Supremacists outnumbered by counterprotesters, police at Dahlonega rally
Photo: Steve Schaefer
A rally in downtown Dahlonega organized by white supremacist activists wound down early Saturday amid high heat, a balky public address system and a confusing, at times contradictory, series of speakers.
The rally numbered somewhere between 35 and 50 self-described patriots on one side of the square, countered by three times that number of counterprotesters shouting from behind barricades on the other side. Both groups were outnumbered by 600 state and local law enforcement officers, many sweating out the afternoon heat in full riot gear.
We know we are on the right side of history, said rally organizer Chester Doles. With the rise of socialism, American patriots are standing up.
Doles, a Lumpkin County resident, has spent a lifetime associated with various white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups, spending two stints in federal prison for crimes related to his activities. He is finishing out two years of probation from an assault in December 2016. Doles touted the event to the public as a rally to show support for President Donald Trump, but also promoted it on white supremacist internet outlets.
Read more:
https://www.ajc.com/news/supremacists-outnumbered-protesters-police-dahlonega-rally/3uL15rYS0adNZHYTs44zGJ/#