BERKELEY (KRON) — Despite the City of Berkeley denying a permit for a “No to Marxism” rally this weekend, alt-right groups are still expected to show up to Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park on Sunday.

Counter-protesters say they’ll be there too.

Berkeley’s mayor has asked these organizers to stay away from Martin Luther King junior Civic Center Park on Sunday in hopes of avoiding a repeat of the violence that erupted at similar rallies in April.

“We believe that we cannot hide our heads in the sand,” Refuse Fascism organizer Xochitl Johnson said.

Johnson says taking a backseat to confronting white nationalism is not an option for her or the other members of the grassroots organization Refuse Fascism Bay Area.

The organization, from the steps of City Hall, vowed to denounce those who plan to attend the “No to Marxism Rally.”

“These are essentially the same people who came to Charlottesville and murdered Heather Heyer,” Johnson said. “We’ve already been ignoring them, and they’ve been growing and becoming more emboldened.”

These organizers say they don’t plan on bringing weapons, though they believe the other side will be armed.

The Berkeley Police Department has the authority to take weapons away from people in and around the park.

Attorney Curtis Briggs, with Pier 5 Law Offices, says he is willing to represent people pro bono who physically clash with white supremacists.

“It’s not a secret that Hitler killed 12 million people,” Briggs said. “Hitler terrorized the entire world. You can’t be a peaceful white supremacist–it does not exist.”

If provoked by a white nationalist, Briggs has some advice.

“Some members of our community may overreact,” Briggs said. “They may legitimately be taunted into acting physically, and we think that’s a shame. We don’t want that to happen, but if that does happen, we want to throw our support clearly behind the members of our community that are trying to oppose white supremacists.”

Briggs says his offices have the ability to provide free legal services for up to 20 people.

The following are prohibited at Civic Center Park on Sunday:

  • Metal pipes
  • Baseball or softball bats
  • Lengths of lumber or wood (any size)
  • Wooden dowels
  • Poles
  • Bricks
  • Rocks
  • Glass bottles
  • Metal beverage or food cans or containers
  • Pepper or bear spray (OC spray)
  • Mace
  • Knives or daggers
  • Firearms
  • Shields
  • Axes, axe handles, or hatchets
  • Ice picks
  • Razor blades
  • Tasers
  • Eggs
  • Improvised explosive devices (IEDs)
  • Spray cans
  • Fire works
  • Dynamite
  • U-lock bike locks
  • Heavy-gauge chain
  • Dogs (except for service dogs)
  • Skate boards
  • Balloons
  • Torches, lanterns or other devices that use fire or fuel
  • Any other item that is generally considered an “implement of riot” that can be used as a weapon

More from the City of Berkeley:

Additionally, in Civic Center Park on Sunday, August 27, signs and flags must be held by hand, and may not be affixed to any pole or stick. Wearing of a mask, scarf, bandana or any other accessory or item that covers or partially covers the face and shields the wearer’s face from view, or partially from view, is prohibited in Civic Center Park on August 27, except for coverings worn due to religious beliefs, practices or observances.

In light of the fact that several unpermitted demonstrations are also planned to occur in and around downtown Berkeley on August 27, the City is also issuing temporary regulations to restrict certain items, including bricks, rocks, axes, mace, knives, firearms, dynamite, and torches in a defined area of the City. This area is bounded by Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the west, Oxford to the east, Bancroft Way and Channing to the south, and University Avenue to the north. Authority to issue this narrowly tailored regulation was granted by the Council City in a special meeting on August 18. At that meeting, the City Council adopted an urgency ordinance that amended Chapter 13.45 of the Municipal Code to authorize the City Manager to issue rules regarding street events without permits to protect public safety.

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