Racists converge on Dearborn, protesters and community fight back

Dearborn, MI – On November 18, 20 protesters met at the Arab American Museum in Dearborn to confront a hate march put on by right-wingers who called for end to “Islamification.” Islamophobic marchers managed to gather a group of 30 people. The march was initially spearheaded by Anthony Hudson, an “America First” gubernatorial candidate who tried to recant his claims that Dearborn was under “Sharia law” – only to still face the protest anyways.

Given Dearborn is home to many Arab and Muslim residents, the community took the threats made by Hudson and January 6 insurrectionist Jake Lang seriously and came out in crowds. The groups leading the protest against the hate march were Detroit Anti-War Committee, Detroit Community Action Committee, Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization – Detroit.

The protesters met outside of the Arab American Museum and conducted a rally of their own. They chanted “MAGA, you racist clowns, you’re not welcome in this town!” and “Get up and take a stand, Dearborn fights hand in hand!”

Amongst the racists were people who had crucifixes and brought cuts of pork, mocking the Muslim faith. Racists tried to burn two Qurans, but activists managed to seize the Qurans before they were able to do it.

The hate marchers decided to take Michigan Avenue, a main road that runs through Dearborn. The anti-racist protesters followed and began to bolster their numbers from determined Dearborn community members. Soon they vastly outnumbered the racist hate marchers. The protesters overtook and drowned out the measly crowd of racists.

Before the protest was over, the protesters could claim that they had 400 Dearborn residents on their side.

Jo Pico, a member of the Detroit Anti-War Committee said, “We knew they started marching because they were scared of us. We were chanting at them that these were our streets. We intended to prove that was true. So when they marched onto Michigan Ave, of course we did too.”

Chants such as “When Dearborn is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” and “MAGA, go home!” clearly rattled the Islamophobes who started to retreat towards the Dearborn Administration Building.

At the Dearborn Administration Building, the hate marchers and their banners reading things such as “Americans against Islamification” were blocked out by banners demanding divestment and sanctuary city status among other progressive banners.

Daniel Alatorre, a member of Comité de Acción Comunitaria – Detroit, summed up the event by saying, “We came out to oppose racists like Jake Lang, a proud white suprematist, and Anthony Hudson, a racist running for governor of Michigan, because they wanted to attack a beautiful and proud Arab community in Dearborn on the basis of their nationality and for many their religion.”

Throughout the evening, the hate marchers repeatedly attempted to start physical confrontations, and they repeatedly fled the confrontations they were starting like the cowards they are. This occurred over and over until hundreds of local residents of Dearborn took to the streets to oppose them, forcing the Islamophobes to disperse. Sofia Marx, an organizer with Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society explained, “They would come over to provoke us, but every time we repelled them and forced them back.”

Jackson Robak of Freedom Road Socialist Organization-Detroit stated, “It’s beyond important to stand up to oppose racists and fight alongside our Arab-American friends and neighbors because these agitators are Trump’s foot soldiers who wish to enact every nightmare Trump has thought of on the American people. If we want to fight Trump, we have to fight everyone who’s on the ground fighting for his agenda.”

#DearbornMI #MI #OppressedNationalities #ArabAmerican #Palestine