Broad Base of Community Organizations Endorse “No Hate in the Bay” Community March

What: March and festival of resistance celebrating Black, Muslim, immigrant, people of color, queer, transgender, disabled, and interfaith communities

When:  Saturday, September 23rd, 2017   12 noon-6pm 

Who: Endorsed by a growing list of organizations representing communities targeted by white supremacy and hate violence. Including Anti Police-Terror Project, Jewish Voice for Peace, Showing Up for Racial Justice, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, and many others.

Where: 63rd St and Adeline, Berkeley CA

Press Contact: Lily Fahsi-Haskell, 510-764-3563 (leave message for response), nofascisminberkeley@gmail.com

As white supremacists plan to congregate in Berkeley for a week of actions against women, people of color, and Muslims, community organizations will march and rally for a hate-free Berkeley. The march will wind its way through Berkeley, making stops at community sites where people have been targeted by hate violence and will culminate in a festival of resistance.
Despite its liberal reputation, Berkeley has not been immune to racist and hate violence, and was recently the site of several white supremacist rallies. Instead of standing loudly and clearly against this racist provocation of violence, Berkeley officials have responded with increased criminalization of dissent, ordinances against protest, police violence, and threats of gang classification against those are resisting racism. This community march and festival will commemorate the ongoing, diverse, and long-term struggles against racism and criminalization.
Hate speech directly encourages acts of hateful violence and is one clear step racists take to build their power and influence. The community march falls the day before the start of the Milo Yiannopoulos-led Hate Speech Week focused on the denigration of women, Muslims, people of color, and anti-capitalists.  Last time Milo Yiannopoulous was scheduled to speak, he promised to reveal the names of undocumented students at UC Berkeley so that they would be deported, and likely harassed and targeted for violence by Milo’s student supporters. The march and festival will loudly declare that there is no place for hate speech and racist violence in Berkeley.
Anti-fascism is a diverse and broad-based struggle including individuals with long histories working to end white supremacy as well as organizations involved in a variety of issues. The organizations who are a part of this broad struggle include Arab and Black-led organizations, legal civil rights organizations, religious and spiritual communities from many different faiths, labor unions, organizations who work against police violence, and white anti-racist organizations. They are united by their deep commitment to ending the white supremacy enacted by hate groups and the government.
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