Stone Mountain Park in Georgia, known for its gigantic rock paintings of Confederate leaders, was closed to the public on Saturday over concerns about a planned white nationalist rally and counter-protest.
The town of Stone Mountain, about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta, announced the closure in a tweetje on Friday.
“The City of Stone Mountain is expecting and preparing at least two opposing groups of Protestants whose intentions are to demonstrate at Stone Mountain Park on Saturday, August 15, 2020. Stone Mountain Park has decided to close the Park on this day,” he said. city.
Opposing groups stormed downtown on Saturday morning, according to NBC affiliate WXIA in Atlanta. A video showed people singing “Go home, racists, go home.”
City officials said that out of an abundance of caution, they were warning residents and visitors to avoid the area and said buses will be stopped in the city.
“Every effort is made to ensure that all demonstrations conducted within the city limits are carried out peacefully and without incident,” the tweet read.
A far-right group, Three Percenters, applied last month to hold a rally with more than 2,000 people in the park on Saturday, according to Reuters. The militia said it would “defend and protect our history” and rights to second amendment.
Officials rejected the request because of violence that erupted during a similar incident in 2016, Reuters reported.
Despite this, several groups, including one named Defending Stone Mountain, said online that they would still hold a rally in the park and asked participants to bring American and Confederate flags. An opposing group, Atlanta Antifascists, said it would hold a counter-protest.
“It has been clear for weeks that Stone Mountain will be a focal point for organizing white power tomorrow. Follow @flowerunited for tomorrow’s anti-racist counter-mobilization,” the group tweeted. “ALL OUT against racists and far-right! Spread the word!”
Stone Mountain Park is home to the largest monument to America’s Civil War Confederacy, according to Reuters.
