Riots break out at Neo-Nazi rally in Toledo, Ohio
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Calm has been restored after a Saturday rally held by members of the National Socialist Movement (NSM) in Toledo, Ohio. led to a state of emergency being declared when riots ensued. Fifty highway patrol officers were called in to support city police and to help control the crowd. The unrest prompted the implementation of a city-wide 8 P.M. curfew.
The police force, which gave permission and protection to the neo-nazi group to hold the planned rally, claimed they were caught by surprise in the counter-protest that ensued. Police resorted to tear gas to disperse the crowd of nearly 500. Over 60 demonstrators were arrested.
Opposition to the rally was mounted by concerned citizens and a coalition of political groups organized as an Anti-Racist Action group. The actions of the counter-demontrators effectively ended the march just as it was getting started. During the riot, several vehicles had their windows broken and one was set on fire at a gas station; a local pub was looted and burned.
Toledo Mayor Jack Ford suggested that it was the NSM's objective to incite violence, "Based on the intelligence we received, that's exactly what they do -- they come into town and get people riled up." Mayor Ford, an African-American, was puzzled as to why the NSM chose Toledo, and said of the rally location, "It is not a neighborhood where you have a lot of friction in the first place."
