24 | OCTOBER 8 • 2020 Lawsuit Targets White Supremacists Alleged planners of Charlottesville violence could face fi nancial ruin. SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER Jews in the D D uring the past several years, Jewish Americans and others have been shocked by the increase in antise- mitic public statements, physical assaults and the killings of Jewish individuals across the country by white supremacists, neo-Na- zis and members of other hate groups. In response, Jewish communities have strengthened security at their facilities, spo- ken out at community and interfaith events, and sought action from public officials to counteract threats and violence. In August 2017, white supremacist, neo-Nazi and other extremist groups organized a “Unite the Right” protest in Charlottesville, Va., protesting the city’ s plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Violent clashes occurred between the Unite the Right supporters, many from outside the area, and peaceful, local counter-protestors, including interfaith groups. The extremist groups marched in down- town Charlottesville, many with torches, some wearing dark military-like helmets and chanting antisemitic slogans — “Jews will not replace us” and “Blood and soil” — reminiscent of Nazi parades. Some carried shields and pepper spray. They marched around Temple Beth Israel, Virginia’ s oldest synagogue, chanting threatening slogans, as temple members participated in a regularly scheduled service. One hate group supporter purposely drove a car into the peaceful counter-pro- testors, killing one woman and injuring dozens of others. The driver was tried and convicted of second-degree murder by the state of Virginia and is imprisoned there. Public officials in Virginia and nationally condemned the violence. But a nonprofit organization, Integrity First for America, is seeking legal action to achieve more — justice for those who were injured and accountability for those who organized the weekend of violence. They filed a civil lawsuit, Sines v Kessler, in federal court in Virginia, charging that two dozen individuals and groups planned and imple- mented violence against peaceful protestors, violating their rights during the weekend of Aug. 12, 2017. The lawsuit is based on the KKK Act of 1871, which was passed to prevent Ku Klux Klan attacks against freed slaves. Amy Spitalnick, executive director of Integrity First for America, says that the law has been used multiple times during the 20th century. One of the nine plaintiffs, Elizabeth Sines, a University of Virginia law student, tried to peacefully protest during the Unite the Right tiki torch march and was a bystander when a car plowed into protestors. Defendant Jason Kessler is a member of Proud Boys who helped plan the Unite the Right events with Richard Spencer. Proud Boys is the extremist white nationalist group that President Trump was asked to condemn during the first presidential debate on Sept. 29. His response was to tell the group “Stand back and stand by, ” which has since become one of their organizing slogans. (On Oct. 1, Trump said, “I condemn all white suprema- cists. I condemn the Proud Boys. ”) “The violence during the weekend of Aug. 12 was not an accident, not spontaneous — it was racially motivated violence, planned in advance on social media, ” said Spitalnick during a webinar about antisemitism pre- sented several months ago by the National Council of Jewish Women. Evidence gathered by Integrity First will show that leaders of white supremacist, neo-Nazi and other extremist groups incited violence online and brought weapons to Charlottesville. “The First Amendment provides a right to beliefs and their expression, but it does not permit inciting to violence. Our case takes on the leadership of these organiza- tions to bankrupt and dismantle these orga- nizations, ” she says. CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS Robert Sedler, distinguished professor of law at Wayne State University Law School and a special Michigan assistant attorney AntiSemitism the Project ANTHONY CRIDER VIA WIKIPEDIA A scene from the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. Amy Spitalnick