HATE AMONG THE HERITAGE: THE LEAGUE OF THE SOUTH IN LEXINGTON

A hot and muggy July day draws scores of Confederate activists to the mountains of Lexington, Virginia.

 One People’s Project    

 In response to requests made by students at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, to remove Confederate flags from Lee Chapel, the university took steps to appease both the students and the Confederate heritage crowd. Despite the University taking a balanced approach, the Confederate heritage folks proved that they could not be pleased. The Stonewall Jackson Brigade of the Sons of Confederate Veterans planned a flag vigil and rally in response to the University’s decision to remove replica Confederate flags from Lee Chapel, and instead install authentic Confederate flags in the museum display.

In addition to the Sons of Confederate Veterans rally, the League of the South planned their own protest on the same day, at the same location and time. The League’s presence was confined to recruiting new White Nationalists rather than any concerns about “heritage.” Days before the planned rally in Lexington, Washington and Lee University announced that the Lee Chapel would be closed to the general public between July 25-27, because they had been receiving threatening emails and correspondence, and chose to close the Chapel as a precaution to protect the venue and its staff.

Virginia Flagger Grayson Jennings manned the sidewalk in front of the University in the morning, but disappeared before the noon rally. The League of the South cobbled together six people who met at the Stonewall Jackson Memorial located inside the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, while a fairly large crowd was gathered blocks away at Hopkins Green. Estimates of rally size range between two hundred and three hundred. Long-winded speeches from Sons of Confederate Veterans officer B. Frank Earnest, and Robert E. Lee reenactor David Chaltas were overshadowed by the star attraction: former congressman and Dukes of Hazzard actor Ben “Cooter” Jones.

 Mid-way through the rally, the League of the South’s MD/VA State Chairman Shane Long, and members Dennis Durham and Marshall Rawson showed up with stacks of old copies of the Free Magnolia newspaper to hand out to the crowd.  It’s not clear how many members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans were swayed by the League’s vision of White Nationalism and secession as a viable path to an all-White ethnostate. Of the League members who attended, we can confirm the presence of the MD/VA Chapter of the League of the South State Chairman Shane Long, Dennis Durham, Greg Fannin, Josh Newcomb, Marshall Rawson and Jamie Michelle Farren. Both Shane Long and Marshall Rawson were last seen in Shane Long’s hometown of
Arbutus, Maryland, just last weekend handing out Free Magnolia newspapers at a mainstream Conservative Anti-Immigration rally.

 The most conspicuous of all of the attendees was former Ohio resident Greg Fannin, who showed up driving a used Lotus Elise. Greg likes to live large, but he has no visible means of support.

He alleges a full past, like being the former republican committee chairman for the Covington, Virginia, GOP and a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans Carpenters Battery 1927– but no documentation exists for either of these claims. 

  Two new-to-us members of the League of the South were also present, including Virginia Flagger Tripp Lewis’ new friend Josh Newcomb (Click on above picture to enlarge), who sported a conspicuous Odinist tattoo on his forearm.

 Racist heathens do not generally mix with the neo-confederate crowd due to the overt and heavily Christian nature of the latter; his presence among the explicitly racist League of the South is an interesting element.

 Goad Gatsby recognized this attendee as Virginia Flagger Jackson Adkins.

 Jamie Michelle Farren was seen toting her two children.

  Marshall Rawson took charge of filtering among the crowd to pitch the League of the South to prospective members; he, Shane Long and Greg Fannin filtered through the crowd, passing out business cards and chatting up potential recruits.

 League members boasted about a warm reception to their sales pitches, but it is unclear if this recruiting drive netted any new members. We’ll find out soon enough if their attendance can venture into double digit numbers.