St. Paul, MN: Community Mobilizes to Back Up Nurses Facing Down Far-Right ‘ReOpen’ Protesters

Report from Workers Defense Alliance out of the Twin Cities, Minnesota, about a recent community defense action in support of nurses and front line medical staff standing up to far-Right ‘ReOpen’ demonstrators.

On Saturday, members of the Workers Defense Alliance joined rank and file nurses and health care workers in defending Bethesda and other St. Paul hospitals from the “Back to Work” Trumpers of the Flu Klux Klan.

Nurses at Bethesda took the intersection at Sherburne and Park to break a Trumper blockade that was obstructing ambulance traffic into the emergency room. The nurses held the intersection through the shift change, allowing workers to access the parking garage and relieve the nurses inside.

The nurses held fast while the Trumpers attempted to push their vehicles through the line, and repeatedly brandished shotguns and rifles at them. One Trumper used a shotgun as a flagpole. Another shouted: “I HAVE A GUN.” at nurses while waving his AR.

Grifter Teresa Blair, who runs a far-Right mouthpiece locally, described this #OperationGridLock, reportedly organized by Ben Dorr (the organizer of MN Gun Rights, a group that misrepresents itself a nonprofit and is one of several cash-farms the Dorr brothers have set up), described the protest as a peaceful event. Does brandishing guns at nurses and blocking hospital entrances seem peaceful to you?

Note the flags in the pictures. The Kekistan flag, modeled off the Nazi flag, is a symbol of the Alt-Right. The “Christian nation” flag is associated with Christian supremacism. The Three Percenters, [who provided security for neo-Nazis at Unite the Right and are linked to a string of bombings against immigrants] also flying their flags, are the newest iteration of the “Patriot” militias, descended from the white nationalist sect Posse Comitatus. As usual, the Right can’t hide their fascists.

Workers’ defense movements have always stood with workers resisting rich men’s armed goons telling us “get back to work.” We’re proud to stand with nurses – against the Trumpers, against the virus, and against hospital administrators putting profit above worker and patients needs. All power to the rank and file!

These nurses stopped anti-lockdown protesters from blocking hospital access roads pic.twitter.com/AfBfT5bxmD

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 6, 2020