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    • White supremacists protest ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ in Howell
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    White supremacists protest ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’ in Howell

    Harry Posted on

    HOWELL — Another white supremacist demonstration took place in Howell; this time in response to a local production, “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

    Accordingly video shared on social media On Saturday, November 9, a group of demonstrators carrying American flags featuring Nazi flags and white supremacist symbols gathered by American Legion Post 141 in front of the event, where the demonstration was hosted by the Fowlerville Community Theatre.

    a member of the American Legion I told WLNS The organization felt the game would be educational amid reports of increased antisemitism. The organization went live on Facebook on Saturday and filmed demonstrators confronting Livingston County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

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    A protester is heard telling MPs that they are protecting their right to freedom of expression.

    The group left the area when they saw that they were being recorded.

    Four demonstrators were seen waving Nazi flags at the intersection of Grand River Avenue and Grand Avenue in Fowlerville on Saturday. It’s unclear whether the protests involved members because their faces were covered.

    LCSO sent out a press release confirming the presence of five demonstrators wearing face masks at the American Legion on Monday. Police said protesters initially entered the organization’s parking lot but were asked to leave the property.

    “Demonstrators then crossed the street and waved flags decorated with Nazi insignia,” LCSO wrote. “They were then approached by a subject and an argument ensued. Nothing physical occurred and ultimately the parties involved separated.”

    Deputies patrolled the area for the remainder of the weekend and there were no other incidents, according to LCSO.

    On Monday, Fowlerville Community Theater issued its own statement, saying the production team was notified of the show during the first act and that staff at the American Legion were consulted. The audience and actors were briefed during the break, then production resumed.

    “As a theatre, we are storytellers,” the statement read. “We tell stories, some real, some fantastic, that take audiences to different times and places. This production focuses on real people who lost their lives in the Holocaust, and we tried to tell their stories as realistically as possible.

    “On Saturday… everything turned out to be more real than we expected; we were hiding outside with the Nazis. As a theater we want people to feel and think. We hope that by presenting Anne’s story, we can help prevent the atrocities of the Nazis from happening again.”

    The Daily has reached out to American Legion Post 141 for comment.

    This is far from the first white supremacist demonstration to take place in Livingston County in 2024. In late July, a group gathered Outside the Livingston County Historic Courthouse and then the Howell Carnegie Regional Library. They were heard chanting “Heil Hitler”.

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    A second demonstration was held later that day at the overpass at I-96 and Latson Road. In the video, demonstrators were heard chanting “We love Hitler. We love Trump.”

    In August, A similar demonstration took place in Brighton. Many local businesses publicly condemned the message. Thereupon, a local boutique, Forest and Follies, closed.

    — Contact reporter Tess Ware: [email protected].

    (This story has been updated to add new information.)

    Harry
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