White pride advocates march in Jackson; one person arrested

While most Michigan residents were gearing up for March Madness basketball or the historic U.S. House vote on health care reform on Sunday, Jackson residents were treated to the coming out party of a new white nationalist group.

The new self-described National Socialist group — Battalion 14 Michigan — hosted a White Pride Worldwide march from Jackson’s Loomis Park to downtown Jackson. And the group managed to muster up 17 souls to march for white pride — leaving at least a dozen women and children back at the park.

But those opposed to the white pride message severely outnumbered the B14 members. Jackson cops estimated the counter protest to number between 300 and 500 people, however, it was probably closer to 200. They followed Battalion 14 Michigan Commander Chris Simpson and his band of white pride advocates into the streets of Jackson — verbally taunting them, kicking them or stepping on their heels, and spitting on them. Simpson and another B14 member were dressed in all black, including stocking caps and masks.

After nearly eight minutes of briefing the media, Simpson refused to identify himself to a reporter who joined the gaggle late. When it was explained that his name was public information and was going to be used, he ended the interviews.

But during that interview, Simpson was asked if he and his group were Nazis.

“Yeah, well, we’re National Socialists. The Nazis were back in World War two,” Simpson said. “We try to live our lives in more honorable way. It’s pretty much blue collar workers who try to live their lives the way they think they should as honorably as they can. We don’t promote violence, we promote love of our own race.”

The term Nazi comes from the German word Nationalsozialismus, which means National Socialism. This historical information seemed lost on Simpson.

Simpson had earlier told law enforcement that members of the group would come wearing their side arms in a show of support for open carry laws. They decided not to do that, he said, to respect law enforcement.

While Simpson himself says he lives and works in Jackson, many of the people who marched in support of his cause joined him from such places as Illinois, Ohio and Minnesota. The Jackson Citizen Patriot spoke with Grand Rapids resident Grant Adams, who marched with Battalion 14.

“We’re here to promote white pride,” said Grant Adams of Grand Rapids as he marched. “We are proud of our race. We’re allowed to have white pride.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports Michigan has 26 hate groups. If Battalion 14 Michigan is recognized by the group in its next hate report, that number will reach 27.

The march lasted a little over an hour, and police arrested one person. Police say they arrested a 14-year-old male on charges of disorderly conduct, specifically spitting on one of the white pride supporters.

Following is the interview with Chris Simpson: