Photos by Brinley Hineman and Anthony Merriweather / MTSU Sidelines
Story by Brinley Hineman / Editor-in-Chief
White nationalist groups held rallies in both Shelbyville and Murfreesboro on Saturday to promote “White Lives Matter,” a movement formed after “Black Lives Matter” took root in American culture.
Counter-protestors began arriving at the corner of Lane Parkway and North Cannon Boulevard outside of the Shelbyville Courthouse Square Historic District at approximately 8:30 a.m., even though the protest wasn’t slated to begin until 10 a.m.
It was nearly 11:30 a.m. before white nationalist supporters showed up at the event. By that time, the counter-protestor side had grown to approximately 425 demonstrators.
In all, an estimated 175 white nationalists demonstrated Saturday with flags, homemade riot shields and helmets.
Before entering the protest area, protestors are searched at two checkpoints by police officers on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
The Tennessee Board of Investigation had officers onsite at the white nationalist rally, both on the ground and on bikes on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Anthony Merriweather / MTSU Sidelines)
Knoxville defense attorney Chris Irwin brings a sound system to the protest on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
Knoxville defense attorney Chris Irwin addresses the white nationalist group through a microphone on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
A counter-protestor takes advantage of Knoxville defense attorney Chris Irwin’s “open mic” offer to address the white nationalist group on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
Knoxville defense attorney Chris Irwin poses with his sign as white nationalists arrive at the rally on Oct. 28, 2017 in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
Counter-protestor Lydia Crawley holds up her homemade sign at the white nationalist rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
Jennifer Samardak dresses up as a clown for the counter-protest on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
Counter-protestor Tina brought a chalkboard sign to the rally to relay different messages throughout the event on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
A counter-protestor shows off their handmade sign at the white nationalist rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
A counter-protestor shows off their handmade sign at the white nationalist rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
Protest signs were visible in every direction on the counter-protest side at the white nationalist rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
Molly the Great Pyrenees poses with her owner outside of the white nationalist rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
Some counter-protestors dressed up to get their point across, like a counter-protestor dressing as Lady Liberty on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Anthony Merriweather / MTSU Sidelines)
Some officers were visible on rooftops monitoring the crowd at the white nationalist rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Anthony Merriweather / MTSU Sidelines)
Some officers were visible on rooftops monitoring the crowd at the white nationalist rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Anthony Merriweather / MTSU Sidelines)
Police officers were dressed in riot gear, complete with gas masks at the white nationalist rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
As the white nationalist demonstrators arrived at the rally, police officers remained stationed between the two groups on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Anthony Merriweather / MTSU Sidelines)
Signs with prohibited items are clearly visible at the entrance to the white nationalist demonstrator side of the rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Anthony Merriweather / MTSU Sidelines)
The first two white nationalist demonstrators to enter the rally take a selfie with the counter-protestors in the background on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
White nationalist demonstrators hold a League of the South flag of the guardrail at the rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Anthony Merriweather / MTSU Sidelines)
A white nationalist demonstrator wears a “White Lives Matter” sign on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
A white nationalist demonstrator came to the rally with a body shield on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
White nationalist demonstrators face counter-protestors on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
Some white nationalist demonstrators wore helmets at the rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
White nationalist demonstrators
Two white nationalist demonstrators hold a Vanguard flag, a group that is on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s hate group list, on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
White nationalist demonstrators hold the white supremacy version of the Celtic cross, which is widely used by neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
A white nationalist demonstrator performs the Nazi solute at the rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Anthony Merriweather / MTSU Sidelines)
White nationalist demonstrators brought a sound system to host speakers throughout the protest on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Brinley Hineman / MTSU Sidelines)
Members of the Traditionalist Workers Party came with body shields at the white nationalist rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Anthony Merriweather / MTSU Sidelines)
Members of the Traditionalist Workers Party came with body shields at the white nationalist rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Anthony Merriweather / MTSU Sidelines)
Members of the Traditionalist Workers Party came with body shields at the white nationalist rally on Oct. 28, 2017, in Shelbyville, Tenn. (Anthony Merriweather / MTSU Sidelines)
To contact News Editor Andrew Wigdor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
For more news, follow us at www.mtsusidelines.com, on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on Twitter at @Sidelines_News.
