[Reader-list] Gaza and fetish of national liberation

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Aryan Guard at Gaza protest
Annalise Klingbeil, Calgary Herald
Published: Monday, January 12, 2009
Calgarians were surprised Saturday to see members of the Aryan Guard, a white supremacist, neo-Nazi group, at a local protest of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip.
"Basically, polar opposites were protesting together," said Robert Thivierge, who attended the pro-test to take photographs and was surprised to see the Aryan Guard peacefully marching alongside protesters of all nationalities.
"It seemed kind of weird,"said Thivierge.
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Saturday's protest in Calgary, which drew an estimated 1,200 people, was one of many held across the country inwhichCanadians called for an end to the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
At the Calgary protest, members of the Aryan Guard held a modified Israel flag that read "Terror State" and marched from City Hall to the Harry Hays building, near the front of the crowd.
The day after the protest, Shadi Abuid, one of the event's organizers, said he thought the rally went off without a hitch.
"It went very well. I was impressed with the turnout and the various groups uniting under one voice," said Abuid.
Abuid said organizers were aware the neo-Nazi group was present and they told the group they were not welcome.
"We addressed them at the beginning of the rally and we directly told them we didn't want them to join us," said Abuid.
"But in these demonstrations you can control the crowd but you can't control the emotions . . . you can't deny people's right to walk."
Jason Devine, spokesman for Anti-Racist Action Calgary, at-tended the protest and estimates about five or six members of the white supremacist group were present.
Devine called it "unfortunate" that the neo-Nazis did not face much opposition at the protest. "They were not supposed to be there. They were not wanted there," said Devine.
"If we don't develop a plan for dealing with this in the future, it's going to continue."
The Herald was unable to contact anyone from the local Aryan Guard.
 
http://www.globaltv.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=1168132
 

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