The National Socialist Movement recently opened an Inland Empire chapter, and Saturday they'll stage their first local protest against illegal immigration.
"If these guys just stand on the corner, they're not paying their taxes, they're tax takers, not tax givers," said National Socialist Movement member Jeff Hall, who wouldn't disclose where the group will meet Saturday.
"We plan to be peaceful. The counter-protesters have threatened violence. We will have no weapons," said Hall. "We are willing to defend ourselves, however, there are no weapons. The NSM denounces violence; we're there just to make our voices heard and express our First Amendment rights."
"I would expect the Nazis to show up, stand around with signs, walk back and forth a little, and look scared, because there will be a lot more people watching them than there will be Nazis, I'm sure," said Kevin Akin, who has hastily organized a counter protest at city hall. His group is called Riverside Rejects Racism.
"If they attempt to do anything that carries out their hatred of Jews, if they try to do anything that carries out their hatred of blacks and Mexican-Americans and practically everybody in our society, then they need to be stopped," said Akin.
Eyewitness News talked with a number of people in downtown Riverside Friday about their thoughts on the Nazis protesting illegal immigration.
"I think because they're such extremists they're looked down upon, and yes a lot of people would say that it's racial, and then there's someone like me, and I'm kind of on their side on this," said Arizona resident Amy Olive.
"If you remember the Blues Brothers, the scene where they made them all jump off the bridge in the river, that would be a good thing to do to these idiots," said John Olive, resident of Apple Valley.
"It's their right in this country to believe what they want to believe, but don't impose it on me," said Randy Cunningham, a Riverside resident.
Both protests are said to start around 10 a.m. Saturday. The counter protest will take place at city hall, and though the socialist group has not disclosed the location of their protest, it has been reported that Riverside Police knows about the protests.
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