Stone Mountain is one of a handful of locales across the nation where the battle over "heritage" issues has been fought since this summer's mass shooting in a church in Charleston reignited the debate over display of the Confederate battle flag.
But rallies at the mountain -- much of which is a privately operated amusement park -- have drifted farther to the political fringe.
A large Aug. 1 rally held in a tucked-away parking lot at the park featured a range of actors interested in preserving the flag as a symbol of endangered Southern heritage. There were members of the Sons of Confederate veterans, history buffs and self-described rednecks for whom the flag represents their family history or a preferred way of life. There also were members of radical groups like the League of the South, which preaches secession and a white-dominated Southern nation, and heavily armed militia groups.
Credit: Chris Joyner
Credit: Chris Joyner
A rally last month, promoted as a "heritage" event actually was organized by members of the Ku Klux Klan and featured fewer genealogists or hobbyists. It also as a tenth the size of the Aug. 1 rally.
Now an "openly white power" rally is planned for April. Its organizers adhere to a motto coined by an American neo-Nazi that suggests white people are in a fight for their survival against people of other races.
Now that rally has attracted an established activist in the white power movement as its promoter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Groups that track the white supremacist movement say white power activists see the debate over the display of Confederate symbols as a recruiting opportunity. But heritage groups say this element within their ranks is small and does not represent their goals.
