Tennessee towns bracing for White Lives Matter rallies

Two Tennessee towns are preparing for upcoming White Lives Matter rally protests hosted by a group of white nationalist organizations that were part of deadly August ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

Event organizers applied for permits to host back-to-back demonstrations on October 28 in Shelbyville and nearby Murfreesboro on October 28. 

League of the South member Brad Griffin, who is helping organize the event, said the Shelbyville rally will be a three-hour event from 10am to 1pm, The Tennessean reported.

The rally in Murfeesboro is not expected to begin until 4pm outside of the Rutherford County Courthouse. 

Among the groups rallying as part of Nationalist Front are the National Socialist Movement, the Traditionalist Worker Party, League of the South and Vanguard America, The Tennessean reported.  

Two Tennessee towns are preparing for an upcoming White Lives Matter rally protest hosted by a group of white nationalist organizations that were part of deadly August ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville, Virginia (above August 12)

Each of those organizations is considered to be a hate group and fall under neo-Nazi, neo-Confederate and white nationalist categories by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

An event organizer said the rallies are to bring attention to the deadly Burnette Chapel Church of Christ shooting where Emanuel Samson (above) is accused of killing one and injuring six others

An event organizer said the rallies are to bring attention to the deadly Burnette Chapel Church of Christ shooting where Emanuel Samson (above) is accused of killing one and injuring six others

The Nationalist Front planned the events as the first of many anti-immigration rallies in the area. 

Griffin told the Daily News Journal the demonstrations are intended to bring attention to the deadly shooting at Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch. 

The tragic incident left one dead and another six injured when 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson, who moved to the United States from Sudan in 1996, opened fire during the end of the service police say.

Griffin said they’re additionally protesting the ‘resettlement of refugees and a demographic transformation of Middle Tennessee.’ 

Leaders of the event have also said the demographics of Middle Tennessee have changed over the years mainly due to the resettlement of refugees and other immigrants moving to the area.

Roughly 18,000 refugees have settled in Tennessee over the last 15 years, the State Department reported.  That number does not include those who have immigrated to the region.

It's unclear if white nationalist Richard Spencer will be in attendance at the rallies in Tennessee. Last week he gave a speech at the University of Florida in Gainesville where over 500 police officers worked to keep the peace (above last week)

It’s unclear if white nationalist Richard Spencer will be in attendance at the rallies in Tennessee. Last week he gave a speech at the University of Florida in Gainesville where over 500 police officers worked to keep the peace (above last week)

‘There has been a big dumping of refugees all over the area,’ Griffin told The Tennessean.

To prepare for the rally, Shelbyville’s city council passed a resolution last week committing to support efforts by police to keep people and property safe. 

Streets will also be closed in an effort to separate protesters with clashing views to try and stop violence and property damage. 

Shelbyville police have reached out for additional assistance for Saturday.  

It’s unclear if white nationalist Richard Spencer will be in attendance at the rallies in Tennessee. Last week he gave a speech at the University of Florida in Gainesville where over 500 police officers worked to keep the peace.

That speech was his first since participating in the Charlottesville ‘Unite the Right’ rally. Hundreds protested against Spencer during his speech and outside of the venue.  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk