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Several out-of-state white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups have been operating in Nashville, Tennessee lately, holding marches, distributing racist literature, harassing local Jews, and disrupting city council hearings.
Jewish organizations have reported a marked rise in antisemitic incidents in and around the city in the last two weeks, and warned that known neo-Nazi groups have temporarily relocated to the city and are expected to operate there for several more days.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville has organized a rally against antisemitism in Nashville’s Bicentennial Park Amphitheater this coming Sunday to protest the surge in white supremacist activity in the city.
Nashville Metropolitan Police Chief John C. Drake confirmed that a number of neo-Nazi activists have been operating in the city recently, adding that police have been working to maintain a high public profile and deter criminal activity.
Drake noted that a Canadian activist in one neo-Nazi group was arrested on Sunday.
“I am aware of the concern surrounding the presence of a Neo-Nazi group in our city over the past several days,” Drake wrote in a letter Wednesday.
“Our officers have been using their visible presence to deter to the greatest extent possible heated verbal confrontations between citizens and the group.”
“We will swiftly act to detain and arrest for violations of Tennessee criminal law. You saw this on Sunday with the arrest of a Canadian member of the group for felony aggravated assault.”
The suspect, 29-year-old Ontario man Ryan Scott McCann, was arrested for assault and disorderly conduct, is accused of striking a man with a flagpole.
Drake emphasized, however, that the activists cannot be prosecuted for espousing their Nazi ideology.
“As unsettling as the protest actions of this group are, even Nazi hate speech is protected under the United States Constitution. Additionally, there are First Amendment (free speech) exemptions to parade permit requirements addressed in the civil Metropolitan Code.”
Multiple incidents of physical assault, hateful graffiti, bomb threats, and the distribution of racist and antisemitic literature have been reported in recent weeks, along with marches by members of groups including the Goyim Defense League and Whites Against Replacement (WAR).
Rabbi Dan Horwitz, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville, pressed authorities at a city council meeting Tuesday to crackdown on the neo-Nazi marches, noting a number of violations of existing statutes, including restrictions on the use of masks in public areas and coordination for large marches.
The night before, antisemitic flyers were hung across the city, anti-Jewish graffiti reported, and antisemitic pamphlets tossed onto private driveways.
Roughly a dozen neo-Nazis from the Whites Against Replacement movement took part in Tuesday’s city council hearing, heckling city council members and other speakers.
“I want to say to all these visitors from out of town: You’re not welcome here,” said Council Member Zulfat Suara, addressing the jeering activists. “You have the right to march, but there is no room for hate here.”
“This council and Nashville government condemns all forms of hate,” Suara continued. “When you come for one of us, you come for all of us, and we will continue to stand together as Nashvillians.”
