Counter protesters seen holding placards as they face a Ku Klux Klan affiliated group at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, May 25, 2019.Megan Jelinger/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
A branch of the Ku Klux Klan—the Honorable Sacred Knights of Madison, Indiana—planned a rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday. But when the time came to march, only nine supporters of the group showed up downtown, and they were met by 500 to 600 counterprotesters rallying against racism.
City leaders feared a rerun of the tragic events in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. But this time the anti-racists massively outnumbered the racists in the city of 140,000 in western Ohio. Opponents of the Klan held signs that read: “You Are Not Welcome Here” and “Injustice Anywhere Is a Threat to Justice Everywhere.”
Dayton Ohio outside site of Klan group rally pic.twitter.com/w6j6FA8XIa
— Dan Sewell (@dansewell) May 25, 2019
According to Time, one popular sign among local businesses read, “Get your hatin’ out of Dayton”
the KKK have a rally today in Dayton, Ohio and this is how the businesses are responding.. pic.twitter.com/mnhkpEiVUg
— ʟɪʟ ʙᴇʙᴇ ❥ (@TRINHTRILLA) May 25, 2019
“This ugly chapter is over, but it means we have to get back to the real work – making sure that no matter what you look like, where you come from, or who you love, that you can have a great life here in Dayton,” Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley tweeted afterwards.
