Harris campaign, civil rights group condemn white supremacist march in Howell

BY JON KING, MICHIGAN ADVANCE

MICHIGAN—Condemnation continues following a demonstration Saturday in Howell featuring a dozen masked white supremacists chanting “Heil Hitler” and carrying signs with messages like “White Lives Matter.”

The incident also included a similar protest at a nearby freeway overpass where the group hung Nazi and KKK flags over the side, while one of the protestors was caught on video yelling, “We love Hitler. We love Trump.” The march took place as former President Donald Trump was holding a rally in Grand Rapids with his new running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).

The protest drew an immediate joint statement of condemnation by the City of Howell, the Livingston Diversity Council, and the Howell Chamber of Commerce, saying the demonstrators did “not reflect the values of the Howell community,” and that residents “quickly reacted to this event and made it clear that we do not share their views.”

In the days since, other similar statements have followed including from the newly constituted Michigan presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, which called it a “shocking display of antisemitism and hatred” and “yet another example of how Donald Trump’s divisive agenda has empowered white nationalists and others on the extreme far-right.”

Harris is the nation’s first female, Black and Asian-American vice president. The Harris Michigan campaign also released a statement from Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

“Throughout Donald Trump’s first campaign and tenure, we saw a rise in hate crimes and threats, so it’s no surprise that neo-Nazis were ready to welcome him back to Michigan with open arms,” said Nessel. “Trump has been consistent on only one thing –   dividing us: from his first campaign launch to defending the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, and now through his racist and xenophobic Project 2025 goals.”

Also uniting against the demonstration was state Rep. Jennifer Conlin (D-Ann Arbor Twp.), whose district covers a portion of Livingston County.

“As a State Representative fighting for equality and racial justice, I stand united with the City of Howell, Michigan – Government, the Livingston Diversity Council, and the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce in condemning the hate-filled demonstrations that took place on Saturday. Their views do not align with the values of our district,” said Conlin. “It is crucial that we stand with those working to advance equity for everyone, including marginalized groups. We must remain civically engaged and commit to the continuous fight for justice for all.”

The protest was also condemned by the Michigan chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), a member of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.

“We welcome the condemnation of Howell officials regarding recent white supremacist activities in their town and commit to working with them to ensure that their community becomes more welcoming of racial and religious diversity,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. “More proactive work needs to be done in Howell to project the message that the KKK and neo-Nazi adjacent activists are not welcome to propagate hate in their city limits.”

Walid added that CAIR and the American Muslim community “stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.”

The Harris Michigan campaign also slammed what it calls Trump’s “long history of emboldening those on the extreme far-right,” including:

Trump said Adolf Hitler did “some good things,” as reported by retired Gen. John Kelly, who served as Trump’s chief of staff.Trump praised some of the neo-Nazi marchers in Charlottesville who chanted “Jews will not replace us” as “very fine people.”Trump dined at Mar-a-Lago with white nationalist Nick Fuentes. Fuentes has said “perfidious Jews” should be executed.Trump amplified a racist conspiracy theory pushed by neo-Nazis against Jews and immigrants.

READ MORE: Michigan Republican spews deadly white supremacist conspiracy theory on Twitter

This coverage was republished from Michigan Advance pursuant to a Creative Commons license.