Armed neo-Nazis assault Antifa in Morristown, NJ after anti-immigrant rally

north america / mexico | anti-fascism | other libertarian press Tuesday July 31, 2007 01:02 by Morristown Antifa morristownantifa at riseup dot net

Nazis lie, press distorts, and cops arrest 3 antifascists

After the July 28, 2007 anti-immigrant rally in Morristown, NJ, two
neo-Nazis attacked antifascists behind town hall. The neo-Nazis, 40-year
old Frederick K. Williams ("Erick_K_W" on Stormfront) and Annette Williams
of North Bergen, NJ, jumped from their pick-up truck armed with baseball
bats and knives and assaulted pro-immigrant counter-protesters.

July 29, 2007

Wherever neo-Nazis go, injustice follows. Morristown on Saturday was no
different.

After the July 28, 2007 anti-immigrant rally in Morristown, NJ, two
neo-Nazis attacked antifascists behind town hall. The neo-Nazis, 40-year
old Frederick K. Williams ("Erick_K_W" on Stormfront) and Annette Williams
of North Bergen, NJ, jumped from their pick-up truck armed with baseball
bats and knives and assaulted pro-immigrant counter-protesters.

After taunting the anti-racist activists who had outed them earlier at the
rally itself, Williams and his wife stopped their car, exited the vehicle
and pulled a knife on the activists. He lunged at them but was quickly
disarmed and his knife fell to the pavement. A local resident saw the
fight between the older couple and the younger activists and joined in to
support the neo-Nazis, shouting obscenities and dragging one activist who
had just been standing there to the ground. Williams then pulled out a
baseball bat from the rear bed of his pick up truck and began attacking
the anti-racists with it.

By this point, more antifas began rushing to the scene. Williams got back
in his truck and tried to flee, but not before other activists blocked his
Ford pick up from leaving. Moments later, police rushed in, found
Williams' weapon in the back of his pickup and confiscated it.

Staying true to their fear of authority figures, the Williams' story
quickly changed, telling police they were the victims of an unprovoked
assault, but other witnesses at the scene and a video of the attack prove
otherwise.

After initially handcuffing the bat-wielding Frederick Williams and
detaining his wife Annette, police then decided to take his word for it
and rounded up several anti-racists who were detained several blocks away
from the incident. Although they had the bat, the knife and other evidence
of the actual assault right in their hands, no action was taken by police
against Frederick Williams. They then let Williams choose which activists
he wanted to be arrested.

Frederick Williams suffered no more than a few scrapes and bruised ego,
and his wife Annette a bloody lip, while one of those arrested was beaten
with a baseball and sustained injuries to his knee and leg. Again: the
neo-Nazis were not arrested by the police.

The New York Times erroneously printed an article using the police report,
based entirely on Williams' story of the event in direct contradiction to
the statements of other witnesses and the evidence found on the scene.
Where police reported ten activists targeted in the assault, less than
four were involved, and no mention was made in the article of Williams'
possession of the weapons.

The charges against the activists reflected this: one was charged with two
counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, yet fingerprint analysis will
clearly show that the items were wielded by none other than Frederick
Williams. Other charges include simple assault, disorderly conduct,
improper behavior and causing bodily injury. Bails were set ridiculously
high, one with a $5,000 bail with 10% bond, and two of $2500 cash bail
without bond - all for non-indictable offenses (NJ's equivalent of a
misdemeanor) .

Police themselves obstructed the release of the activists, first saying
that they would be released without charges, then that they would have
charges but be released on their own recognizance, then informing the
arrestees supporters of the bail amounts eight hours after the initial
arrests while not stating any of the charges against them.

All of the activists were bailed out within three hours of being
transferred to the Morris County Jail through the efforts of devoted
friends and the support of a strong, dedicated, broad-based and growing
movement committed to standing up in the face of racist attacks,
harassment and lies. Their spirits are high and they are confident that
they will win in court.

The organizers of the anti-immigrant rally, including Mt. Olive blogger
Robb Pearson and the mayor of Morristown, Donald Cresitello, publicly
distanced themselves from charges of racism but seemed to have no
problem with the two dozen or so openly neo-Nazi rally participants at the
event, including Williams. Mayor Cresitello at one point even stopped his
prepared speech to launch a tirade against "Communists and Marxists."

Throughout the rally, antifascists made their presence known in sight and
sound of the racist rally, calling out and exposing the neo-Nazis present.
At one point during the day, after anti-racists identified and called out
several neo-Nazi boneheads in the crowd near town hall, the boneheads
walked over to confront the protesters only to be swarmed. A tense but
non-violent face off ended with the boneheads realizing they were out of
their league. One ran into the local Kings' supermarket to hide, while
others made a hasty retreat to their car, and drove off.

Perhaps to make up for his less-than-glorious battle for the purity of the
white race, Williams began posting to white supremacist website Stormfront
begging for money and support from other white supremacists, claiming that
antifas dragged him and his wife from his truck and seriously injured
them. Nothing could be further from the truth, a pathetic cover-up by a
neo-Nazi who picked the wrong day to try and start his own racial holy war
on the streets of Morristown.

But now, the neo-Nazis have gone even further, sending anonymous threats
to activists and college students who were not even at the counter-rally
and had only reposted already public calls to action. They have even begun
targeting family members of the arrestees. Several of these anonymous
threats have already been received from anonymous email addresses.

Neo-Nazis have also begun posting photos of other activists online and
calling - not for them to be outed to the public, as anti-racists have
done for Nazis - but to be singled out for assault and perhaps worse.

This only shows exactly what follows when neo-Nazis are allowed to take the
streets or organized unopposed: brutal and cowardly assaults on unarmed
protesters who stand up to their hate.

The neo-Nazis' actions, their organizing, and their rallies will continue to
be disrupted and shut down in the months to come.

There is already a treasure trove of information on specific and active
white power organizers, including the participants of Saturday's assault,
and any move or further assault by them will lead us right back to the
source. They will be exposed, they will lose their jobs, and they may face
years behind bars like white supremacist Matt Hale if any harm comes to
the activists, their friends or loved ones. Neo-Nazis will not be allowed
to take one step in their communities and towns without being vilified,
exposed to the light and put in their place at every turn.

After shutting down the World Church of the Creator, after forcing the
National Alliance off the streets, after countering the National Socialist
Movement at every turn and exposing every tiny white power faction trying
to mainstream itself for what they are, they will not pass. Further
organizing by neo-Nazis in the mainstream will only bring down the
movements they try to infiltrate, ruining the careers of any public figure
or politician who flirts with fascism. Further organizing out of the
closet as white power organizations will be dealt a swift defeat.

Never again means never again.


Contact: morristownantifa (at) riseup.net