Nazi demonstrators in Fowlerville & Howell make headline news

Masked men protest showing of 'The Diary of Ann Frank'

It’s not often that Fowlerville—the small, still mostly rural community I grew up in and where our newspaper is headquartered—makes state and national headlines. But that was the case last weekend when some (apparently) young men, dressed in dark clothing and wearing masks, appeared at the Main 4 corners of town, waving Nazi flags.

That might not have captured much attention, in and of itself; however, prior to this demonstration the group had gotten out of their car at the Howell American Legion Hall—located about five miles to the east—to protest the showing of the play ‘The Diary of Ann Frank’ at the Hall. They were asked to leave the property, which they did, walking across the highway where they waved their flags and shouted insults. One of them reportedly yelled that “Ann Frank was a whore.”

A Livingston County Sheriff deputy arrived at the scene to monitor the situation. At neither the American Legion location or in Fowlerville were any laws broken and, despite a being approached by those upset by their actions, there was not any physical altercations.

If the intent of the Nazi-garbed protestors was to gain attention, then they probably succeeded beyond even their wildest hopes. In addition to the news reports on a Nazi demonstration at a play about a young girl and members of her family who became victims of that monstrous regime during World War II—among the six million European Jews murdered by governmental and military officials—there were statements condemnation by many in the community, including local leaders.

Being a weekly print newspaper and not having much online presence, I was a Johnny-come-lately to publishing a report on the incident. Mainly, it was a recap of what took place and some of the reaction—both by those in the community in their comments and the fact that the incident was so widely reported in Michigan media as well as in several national news outlets.

While many readers of this Substack newsletter are also readers of the ‘Fowlerville News & Views’ where this story is featured in the current Nov. 17, 2024 edition, I’m including it as part of this commentary so any other readers will know what happened and provide context for my ensuing comments

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DEMONSTRATORS WAVING NAZI FLAGS SHOW UP TO PROTEST PERFORMANCE OF ‘THE DIARY OF ANN FRANK’

A performance of ‘The Diary of Ann Frank’ by the Fowlerville Community Theatre (FCT) at the Howell American Legion Hall appeared to be the motivation for a small group of masked demonstrators showing up with Nazi f lags and shouting antisemitic and racial slogans on Saturday night (Nov. 9) to protest the play. After their appearance at the Legion Hall, located at the intersection of Grand River and M-59 in Howell Township, the group moved west to Downtown Fowlerville where they waved their flags at the Main 4 corners.

 Although they were wearing masks, witnesses described the protestors as young men who appeared to be in their 20’s.

Segments of the two demonstrations were recorded on cell phones by witnesses and were subsequently used as part of news reports on the incident by Lansing TV stations and then by other stations in Michigan. The episode eventually made it on CNN, giving the event national exposure.

The TV newscasts, along with articles in area newspapers and on radio and on-line websites, included reactions by those who witnessed the demonstrations as well as members of a Livingston County group that opposes extremism and white supremacy, and local governmental officials. Many of the news reports included the statement that Livingston County, particularly the Howell area, “has a known association with racism,” referencing the late Robert E. Miles, a county resident who was the Michigan Grand into the American Legion parking lot in Howell at around 7:40 p.m. to demonstrate against the fact that a play of Anne Frank was taking place.

The demonstrators were asked to leave the property and did. The demonstrators went across the street and waved flags adorned with Nazi insignia. A subject then approached them, and an argument ensued. Nothing physical transpired and ultimately the parties involved separated.” The cast and audience were notified of the protesters during intermission but continued with their performance that evening and again the next night.

The Fowlerville Community Theatre did react to the demonstration with the following statement posted on their Facebook page:

“As a theatre, we are storytellers. We tell stories that transport audiences to different times and places—some real, some fantastical. This production centers on real people who lost their lives in the Holocaust, and we have endeavored to tell their story with as much realism as possible. On Saturday evening, things became more real than we expected; the presence of protesters outside gave us a small glimpse of the fear and uncertainty felt by those in hiding. As a theatre, we want to make people feel and think. We hope by presenting Anne’s story, we can help prevent the atrocities of the past from happening again.”

The Fowlerville Police Department, when contacted, said there were a few demonstrators who showed up at the intersection of Grand River and Grand Avenue that evening, waving the flags, adding that the protest was conducted in a lawful protest manner and nothing else happened.

The two demonstrations were preceded by similar appearances of young men sporting Nazi iconography showing up for protests this summer. In July, a “White Lives Matter” rally was held in downtown Howell, where at least a dozen people holding white supremacist signs and chanting ‘Heil Hitler’ marched down Grand River Avenue. A similar incident occurred later in Downtown Brighton.

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POSTSCRIPT

While it’s heartening that the initial, overwhelming response to this incident was that of widespread condemnation, I’d be remiss to ignore an existing and emerging social, political, and cultural landscape that might be emboldening these young men and others of similar ink.

Divisions over race and ethnicity are growing. This includes removing affirmative action policies that sought to offset decades of discrimination and exclusion, creating a more equal footing, and the demonization of illegal immigrants that (wrong on its own merits) is spilling over to those who in the county legally or who are American citizens. In a similar vein, laws aimed at the LGBTQ community and the accompanying attitudes, are having the effect of marginalizing these members of the community (many of them young people) and serving as an excuse for intolerance and discrimination. There are additional examples, but this is a snapshot.

There’s also a human tendency to accommodate and adjust to seemingly intolerable situations due to peer pressure and listening to falsehoods long enough that many people gradually accept them as accurate or having a ‘ring of truth’. The passage of time aids in the process, allowing us to become more accustomed to the outrages. As result there can be and too often is a realignment of the moral compass—our own and that of larger society.

The point here is that these types of demonstrations, targeting certain of our fellows, will likely continue and—given the current environment and our own inclination for adjustment—might become more and more mainstream in acceptance although not necessarily in agreement. But (God forbid) such an evolution might become, for some, persuasive.

Steve Horton is a mid-Michigan journalist.