Tacony Ku Klux Klan Rally Shouted-Down by Community Members

By Kenneth Lipp, with reporting by Joshua Albert

An unpublicized rally held yesterday at the Tacony Public Library in Northeast Philadelphia in support of a local Ku Klux Klansman was met upon arrival by a group of counter-protesters and members of the Tacony and Mayfair communities. Activists from Philly ANTIFA and the One People’s Project were joined by dozens of local residents on Torresdale Avenue at 1 PM, where the Confederate Knights of the KKK, a white-supremacist group headquartered near Baltimore, had obtained a permit to demonstrate against what they see as discrimination against a member who lives in the neighborhood . Less than 10 Klan supporters gathered on the front steps of the library, separated from protesters by a line of Philadelphia Police Strike Force and Civil Affairs officers, and though speaking with a bullhorn, were largely drowned-out by the crowd’s disapproval.

The planned 2 hour rally was cut short and the Klan members were escorted to their vehicles by police at 2 PM, after which a a small segment of counter-protesters marched several blocks to a home which flew the Fascist flag of Mussolini. Organizers said it was the home of a Neo-Nazi named “Bryan. ” Protesters chanted  in front of the home for several minutes before police arrived. There was no incident between authorities and demonstrators, and all departed not long after an occupant of the house spoke to police briefly through the cracked door before disappearing again into the home.

 The One People’s Project, the organization that discovered the planned protest and organized the response, has posted a detailed summary as well as a video of yesterday afternoon.