White supremacists attend Pittsburgh anti-war rally
A national figure in hate movement attends
More than 100 people attended an anti-war rally Saturday, Jan. 4, to protest the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and the decision to send thousands of troops to the Middle East. The Schenley Park rally was just one of many held concurrently nationwide.
During the rally, five white supremacists, separate from the larger group, chanted “no war with Iran.” But the signs displayed by the group presented a different message. One proclaimed “Zionists lie, Americans die” and featured a crude drawing of George Soros surrounded by dollar signs. A second placard depicted the face of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner with the words “Deport Kushner.”
One of the white supremacists was identified on social media as Greg Conte, a high-profile figure and the former director of operations at The National Policy Institute, a white nationalist organization run by Richard Spencer. According to an account by the Pittsburgh City Paper, Conte also attended the deadly Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Pittsburgh City Paper also reported that Ann Belser, publisher of the community newspaper Print, spoke with Conte, who confirmed his identity for her.
Conte and his companions left after being confronted by a group of protesters shouting, “Nazis out!”
In a video posted on Twitter by Mike Elk, a reporter with Payday Report, Conte can be seen attempting to speak to the crowd before being surrounded and pushed into an intersection.
The rally, organized by Answer Pittsburgh, the Answer Coalition and CODEPINK, continued after the Pittsburgh Police arrived and the five white supremacists left. PJC
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