists were not welcome in Huntington Beach.
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