It’s Okay To Be (Painted) White: PVD Gives Fash a Makeover

One People’s Project reports back on antifascist mobilization that took place on October 6th in Providence, Rhode Island.

PROVIDENCE, RI – After a fight that resulted in a group of neo-fascists and riot police being covered in white paint, police shut down a fascist rally put on by a Boston-based group that has been holding ill-fated rallies over the past two years, the last being last summer in Providence where antifascists chased them out of town.

Joey Gibson's "Libertarian" wet dream. pic.twitter.com/VZ9XolqJa5

— It's Going Down (@IGD_News) August 5, 2018

Resist Marxism called their event the “Providence Freedom Rally” and it was organized in response to being routed on August 4th where they say they were assaulted and that thousands of dollars of sound equipment was destroyed.

Joey Gibson poses with neo-Nazi New Hampshire "American Guard" president John Camden at a 10/6 "Freedom Rally" in Providence RI. Camden openly threatened to kill people at this rally https://t.co/gLh3t1UYWm
– More info on him here https://t.co/R2kQozghJv https://t.co/AUwxY1wJWM pic.twitter.com/XRMuMq6X7s

— Always Antifascist (@RoseCityAntifa) October 7, 2018

According to the Providence Journal, 60 participants joined Resist Marxism at the Rhode Island State House, but more than twice that number opposed them many under the banner Ocean State Against Hate. There was some aggression, and in one instance, a fire extinguisher was reportedly used on the neo-fascists, resulting in them the riot police and a few antifascists that were in the line of fire being sprayed and them spending the rest of the afternoon covered in what looked like white paint. Near the end as police were making both sides disperse, there were attempts by the some of the Resist Marxism participants to pick fights with antifascists.

Yesterday at the state house we saw the police protect violent right-wing hate groups. Police continued to protect them even after they became violent. We saw the police threaten anti-fascist and anti-racist protesters with arrest, with attack dogs, and with military weapons.

— NLG Rhode Island (@nlg_ri) October 7, 2018

Among the groups that joined Resist Marxism were the Proud Boys and the American Guard. Tusitala “Tiny” Toese of the Proud Boys and Joey Gibson of Patriot Prayer, both of Vancouver, Washington, flew to Providence to attend the minuscule rally. Coincidentally, their August 4 rally in Portland, Oregon took place the same day as the last Resist Marxism rally. Another group that participated was the American Guard, the latest group founded by neo-fascist Brien James, who did not attend. Many of those that joined Resist Marxism were from the Boston area, although there were locals that participated as well. Some of the participants wore cartoonish outfits, such as a medieval helmet or a Spider-Man costume, while one carried with him a life-sized cutout photograph of Donald Trump.

https://twitter.com/after_the_quake/status/1048699875536330752

Although there were some injuries during the day, police made no arrests.