The Neo-Nazi protest outside was as appalling as it was stupid
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
A hate group who decided to waste their lives hating others, descended upon Broadway to protest in front of the theatre where ‘Parade’ started previews last night. The small number of hateful bigots tried to spread their message of antisemitism and were quickly confronted by audience members waiting in line to get into the theatre.
There is footage of the protest out there on social media. I’m not going to share it. There is information about the group itself. I’m not going to tell you who they are. They want the attention, and I’m not going to give these monsters any satisfaction.
Instead, I’m going to praise the audience members who bravely confronted these individuals. Trying to fight neo-Nazis was the last thing these ticket buyers were expecting to have to do when arriving at the Jacbos, but from the footage I’ve seen, they didn’t hesitate to step in.
Also, it should be mentioned that the message these protesters were trying to spread is factually incorrect. They were trying to spread a well-known conspiracy theory about Leo Frank that has been debunked with facts and testimony. But facts and truth mean nothing to hate groups.
It’s an absolute shame we have to deal with this in 2023, but that’s our reality now. Hate has been emboldened. But at the same time, so has bravery. I am comforted to know that the moment these assholes tried to disrupt a celebratory night, they were met not with fear but with resistance.
The show’s producers made the following statement on Twitter:
I’m told there is a group of people who are going to stand by the theatre tonight to shield any future hateful protests from the cast, crew, and audience members. I hope this happens and if I can lend any support, I will.