One of the parade’s scheduled speakers is the leader of the Proud Boys, which the Anti-Defamation League describes as violent extremists who attended the August 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va. Yet its members have close ties to the far right. , the group behind the parade, denies that the parade or its organizers are bigoted, pointing to their inclusion of black and gay speakers. “We will be getting together the biggest, proudest group we can.”
“These people are fascists and Nazis,” said Elvin Mackelston, of the group Solidarity Against Hate-Boston, which is organizing a counterprotest. Others insist Boston-area residents must stand up against hatred.
