VIDEO: Scuffle Ensues when Neo-Nazis Unfurl Hitler Flag at Tea Party Rally

PHOENIX, AZ -- A scuffle ensued Saturday when members of the National Socialist Movement (Neo-Nazis) found themselves shut out of an anti-immigration Tea Party protest at the Phoenix capitol.

American Citizens United, who organized the Phoenix Tea Party rally, told the Neo-Nazi group that racist messages were not welcome at the demonstration. The Neo-Nazis left, but two returned, standing defiantly on the sidewalk that borders the designated protest area.

When JT Ready, one of the Neo-Nazis tried to unfurl an Adolf Hitler flag, one of the event organizers became enraged and tried to rip the flag from Ready's hands. The other Neo-Nazi was holding a Confederate flag and a sign that read, "Bring our soldiers home, and put them on the Mexican border." Ready responded by shoving the organizer, sending him tumbling to the ground several feet away.

Police quickly intervened, and no one was hurt.

Video shot by Phoenix Channel 3 News, shows the event unfold, and the Neo-Nazi can be seen screaming throughout the incident, "You can't assult me! You can't assault me!" Then, after police intervene, he yells, "If you assault me, I get to assault you."

Watch the video from Phoenix Channel 3 News :

Ironically, New Times columnist Stephen Lemons, a stalwart activist for immigrants, was also asked to leave.

The Phoenix rally was one of dozens of similar demonstrations hosted across the country today by American Citizens United to voice opposition to immigration reform legislation that could be introduced into Congress as early as next month.

Police estimated that more than 200 protestors attended the rally.

 

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Comments

[ChironexFleckeri]

08:38 AM on 11/18/2009

Moral racists vs. amoral racists?

Irony.

[mudshark12]

11:38 PM on 11/17/2009

Life has always been hard in Mexico. American poor people are RICH by their standards, so it's no wonder that they are entering our country illegally. We have already re-built the fence and stepped up border patrols, what else can we do? I know that protesting about it wont make this problem go away, and as this article demonstrates invited unwanted attention by racist Nazi's.

[JOePeters]

08:44 AM on 11/18/2009

We're not doing Mexico any favors with our immigration policy. By letting them send all of their disaffected to our country, we enable a corrupt and inefficient government that escapes ever being held accountable. We then let them in here as illegals where they are at the mercy of ruthless business owners and where they act as general wage depressents. Closing the boarder and forcing Mexico to fix itself so so many people don't want to leave might be the best thing we ever did for them. (I'm also partial for a 'people for land' policy: for each immigrant we take in we get an equal amount of Mexican territory. Hey - if we're gonna take the people might as well get the land).

[TommyObama]

02:52 PM on 11/18/2009

We already did that in 1848 -- it's called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and it "transferred" much of the West from Mexico to the USA. Good arguments go back and forth on this and always will; Mexico/New Spain could not and did not adequately protect its citizens in the vast territory, and never seriously attempted to settle it, for one. The US, with some money and people at the time, really wanted to do both, although I'm not sure the Native Americans have felt very well "protected" in the decades since. A few years later we really did "legally buy" Southern Arizona in the Gadsden Purchase.

All that water under the bridge, Mexico's current birthrate is the same as ours -- about 2.1 per woman. The days of endless hordes of poor Mexicanos streaming north are likely well behind us, unless they suffer a terrible war. depression, or revolution, so we might want to relax, take a deep breath, and look into some serious cross-border economic initiatives, to further help them develop their increasingly healthy economy. We're actually quite lucky to have Mexico -- young, highly energetic, culturally rich and politically stable for the most part -- as our neighbor. We could do alot worse.

[fatsteve]

11:16 PM on 11/17/2009

So a poster of Obama with a Hitler mustache is acceptable but a poster of Hitler with a HItler mustache is unacceptable.

Welcome to the wacky world of teabaggers.

[mudshark12]

11:30 PM on 11/17/2009

Good point!

[JaCar]

11:33 PM on 11/17/2009

Well said! Let's see if any teabaggers detect the irony.

[future primitive]

06:27 PM on 11/17/2009

They learned two things about themselves. First, their movement is riddled with r a c i s m. Second, they are perfectly willing to suppress the constitutionally guaranteed free speech of those same people.

[niko73]

03:47 PM on 11/17/2009

Good for American Citizens United!

I have no problem with people protesting without the hate. I keep telling tea baggers that they should police their own and tell these jerks to GO HOME. If this could happen at all rallies, they would be one small step towards being respectable.

[FunPie]

03:30 PM on 11/17/2009

Do you thing the teabaggers opposed the nazis for being racist or for having the word "socialist" in their title?

http://thefunpie.wordpress.com/2009/11/12/yes-we-ku-klux-can/

[bryluq]

03:10 PM on 11/17/2009

This is the problem with burning down the house- you can't pick your flames. It was real easy for the National Repugs to deny David Duke in the late '80's and early '90's even though he was a direct result of the Nixon Race policies. But the State Party in Louisiana couldn't without alienating 90% of their base.

Now we see the same double-speak. I am glad to see the anti-immigration activist do the right thing just as I was glad to see Mike Castle stand up to the anti-Obama activist a few months ago. But you can't stir up these people and then wash your hands of them.

You reap what you sow- and now the Repugs are trying to plow under the crops.

[pinhead71]

02:04 PM on 11/17/2009

well, well, the teabaggers might have modecum of morilty after all, if they could just stop calling the president a nazi, socialist they just might get some momentum, but i still wouldnt be caught dead at one of their events.

[DuPageDem]

10:40 AM on 11/17/2009

They were supposed to bring the Glen Beck flag, but didn't get the memo.

[Eris23]

12:45 PM on 11/17/2009

Wait. You mean that wasn't what they brought? ;)

[Ithamer]

10:23 AM on 11/17/2009

Can there be degrees of racism that are acceptable?
The Muslims preach against non believers
The Catholics preach exclusivity.
The Israelis preach exclusivity
ON and on it goes.
I suggest the above are forms of racism, but all are still deemed acceptable.
Racism is not only the colour of your skin or your ethnic background its far more than that.

[AtlOli]

11:46 AM on 11/17/2009

No those are forms of intolerance, just as racism is.

[nexxtep54]

12:02 PM on 11/17/2009

Your key word is preach. . . the whole problem in one word.

[Ithamer]

12:27 PM on 11/17/2009

There are other worlds that fit the mould , A substitute could be "insist upon" for example which in my view is accurate as well, perhaps a little more graphic and perhaps exudes more clarity.

[Roma6888]

09:57 AM on 11/17/2009

Thank you Palin. This what you have produced. Your party is split in two. Group 1: the most racist unimaginable people. Group 2: the most lunatics of people.

Great day in america!!!

[Joe Ryan]

07:31 PM on 11/17/2009

I wouldn't rejoice so fast mr Democrat. You see, a recent poll of Americans showed 43% identifying themselves as Independents. That puts the dems and GOP fighting for 2nd and 3rd. The poll results aren't reflected in representation yet, but they will be, once enough of us run for office; so that kidnapping us from debates and throwing us in jail at your whim ceases to be a viable option. The 20% of the electorate that worshipped Bush no matter what he did, and the 20% that worship the One, are the problem! Persons who collectively refer to themselves as the 'people of color' shouldn't be preaching to anyone about racism. Just when we were making progress against racism from the right, here it comes from the left. When are you partisans going to stop the 'jocks vs freaks' fight you started in the 1960's and get a real political life?

[MainSpark]

09:01 PM on 11/17/2009

"I wouldn't rejoice so fast mr Democrat. You see, a recent poll of Americans showed 43% identifying themselves as Independents. That puts the dems and GOP fighting for 2nd and 3rd."

Correction: The DEMS and gop aren't fighting for second and third. They're fighting for that 43% you cite. Not surprisingly, you didn't mention where that number (43%) came from. It's really nice when you can quote source. Otherwise, it comes across as, well, just a number.

Regardless, it seems rather apparent that the 43% ( ! ) are crossing to the DEM side...for the time being.

[JaCar]

11:52 PM on 11/17/2009

A few stats for you
1.) 90% of Americans not married to their cousins indentify themselves as Democrats
2.) 86% of Republicans think terrorists bombed Pearl Harbor on 9/11
3.) 2% of teabaggers have their original teeth
4.) .01% of Republicans actually know somebody of another race. 100% of those Republicans knowing somebody of another race have met Clarence Thomas
5.) 100% of Republicans claimed criticizing President Bush during war time encouraged our enemies and endangered our troops
6.) 100% of Republicans now criticize President Obama, thus encouraging our enemies and endangering our troops

[Disdain]

09:21 AM on 11/17/2009

You libs really have to make up your mind. You constantly berate anyone who attends the tea parties as being racist yet when they clearly demonstrate their opposition to racism you're unhappy. They can't win with you can they?

[Roma6888]

10:02 AM on 11/17/2009

you can deny the fact that your party is toast.
split between the most ugly people..

haters vs. ki--ll-ers..

[BarcaBourke]

10:59 AM on 11/17/2009

But they are clearly not opposed to racism. When like-minded individuals like the Nazis show up it holds a mirror to their actions which is clearly uncomfortable for them. So they act out.

[Gronkie]

08:32 AM on 11/17/2009

peas in a pod

[RJB Boston]

04:24 AM on 11/17/2009

Kind of sad how much anger there is in our country, and I guess everywhere. Angry commentators, angry politicians, angry people.....is there hope for humanity?

[Babzter]

09:30 AM on 11/17/2009

A good reason to hurry up and legalize pot.

[Hirnlego]

04:09 AM on 11/17/2009

Tea partiers punk’d into supporting removal of white people from US

http://rawstory.com/2009/11/tea-partiers-punked-white-people/

[Babzter]

09:30 AM on 11/17/2009

What a crackup!