Beshear Denounces Planned Neo-Nazi Demonstration

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear responded to a planned rally by a Michigan-based neo-Nazi group, which claims it will march on the state Capitol in Frankfort on April 21.The National Socialist Movement announced the demonstration will focus on "illegal immigration, rampant crime, the recession and white civil rights." According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the National Socialist Movement is the largest neo-Nazi organization in the country with 61 chapters in 35 states. The group promotes the separation of the races and opposes citizenship for non-whites, Jews and gay residents.Beshear says the hate group has the right to protest, but denounced their philosophy and adds that Kentuckians will do so as well."The Constitution affords the right to free speech and free assembly to all, and we will respect those rights, even for this Michigan-based, hate-filled group. This group should know that their ideology is reprehensible to Kentuckians, and that Kentucky is a tolerant, progressive, and welcoming state for all people," he says.