I met my first Nazi, Holocaust denier, yesterday.

A number of local social justice groups have been protesting the bigoted and Islamophobic posts of a local GOP office holder. As a member of one of them, I have participated in a number of protests and other actions to publicize the outbreak of hate.


Yesterday, at a protest, a local Nazi, Arthur Jones, showed up to show his support for the local GOP racist. Jones is the current, official GOP candidate for Congress in the Illinois 3rd District.

Local GOP politicians have been denouncing Jones, and rejecting his support, but his rhetoric is well in line with current GOP thinking. And I sue the word thinking advisedly.

Here is a link to his site for any who are interested in his personal brand of hate: http://artjonesforcongressman.com/

Getting back to the protest, and my meeting Jones:

He arrived with his wife after the protest was over, and as people were preparing to leave. Among the protesters was a group of 4 young people, late teens, attempting to back up their vehicle as Jones stood behind the vehicle screaming abuse at the young people. He was calling them (and excuse my language) "fucking terrorists, fucking Sharia bastards, go back to your own country" and other things to show his excellent command of the issues, and to demonstrate his white supremacist character.

I saw him and yelled out "Nazi sighting, Arthur Jones is here" and I walked over to the car and stood directly in front of him. In my politest outdoor voice, and I have been told that I have a loud outdoor voice, I suggested to him to "back off, asshole!!". He backed up about a foot and by that time 2 other members of our coalition joined me as we walked him back to his vehicle.

In a side note, I could smell alcohol on his breath as I talked to him, but the police, who had also arrived, apparently did not smell the alcohol on the white Nazi.

Jones left, escorted by the police to his vehicle, and we talked a bit after ward.

A person who was at the meeting, who identified as a Trump supporter, asked what was wrong with making racist and Islamophobic remarks because, in his words, "that is how we talk at home anyway".

I responded, "no, that is how racists talk at home".