A group of anti-immigrant, white nationalists plan to hold a rally in San Francisco today protesting the city's status as a sanctuary city, and calls have gone out for counter-protesters to meet them on the street. Indy Bay calls attention to the planned action by Identity Evropa, and notes that while the exact location of the rally had intentionally been kept secret, it is scheduled to go down at 3:00 p.m. this afternoon.
We now know the location, however, as the organization intending to livestream the rally just announced via Twitter that their target is the Malcolm X Plaza at San Francisco State University. [See the update below.]
Identity Evropa is led by Nathan Damigo, a resident of Oakdale, and describes itself on its website (which we will not link to out of principle) as "a generation of awakened Europeans who have discovered that we are part of the great peoples, history, and civilization that flowed from the European continent."
As noted by Broke Ass Stuart, various groups are already discussing a possible counter-protest — suggesting things could get hectic in SF today. It's Going Down has detailed Identity Evropa's white nationalist efforts, and suggests in a post yesterday that people should prepare to respond to today's rally in real time.
"We also know that at 3pm tomorrow, people are probably going to know where IE is holding their rally by watching the livestream," It's Going Down writes. "At 3pm, if you and your friends hear where IE is at, what can you pull off?"
This is not the first we've heard of Identity Evropa. In September, a tipster wrote into SFist that he had spotted fliers from the group around the Marina district. Members also organized an event in May at UC Berkeley where they handed out anti-immigrant literature. According to It's Going Down, about 20 people showed up at that event.
While it is entirely possible that Identity Evropa will indeed rally at San Francisco State University today, it of course is also possible that this is all PR bluster and that no one will show up. Let's hope for the latter.
Update: The group that live-streamed the rally, Red Ice, was either uninformed or intentionally misled possible counter-protesters as to its location. The rally was held at the Embarcadero.
"No sanction: make San Francisco great again" rally at embarcadero pic.twitter.com/Dofuur4wvs
— Sana Saleem (@sanasaleem) October 17, 2016
Nine white guys chanting "no sanction, no quarter, get back on your side of the border"
— Sana Saleem (@sanasaleem) October 17, 2016
Man cycling by shouts: "fuck you Nazis. You are the ones who should get the fuck out of sf"
— Sana Saleem (@sanasaleem) October 17, 2016
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