​Students may be shocked to learn that the National Socialist Movement will be converging right here in Chattanooga to celebrate its 40th anniversary. The ninety minute rally will take place on April 26th at the Hamilton County Courthouse and will serve as a protest against illegal immigration. The movement’s leader, Commander Jeff Shoep, says he picked Tennessee because of its large amount of supporters. According to his application for an assembly permit, Shoep believes anywhere from fifty to a hundred people will be attending the meeting.
This particular neo-Nazi movement is known as the National Socialist Movement and shares many beliefs with the original German party that students have learned about for many years. The NSM reveres Adolf Hitler as a great man and believes that America should be a nation composed only of white people. They state in their 25 points of American Socialism that, “All non-White immigration must be prevented. We demand that all non-Whites currently residing in America be required to leave the nation forthwith and return to their land of origin: peacefully or by force.”
​Expectedly, citizens are quite disturbed to hear this and do not want the NSM anywhere near their homes. Although citizens are advised to simply ignore the Nazis, many wish to start counter rallies or even pay the Nazis to stay away. Even the mayor himself reportedly said “The last thing in the world we want to see is this group in our city.” Historically, public response to neo-Nazism has not been very peaceful and has often resulted in violence. Only time will tell how Chattanooga will respond to this visit.