SHOWDOWN

Protesters Crash Neo-Confederate Rally in Georgia

The Sons of Confederate Veterans were met by more than 100 protesters, who were quickly dubbed the “anti-Christ.”

A neo-Confederate rally held at Georgia’s Stone Mountain on Saturday despite widespread opposition was crashed by a group of more than 100 protesters. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that protesters shouted as members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans spoke to mark “Confederate Memorial Day.” One of the members of the group—which the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as “a heritage group that exists to keep the Confederacy’s lies and propaganda alive”—responded to the interruption by dubbing the protesters the “anti-Christ.” “These protesters are against our Christian faith,” said the speaker, SCV member Kenneth Buggay. Police managed to keep the two groups separate for the duration of the event, however. The rally sparked outrage in the area, with the Southern Poverty Law Center blasting local authorities for giving “a platform to white nationalists” by approving the permit to hold the event. The location was seen as an added slap in the face, as Stone Mountain was where the Ku Klux Klan was reborn in 1915 and continued to hold cross burnings for years.