Why are we letting Nazis march on the streets of Nashville?
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I walked up Broadway in Nashville on Feb. 17 at midday. I was forced off the sidewalk by a marching group of people, walking two-by-two.
The people at the front of the group were carrying black flags with Nazi insignia on them. They were dressed in black balaclavas with red sunglasses to protect their identity.
They chanted, “Save our nation,” in unison and the people at the back of the group did a salute. One with which most people are familiar. It is the Nazi salute. It was a group of about 20 to 40 people – I’m guessing they were young men.
They weren’t joking. They weren’t having a laugh. They were emboldened, confident and brazen.
No one was stopping them. No one seemed to notice maybe because it was a cold, Saturday afternoon.
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At the risk of giving this group oxygen of publicity they don’t deserve, I did wonder whose nation are they trying to save?
Why do they feel it is permissible to behave like that in public in one of the most populated streets in Nashville? Why would people want to come visit Nashville if we have people like that parading down our streets? Why is it permissible to repeat history so obviously and blatantly?
Why do they feel as if no one is going to object to their behaving like this? Why do we let them ruin our tourist busy main strip? Or is that why people are coming here in droves?
Jo Kay, Nashville 37208
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nazis are marching in Nashville. Why are we letting them?