A DEVIL AMONGST US

WASHINGTON, DC, Mar. 12 –The annual meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) was met with protest this year by the DC Anti-War Network (DAWN), as well as members of the Hasidic group Neturei Karta, but the protest was significant because of who didn’t show. Neo-Nazis, who have been attempting to angle themselves among left-wing groups critical of pro-Zionist policies, kept their distance from the anti-AIPAC counter protests, despite some rumblings that they would participate.

DAWN has held rallies against AIPAC in prior years and they have been routinely hit with charges of anti-Semitism from detractors. Usually this is a ploy by those detractors to deflect criticism of charges by those who question Israel’s policies regarding the conflicts in the Middle East, and while DAWN has not been a party to anti-Semitic activism, there has been at least one among them that has of late flirted with neo-Nazis. DC author and public access television producer Ken Meyercord was until recently an associate of DAWN, and his focus has always been on an anti-Zionist platform. Recently, however, questions were raised about him because he began to promote the notion that the Holocaust did not happen. He began by posting an article to a number of Indymedia sites, and many of those postings eventually were deleted. He also tried to encourage DAWN to adopt the platform in a recent meeting he reportedly caused such a row with this suggestion that he was essentially made persona non grata with the group.

The most damning thing regarding Meyercord happened when it was revealed that neo-Nazis participated in an August 11 protest organized by Meyercord at the Christians for Israel conference held at the Washington Hilton. Steven J. Smith of SS Enterprises and late of the National Alliance, came with two associates, although at the time no one recognized any of them at the time. Smith, not to be confused with Steve Smith of the Keystone State “Skinheads”, is familiar to local antifa who outed him at his home in 1419 Park Road in Edgewater. MD when he opened up his property for neo-Nazis to park their vehicles as they participated in a National Alliance rally in Washington, DC on August 24, 2002.

It was believed that neo-Nazis were going to participate in this year’s AIPAC protest, not just because of Meyercord’s involvement in the issue, but because there was a posting on Stormfront about possibly protesting the AIPAC meeting from Maryland lawyer Robert Dean of National Vanguard. The appearance of Neturei Karta also raised concerns because their involvement in the Holocaust denial conference in Tehran, Iran was considered an endorsement of the belief. Local antifa came out to the conference to be on watch for anyone who could be identified as anti-Semitic activists. It was learned that since Meyercord was dismissed from DAWN, neither he nor the neo-Nazis that appeared at his rally have been seen at any DAWN-sponsored events since. If there were any concrete plans on the part of Robert Dean to engage in any protest, they too seemed not to materialize. There were some individuals that raised suspicions, but there were not anyone that was recognizable. Those from Neturei Karta also cleared up their participation in the Holocaust denial conference, noting that they were there as a voice of dissent, not support.

There are efforts being made to further ensure that those engaging in anti-Semitic politics are not welcome among anti-war activists. Meyercord has said he will participate in the March 17 anti-war rally in Washington, DC.