Organizers for both rallies have said that the white supremacists and neo-Nazis who surfaced in Charlottesville are not welcome at their events. Joey Gibson, the founder of the Patriot Prayer group leading the San Francisco event, has demanded that white nationalist figures such as Richard Spencer and Nathan Damigo stay away.
Last week, Gibson told The Times he was concerned that some extreme or racist figures might try to co-opt his rally, a fear shared by experts who track hate groups. He has repeatedly denied the assertion that his event is a “white supremacist” demonstration and criticized politicians who branded it as such.
But the article goes on to say that some big name nutjobs have indicated that they're coming:
Complicating matters is the planned attendance of some controversial figures from the far-right who have been linked to white supremacist gatherings and other controversial rallies.
Augustus Invictus, described by the Anti-Defamation League as a Florida-based white supremacist, has also said on Twitter that he plans to speak at the Berkeley rally. Invictus filmed himself among a mob of torch-carrying demonstrators chanting “blood and soil,” a known Nazi refrain, in Charlottesville.
Kyle Chapman, a Daly City resident who gained infamy and the nickname “Based Stickman” after he was filmed battling anti-facists with a shield and staff in Berkeley earlier this year, plans to speak at both rallies. Chapman, who has declined a request for comment from The Times and suggested reporters “can all go to hell” on Twitter recently, is currently facing felony weapons charges in Alameda County.
Jack Posobiec, who hawked the false “Pizzagate” conspiracy that led to a shooting in Washington, D.C., and has been accused of hurling anti-Muslim slurs at former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, will also attend Sunday’s rally in Berkeley, according to Joanna Mendelson, the senior investigative researcher with the Anti-Defamation League’s Center On Extremism.
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