USA News Hub

On Saturday, white supremacist group Patriot Front peacefully marched through the streets of Charleston, W. Va. In true cowardly fashion, they wore masks to hide their faces. They also donned matching khaki pants, hats and dark colored polo shirts.

The men were seen by witnesses, per West Virginia Public Broadcasting, unloading two U-Haul trucks at Daniel Boone Park and marching to the Capitol in front of the statue of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson.

According to the Anti Defamation League, the Patriot Front “define themselves as American fascists or American nationalists who are focused on preserving America’s identity as a European-American nation.” Charleston police reportedly stayed close by to monitor the march.

However, why is this courtesy never extended to other groups who protest? Over the last week, pro-Palestinian protestors at universities like Columbia, UCLA and University of Texas at Austin have dealt with exponential police presence at their demonstrations and have even been arrested for “trespassing.”

At Indiana State University, police confirmed Monday that state troopers with sniper capabilities were deployed on rooftops near pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. As conservatives harp on and on about the importance of free speech, it’s obvious who actually gets to enjoy it.

We’ve seen the indelicate ways protestors of color have been punished from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter to Atlanta residents protesting “Cop City.” Meanwhile, violent white supremacists can make it all the way inside the Capitol before police decide the best way to move forward without harming a single hair on their heads.

This approach was taken not just in Charleston, but in Charlottesville, Virginia, in Madison, Wisconsin, in Nashville, Tennessee. Violent responses to peaceful protests is never acceptable — but when it happens, we know which exact groups of people will disproportionately experience it.

Sadly, history has proven to consistently repeat itself even though there’s enough knowledge to know better.