14 | NOVEMBER 21 • 2024 
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small group of masked 
demonstrators waved 
Nazi flags and reportedly 
shouted antisemitic and racial slurs 
outside an American Legion Post in 
Howell, while inside, actors from the 
Fowlerville Community Theatre per-
formed The Diary of Anne Frank. 
The incident occurred on Nov. 9 
during the seventh of eight shows 
presented by the nonprofit theater 
organization. 
The Livingston County Sheriff’s 
Office, which responded to a call from 
the scene, said in a statement, “Five 
demonstrators, wearing face masks, 
had pulled into the American Legion 
parking lot to demonstrate against 
the fact that a play of Anne Frank was 
taking place.” 
When asked to leave, the demon-
strators moved across the street before 
leaving the area. It was reported that 
some of them later showed up in 
Fowlerville. Fowlerville is located 
about 8 miles northwest of Howell.
According to a Facebook post from 
the Fowlerville Community Theatre, 
the cast and audience were informed 

of the situation during intermission. 
The post stated, “
As a theater, we are 
storytellers. We tell stories that trans-
port audiences to different times and 
places — some real, some fantastical. 
This production centers on real people 
who lost their lives in the Holocaust, 
and we have endeavored to tell their 
story with as much realism as possible. 
“On Saturday evening, things 
became more real than we expected; 
the presence of protesters outside gave 
us a small glimpse of the fear and 
uncertainty felt by those in hiding. 
As a theatre, we want to make people 
feel and think. We hope by presenting 
Anne’s story, we can help prevent the 
atrocities of the past from happening 
again.”
Theater representatives declined to 
comment further.
Bobby Brite, a past commander 
from the American Legion, advo-
cated for the American Legion Post 
to allow the Fowlerville Community 
Theatre to utilize space in the building 
because of the rise in antisemitism. 
“I think that we have an obligation 
to help educate the community. The 

Anne Frank story is a fantastic story, 
and I think that if people see this, 
maybe they’ll empathize with this 
community of individuals that have 
been persecuted for so many years.”
Brite, who shared a live video of the 
demonstrators on Facebook, said a 
majority of audience members were 
afraid to leave the building after the 
performance. 
“We had to escort them to their 
cars,” he told Channel 7 in an inter-
view. “No one in America should feel 
like that.” 
The incident, which was widely 
reported on across Michigan and 
around the country, drew an outpour-
ing of support for the theater company. 
The theater’s Facebook post about 
the protest was shared more than 
10,000 times. Although the comment 
section was disabled, another post 
promoting the play garnered sup-
portive comments such as “Incredibly 
moved by the courage and stamina 
of your staff, performers, audience 
members to finish your performance 
despite the self-identified Nazi pro-
testers nearby.”

A number of people wrote that they 
donated or planned to donate to the 
theater following the incident. 

JEWISH VETERANS RESPOND
Mark Weiss, commander of the 
Jewish War Veterans, Department of 
Michigan, praised how the incident 
was handled at the American Legion 
Hall in Howell. 
He said, “JWV-MI applauds the 
prompt response to the five protest-
ers by local law enforcement, the 
show producers and the veterans of 
American Legion Post 141.
“JWV-MI also wishes to remind 
everyone no such Nazi pro-
test occurred when Fowlerville 
Community Theatre performed The 
Sound of Music several years ago. 
Neither have Nazi protesters been 
seen when movies such as The Longest 
Day, Greyhound or Dunkirk have been 
shown in Howell theaters. 
“The Nazis only protest and yell 
antisemitic slurs when their slaughter 
of innocent Jewish children, such as 
Anne Frank, is publicized,” Weiss said.
A handful of incidents involving 
white supremacist activity in the 
Howell area, including this most recent 
one outside the American Legion Post, 
further tarnishes the reputation of the 
region, something some residents and 
officials keep trying to overcome. 
Although there is not an active Ku 
Klux Klan chapter in Howell, the city 
has a reputation for being associated 
with the hate group in part because of 
an infamous high-ranking Klansman 
who lived in the area until his death 
in the early 1990s. 
In a video message posted Nov. 14 
on the Livingston County Sheriff’s 
Office Facebook page, Sheriff Mike 
Murphy urged people to ignore the 
protesters who are “looking to stir the 
pot.” 
“Don’t beep at them. Don’t say 
nothing. Don’t encourage or discour-
age on social media. That’s exactly 
what they’re hoping for. Please take 
the high road. Ignore them, move on. 
They will realize that they’re not get-
ting the play.
“Everybody knows that’s not 
Livingston County,” Murphy said. 

The cast of the Fowlerville Community Theatre’s production of The Diary of Anne Frank.

MARVIN HALL- STUDIO M – ARTS & MUSIC

Despite the presence of neo-Nazis, Fowlerville Community 
Theatre fi
 nish their run of The Diary of Anne Frank. 

The Show Went On!

JENNIFER LOVY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY

