SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Planning to confront hate face-to-face, hundreds in San Francisco say that is what they will do this Saturday.
Despite the city’s hope that counter-demonstrators stay away from the Patriot Prayer’s weekend rally at Crissy Field, hundreds are expected to come anyway.
“We really do believe the best way to counter these hate groups is to confront them and show them there are more of us than of them,” said Aditi Sherikar, who is with the San Francisco Democratic Socialists of America.
Sherikar says on Saturday morning, she will meet outside the Longshoreman’s Hall on North Point Street and then join the San Francisco Against Hate Coalition to March to Crissy Field and go toe-to-toe with hate groups rallying there.
She points to this past weekend’s rally in Boston as an example of how it can be effective.
“You know it was the same situation,” Sherikar said. “They were told, ‘Don’t go there. Don’t confront them head on.’ Luckily, the people of Boston didn’t listen and a massive amount of people took to the streets and ran the hate groups off.”
Those who plan to face off at Crissy Field are doing so despite San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee’s suggestion they avoid confrontation and take part instead in activities scheduled for Civic Center Plaza
“We need to be there to represent ourselves and to show we’re not going to stand for hate, and also, we are not afraid of hate,” said Amrit Kohli, who is with Brown Lives Matter.
Kohli with Brown Lives Matter is gathering another group to march from the Longshoreman’s Union to Crissy Field.
He says he hopes things remain peaceful, but he is not offering any guarantees.
“We are there to be a peaceful movement and non-violent in every way,” Kohli said. “But we have to standup up to them, and we have a right, a human right, to defend ourselves if attacked.”WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:
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