Photos: Princeton residents hold ‘Love Fest’ rally in response to white supremacists marching on Nassau Street

 

On the Monday morning of the extended Fourth of July holiday weekend, more than three dozen Princeton residents held a rally on Palmer Square called the Pop Up Love Fest. The event was organized quickly in response to a group of white supremacists marching along Nassau Street two days earlier.

The goal of the Monday rally was to make a public commitment to support neighbors in the face of racism. The coalition of residents is committed to pushing back against hate whenever it shows up in Princeton. The group stood along Palmer Square and then marched to the Princeton Battle Monument.

On Saturday, July 1, members of a white supremacist group called the New Jersey European Heritage Association marched along Nassau Street. The group claims that reducing whites to a minority will make the nation fail and become plagued with violence, poverty corruption, and instability. Members of the white supremacist group believe they must secure the existence of white people.

The New Jersey European Heritage Association has distributed propaganda in Princeton in the form of stickers and fliers for several years now. The group planned an “It’s OK to be white” march in Princeton in February of 2019 but never showed up after the backlash. Residents held a counterprotest to stand against racism and bigotry, and hundreds took part.