There Goes the Neighborhood is a weekly series from Imagine 2050 staff highlighting upcoming nativist events.
This week, expect another conspiracy-laden anti-refugee presentation in Minnesota and an anti-Muslim speaker in Virginia. ACT! for America will also co-host one of Congress’ most stridently nativist members in Pennsylvania.
Tonight, April 29, border vigilante turned anti-refugee demagogue Ron Branstner will speak in Little Falls, Minnesota. Bluestem Prairie reports that the Central Minnesota Tea Party is hosting the event. As has been the case with similar presentations, Branstner is expected to disparage both refugees and the organizations that assist them. The event description suggests Branstner will also entertain right wing conspiracy theories regarding the United Nation’s non-binding Agenda 21 sustainability measures.
On Wednesday, May 4, Clare Lopez of the anti-Muslim conspiracy think tank Center for Security Policy will speak in McLean, Virginia. Lopez will discuss a Turkish national’s supposed efforts to advance Islam in the United States. The event is being hosted by The Westminster Institute.
And on Thursday, May 5, a local chapter of anti-Muslim grassroots group ACT! for America and the Black Mountain Chamber will co-host an event in Dallas, Pennsylvania featuring Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA). Barletta is one of the organized anti-immigrant movement’s most reliable allies in Congress and sits on the Board of Advisors of leading anti-immigrant group Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). More recently, Barletta has been an active proponent of anti-refugee measures, including calls for a complete moratorium on refugee resettlement.
Additional information on this event and others can be found in the map below. The events scheduled for next week are marked with red stars.
Know of any nativist events not located on this map? Please contact us or fill out this form: