Thread by @afainatl

ALERT!

Organizations closely linked to neo-Nazism & the white supremacist movement have announced that they will rally at Stone Mountain outside Atlanta on Saturday, August 15th.

Please share & spread the word! We'll post info here on anti-racist counter-mobilizations. #gapol

Three groups have announced far-Right rallies @ Stone Mountain, Aug 15.

Two are led by old neo-Nazis.

Stone Mountain is the birthplace of the modern Ku Klux Klan. Georgia purchased site & planned completion of giant confederate carvings as a sign of opposition to Civil Rights.

First, an organization based in north Georgia, "American Patriots USA", states on their website that they will rally at Stone Mountain on August 15th.

APUSA leader Chester Doles was earlier active with the Klan, the neo-Nazi "National Alliance", and the Hammerskins racist gang.

Doles founded "American Patriots USA" last year following a September far-Right rally he organized in Dahlonega, GA.

In a video from October, Doles presented American Patriots USA as continuing his earlier neo-Nazi organizing for the National Alliance.

https://twitter.com/afainatl/status/1257655989278367745

Here's a picture of APUSA members celebrating at a Dahlonega bar after their first meeting in December.

Everyone in this picture is either a Klan supporter or a neo-Nazi. Half remain in the organization.

https://twitter.com/afainatl/status/1230881584720441345

American Patriots USA have since tried to build broader alliances & to gain support within @GaRepublicans circles.

We discussed this in a May report.

https://twitter.com/afainatl/status/1261281560415948801

APUSA also uses alliances with far-Right people of color as a "Trojan horse" tactic for their agenda.

(Yes, "Trojan horse" is the language used by Chester Doles.)

https://twitter.com/afainatl/status/1238945318273679365

A key behind-the-scenes member of "American Patriots USA" is Michael Carothers AKA Michael Weaver. He's on the left in the December bar pic.

Carothers/Weaver is a longtime neo-Nazi who served a prison sentence for attacking a Black man in Columbus, GA. ledger-enquirer.com/news/local/art…

After an armed Black group marched in Stone Mountain earlier this month, Carothers/Weaver signaled his intention to rally at Stone Mountain on his racist "White Information Network" blog.

Working with Doles, Carothers is using American Patriots USA as a vehicle for the rally.

Carothers/Weaver was previously involved in organizing the white power "Rock Stone Mountain II" rally in early 2019, which fell apart before it even took place.

https://twitter.com/afainatl/status/1096471553330470912

From this failure, Carothers learned the importance of alliances, such as APUSA has now built.

Here's current APUSA head Chester Doles (center) with fellow white supremacist John Michael Estes (L) a few years ago.
Estes organized the first "Rock Stone Mountain" white power rally in 2016, which was spoiled by large & multifaceted anti-racist protest. itsgoingdown.org/confronting-co…

The second project calling for a rally at Stone Mountain, Aug 15 is the "Protect the South" Facebook page.

Their "Defend Stone Mountain" event was made last week. However, PTS has talked about holding a rally at Stone Mountain since the Dekalb NAACP protested there late June.

"Protect the South" has previously organized events at Stone Mountain with a clear KKK presence.

The admin of PTS is Wesley Sitton. He was a member of the National Socialist Movement and the American National Socialist Workers Party, both neo-Nazi orgs: atlantaantifa.org/2016/04/03/jus…

The banner ad for Sitton's old Save Our Race website basically tells you what you need to know about his political background.

As our 2016 article discusses, Sitton now believes that explicitly calling for "white power" does not help the cause. He now prefers coded terms.

Finally, a group of so-called "Heritage Not Hate" Confederacy apologists are also rallying on August 15th. This group will feature armed III% militia members. This is intended as a show of force in response to the July 4th armed Black protest.

Many are coming from out of state.

In situations like this, III%ers typically pretend to not support the white supremacists, while working alongside them on the ground.

On the FB page for their "Defending Stone Mountain" event, there's already chatter about positioning snipers, police support and firefights.

Responding to racist and far-Right mobilizations is a community effort, not the job of one organization alone.

We will monitor this situation closely and release info on our social media as anti-racist responses come together. Watch this space! #noklan #nonazis

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