All Out to Oppose Joey Gibson: An Antifascist Call to Action

Call to defend Kent State from Joey Gibson and white nationalist groups like American Guard, who are planning to rally on September 29th.

By now, many antifascists throughout the Midwest have been alerted to the fact that far-Right Patriot Prayer organizer Joey Gibson has been asked to speak at an Open Carry rally on Saturday September 29th at Kent State University in Northeast Ohio, about an hour from Cleveland.

“I will however be open carrying at Kent State that day with hundreds of my friends…”

Gibson has previously called for his adherents to join him in missions of “cleansing the streets” of the signifies of liberal and multicultural society. His rallies also serve as an open recruiting ground for militant fascist and neo-fascist groups such as Identity Europa, the Traditionalist Workers Party, and the Proud Boys.

Patrick Collins of American Guard announces that they will be attending the demonstration. Kaitlin Bennett “likes” that the white nationalist group staffed by violent neo-Nazis will be attending.

Over the past week Kaitlin Bennett decided to cancel the event, but this is not the victory that it seems. She has decided that instead of facilitating a dangerous rally catering to the far-Right, under the auspices of a gun rights rally, that they would gather and walk around campus openly brandishing firearms.

White nationalist Seth Peters of Norway, Illinois, is member of American Guard Illinois and a former member of the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (TAK).

Even though she claims that the speakers have been canceled, rumors are circulating that Joey Gibson and others still intend on attending an event who’s only purpose seems to be to openly intimidate the student body at Kent State. Other, more overtly white nationalist groups, like the American Guard are planning to attend, with the full support of Kaitlin Bennett.

Members of the America Guard show off neo-Nazi tattoos and shirt logos. On right is Augustus Invictus, one of the speakers at Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville 2017.

What began as an ill conceived attempt to kick start right wing organizing under the guise of a legitimate rally has morphed into an event in which Kaitlin Bennett is openly celebrating the attendance of armed white nationalists. The guise of legitimacy has been destroyed, and she is now showing this event for what it always was; an attempt to intimidate, harass and provoke the students of Kent State.

Video Showing Members of American Guard at Unite the Right in Charlottesville in 2017

Organizations have called for a counter-demonstration, opposing fascist and racist participation in this event supporting the Kent community as they address this threat to their safety. We would like to echo this call to action, asking for a robust bloc of antifascists to assemble who are willing to defend our community and the physical safety of those gathering to protest this event.

Brien James, founder of violent neo-Nazi gang the Vinlanders, would go on to also form the American Guard. Seen here to the right of Matt Parrot, another neo-Nazi organizer.

We do not want to engage in action that endangers ourselves or people in our community, including people assembling in support of their second amendment rights, but we recognize the need for the presence of antifascists throughout the Midwest to turn away fascists who hope to use this as a space to further their goals of racial violence, extreme nationalism, and militant white supremacy.

Saturday, September 29
Risman Plaza
Kent State University
1-5 PM

Call the Kent State Department of Student Affairs at 330-672-4050 or email at [email protected] and let them know about the threat this event poses to Kent students and the wider community as a whole.

Together we can defend our communities from the scourge of white supremacy!

– Cleveland Antifascist Network