Recent discussion has centered on the National Socialist Movement's rally outside the Wisconsin Capitol Aug. 26. According to its website, the NSM is a neo-Nazi Party that works with ""many like-minded white nationalist groups."" They are extreme isolationists who believe that ""[o]nly those of pure White blood ... may be members of the nation ... Accordingly, no Jew or homosexual may be a member of the nation."" Many in the public wondered, ""What are the Nazis doing in Madison, arguably the most tolerant and liberal city in the Midwest?""
I attended the rally and was among approximately 800 counter-demonstrators. Throughout the rally, the crowd would break into rants or catchy slogans punctuated by expletives when instigated by particularly full-throated protesters. And what did it all accomplish? Shouting ""Eat shit, go home!"" certainly did not produce the desired effect. The Nazis were determined to spew their hate-filled rhetoric until their time ran out.
From where I was standing at State Street and Capitol Square, the Nazis were inaudible. Their rants were completely drowned out by the booing and jeering. Was this a good thing? At least most bystanders were prevented from hearing the Nazis' hate speech and being sucked in by their ideology, right?
I'm not convinced. We could still see the Nazi swastikas and uniforms, their offensive salutes, extra loud ""Heil Hitlers"" and the defacing of the Israeli flag. We didn't need to hear what they said to be offended and disgusted.
Prior to the rally, a citywide debate surfaced about how best to respond to demonstrations by extremist groups that the majority of Americans find repugnant. Anyone who walked down State Street in the weeks preceding this weekend were implored to ""[t]ake a stand against the Nazis!"" by the flyers on the windows of numerous businesses.
This position was supported by numerous left-leaning groups on campus such as Stop the War and the Student Labor Action Coalition. A recent e-mail from Stop the War to its supporters argued that ""the Nazis would be pleased as all get out if no opposition turned out; if they could attract the curious few already leaning their way...""
On the other hand, civic leaders such as Governor Jim Doyle, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, and the Madison Police Department opposed the counter demonstration. They argued that it would only serve to give the neo-Nazis the visibility and media attention they crave. According to them, there are more positive ways to support diversity. The mayor suggested demonstrating in a park; far from the Capitol. They pointed to a similar rally by the NSM in Toledo, Ohio that sparked a riot a year earlier.
I am disappointed that the organizers and supporters of the rally, while their hearts were in the right place, assumed that they were contributing to the fight against extremism by simply going to a rally and shouting down the Nazis profanely.
That does not mean they should have done nothing or just held a demonstration in a park somewhere far from the Capitol, as the mayor suggested.
The organizers of the rally could have planned a total pedestrian boycott of Capitol Square. They could even have asked the businesses in the area to shut down for two hours in protest. The NSM would have been speaking to an empty street.
Shouting them down only made the Nazis more determined to get their message across. Let's not fight hate with more hate.
