Capital Police Prepare for Neo-Nazi Rally and Counterdemonstration
Authorities here said Tuesday they are braced for a neo-Nazi rally and a counterdemonstration scheduled for Saturday in front of the White House.
U.S. Park Police said Tuesday they expect about 300 people to participate in a four-block march sponsored by the American Nationalist Party along Pennsylvania Avenue to Lafayette Park and about 500 counterdemonstrators.
Assistant Police Chief Terrence Gainer estimated 80% of the capital’s force would be on the job. Park Police expect to have 500 to 600 officers on duty.
The South Carolina-based white supremacist group received police permits for the march, followed by a rally in the park and a demonstration at the White House.
Police also have issued permits for a counterdemonstration billed as a “vigil against hate” planned by the American Jewish Congress, the NAACP and other civil rights and community groups.
Similar confrontations in past years have ended in violence and arrests, police said.
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