NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — After seeing back-to-back weekends of hate groups protesting in Downtown Nashville, State Rep. Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) launched a campaign calling on people to condemn these types of demonstrations.
“As someone who has a background in organizing against white nationalism and extremist groups, it was important for me to respond in a way that my constituents tasked me with,” Behn said. “I ran on fighting extremism and white supremacy at the legislature and in Tennessee and Nashville, and that's exactly what I decided to do.”
The campaign is called "Nashville Against Nazis," which Behn said aims to rally and unite the community to speak out and denounce hatred of all forms, but especially when it’s targeting the city’s most vulnerable.
“This will be a reoccurring instance and I think it'll continue to get more and more violent if you are familiar with these groups' track records,” Behn said. “As the newest member of the General Assembly, this past session, we passed a lot of discriminatory legislation towards marginalized groups, particularly immigrants. I want to draw a direct line between the legislation that has passed in this building and the behavior and actions of these extreme groups in Nashville."
Behn is hoping to educate elected officials and constituents on the dangers that come with white supremacist groups and has outlined clear steps on how the topic of white nationalism can be addressed. She said everyone needs to stand together to create a safer and more inclusive environment for all.
“What we’re seeing is an unprecedented frequency in how often they [white supremacist groups] are coming to Nashville, so for me, this is going to take a holistic and long-term organizing response of ‘I'm in it for the long haul,’” Behn said.
As part of her campaign, Behn is asking businesses to sign a pledge and community members to purchase ‘Nashville Against Nazis’ merchandise as a way to publicly display their stance against hate and encourage others to follow their lead.
To learn more about the Nashville Against Nazis campaign, click here.