TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo. – Authorities confirmed that no arrests were made during a neo-Nazi demonstration over the weekend in west St. Louis County.
Around ten people gathered for a demonstration Saturday afternoon on the Mason Road Overpass over Interstate 64, masked while wearing dark clothing while also displaying flags with swastika logos and white nationalism ideology. Many passersby and local leaders found the demonstration to be disturbing.
The Town and Country Police Department told FOX 2 on Saturday that it was “actively monitoring” the situation in its jurisdiction.
On Monday, Town and Country police stated via Facebook that no arrests were made and no injuries were reported from Saturday’s demonstration. The department released a statement further defending its response to the demonstration.
Police cited First Amendment rights, stating that regardless of the message, the group had a constitutional right to hold a demonstration.
The statement reads, in part:
“While hate speech is protected under the First Amendment, it is not productive. Even though we do not condone this type of speech, as Law Enforcement Officers we are bound to preserve and protect the rights of all, even the rights of those with whom we disagree. We want to thank everyone for your patience and understanding during this unfortunate event.”
The department also called the group’s message “upsetting and reprehensible,” though noted it was legally permitted as long as the demonstrators did not break other laws or cause a threat to public safety.
“Please know that we were monitoring the situation the entire time, and if at any time we had observed laws violated, we most certainly would have acted,” said the Town and Country Police Department in its statement.
Activists are urging people to confront ideologies such as what stemmed from Saturday’s demonstration and continue open discussions to combat ignorance and fear.
