We have been told that the East Coast is going to be dealing with the David Irving circus this fall, but right now, it’s the West Coast with this corny fool that keeps coming to the US courtesy of people who would prefer to have more productive people out of Mexico sent back instead. Well, there are a few folks out there who are a little more on the ball than them, and they came out to make it clear that Irving is not going to be trapsing about the country without being called out. And the local folks who go to give him support are going to catch hell long after he is gone. Some of those folks are in Portland, Oregon, and they came out to say hi last Sunday, much to the chagrin of the the Irving and his fellow Holocaust-deniers. They submit this report, pictures and the registration list for Irving’s event (yes, you read that correctly!) for your enjoyment. Irving also has some other dates, so if you are anywhere near them, you might want to say something about this crap.
Rose City Antifa
On Sunday, July 19, approximately 50 anti-fascists and anti-racists made their way to the Embassy Suites – Airport hotel in Portland, to oppose the Holocaust-denier and neo-fascist David Irving, and the sympathizers who had paid $24-$30 each to hear him talk.
Although Irving’s event was not shut down, we consider our intervention to have been successful in sending a clear message that fascist organizing is not welcome in our community, and that Irving will be met with resistance. This was not only an achievement for Rose City Antifa members, who were a minority within the opposition to the event, it was also an important result for the broader anti-racist community, which mobilized effectively and at short notice. We believe that events such as that on Sunday set the stage for more substantial victories in the future.
David Irving is a British writer of histories who has been involved with the fascist political scene since the 1960s. Always known for the pro-Hitler bias of his books, approximately two decades ago Irving made the transition to being a fully-fledged Holocaust-denier. In addition to spreading blatant historical lies, Irving has publicly stated that “The Jews are the architects of their own misfortune”. Although Irving has been banned from several countries and even imprisoned for his Holocaust-denial propagandizing and pro-Nazi agitation, he has been touring the United States since the beginning of July.
Irving’s Portland stop was booked at the Embassy Suites hotel by the airport, under the name of “Parforce”. (The Seattle stop the previous day was booked as “Focal Point Publications,” Irving’s publishing company.) Rose City Antifa released information about the venue as soon as it was discovered and confirmed. A flood of calls to the venue began immediately afterwards. Management at the Embassy Suites – Airport hotel refused to shut down the event despite being educated that a notorious Holocaust-denier and cohort of neo-Nazis was using their space. Rose City Antifa condemns the cowardly management of this establishment, who enabled the anti-Semitic event to go on despite calm and well-reasoned argument from community members (plus shouting and confrontation later).
We encourage any individuals or groups who may consider giving their business to Embassy Suites hotels, not to do so. Feel free to call the Portland Airport location and tell them why you are withholding your support: 503 460 3000.
Irving had slightly over two dozen attendees for his talk–half the number of his anti-fascist opponents. One of the largest blocs of attendees on Irving’s side came from the Portland 9/11 Truth Alliance, who were rallied together for the event by Alliance organizer Tim Titrud. One of the individuals who may have been invited to see Irving by Titrud is Rod(erick) McLaughlin AKA “Jay Knott”. McLaughlin is a Portland-based participant in Eugene, Oregon’s Pacifica Forum, a group which specializes in hosting anti-Semitic speakers (such as David Irving himself last year). McLaughlin writes the Pacifica Forum’s blog on their website. He was also the person who initially suggested that Titrud, Tim Calvert and the rest of the 9/11 Truth Alliance host the Holocaust-denier Valdas Anelauskas in Portland during June of this year, in the wake of 9/11 Truth Alliance members attending a Pacifica Forum gathering in Eugene. After McLaughlin attended a presentation by Irving at the Pacifica Forum last year, he summed up his feelings in an article: “To hell with the feelings of minorities. Anti-semitism, if it exists at all, should not be seen as a problem.”
The security at the Irving event was tighter than during previous tours, with information about the event location only meant to be disclosed a half-hour before it was scheduled to commence, although Antifa managed to find the venue somewhat earlier. Irving’s personal assistant, Jaenelle Antas, was observed in several different outfits during the course of the event, and some of Irving’s crowd attempted to glean information about their opponents.
The police presence was large, and they came prepared with vans to haul off anti-racists. The police were called by the hotel management to protect their fascist customers. Thankfully, no one was arrested or otherwise harmed by police during the event. We came away with a significant amount of information about Irving’s attendees.
Rose City Antifa calls for all anti-racists to do the necessary research and confront the rest of Irving’s speaking dates:
July 22 Wednesday: Sacramento, buffet, 20:00
July 23 Thursday: San Francisco, buffet 18:30
July 25 Saturday: Costa Mesa, 18:30
July 26 Sunday: Sherman Oaks, 15:00
July 29 Wednesday: Denver, 19:00
July 30 Thursday: Omaha, 19:00
July 31 Friday: Chicago incl. de luxe dinner, 19:00
August 1 Saturday: Indianapolis 15:00 [New date.]
In the meantime, feel free to give David Irving a call on his cellphone and let the fascist scumbag know how you feel: 305 923 6779. Remember to hide caller ID (*67) before dialing.
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| PHOTOS (courtesy of Portland Indymedia) |
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KBOO reporter in black top on left.
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KBOO reporter in center wearing black top
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KBOO reporter in center wearing black top
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| Portland registration list | 21.Jul.2009 17:32 |
Also, Dylan Marchand is the guy who put his name to the National Socialist Movement adopting a Marion County highway in 2005.
reservation list (.pdf)
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