Swastikas flew on the courthouse lawn Saturday as NationalSocialists marched through downtown for a rally against illegalimmigration.
"This is part of our Stand in The South," said Jeff Schoep,commander of the Detroit-based National Socialist Movement. "It's aboutthe survival of America."
About 50-60 members of the NSM made the march from Market Square tothe courthouse on Main Street, past heckling from more than 100counter-protesters and surrounded by 400-500 police.
"Nazis, go home!" the hecklers shouted.
"We are home," came the reply.
The march began around 3 p.m. and wrapped up just before 5 p.m. withthree arrests, Knoxville Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusksaid.
Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers arrested Thomas Fasula, 23, ofWausau, Wis., and Matthew Heironimus, 23, of Mosinee, Wis., on chargesof carrying weapons with intent to go armed before the rally started,THP spokeswoman Dalya Qualls said. Fasula had a .45-caliber pistol, andHeironimus had a .357-caliber pistol, Qualls said.
Knox County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested a counter-protesteron disorderly conduct charges after he showed up in the NSM ranks. Hisname wasn't immediately available.
NSM members said they organized the rally to show their support forArizona's immigration law and push for passage of a similar measure inTennessee. The Arizona law, criticized as encouraging racial profiling,defines failure to carry immigration papers as a crime and gives policeexpanded powers to hold anyone suspected as an illegal immigrant.
Schoep and others compared themselves to the Tennesseans like Davy Crockett who fought at the Alamo.
"Knoxville is the front line in the South, the front line for thefight against illegal immigration," Schoep said. "Many white people inthis city, thousands upon thousands of them, agree with our message oftruth in salvation. That's what we need is white people who are notafraid to stand up."
Across the street, the clowns took their stand. Members of the CoupClutz Clowns danced to Ricky Martin, banged on drums and shouted downthe National Socialists.
"I could not imagine standing by while the Klan and the Nazis cometo my town spouting hate," said Jake Weinstein, one of the clowns. "Wewant to honor the contribution that immigrants make to this country.They do what nobody else wants to do and then the people say they don'twant them here, but of course they're essential to the economy."

I notice our right wing contingent is silent on the type of support they attract
 
maybe there's hope for them

And people believe southerners are stereotyped as being uneducated just because they sound funny. 

So, all of the left is NOT for open borders and invasion as it seems.

Glad to see support here from 'some' of the left even though they are the more radical leftist 'National Socialist'.


We understand that embarrassment that the 80 DSA members of Congress must feeling how they were out done and over shadowed by bigger radical /socialist commies than they are! (http://www.aesopsretreat.net/forum/Smileys/classic/hattip.gif)   LOL!

nostalgia...