IN 2017 President Donald Trump notoriously described white supremacists and neo-Nazis as ‘fine people.’

Well, his ‘fine people’ are again in the news, having disrupted a Pride parade in Detroit.

Members of National Socialist Movement. Photo courtesty of the Southern Poverty Law Centre which monitors the activities of hate groups.

The National Socialist Movement (NSM) descended on the family-friendly event yesterday (Saturday).
The white nationalist group is one of the largest neo-Nazi organizations in the US and is known for anti-Jewish and racist protests.

They caused outrage among the LGBT community when one of them appeared to urinate on an Israeli flag.

Motor City Pride began at noon and had four stages of entertainment, in addition to over 100 food stalls and other merchandise on sale. The city’s main parade takes place today.

Counter-protesters were pictured being blocked by law enforcement from intervening as NSM members rallied.

Described on its website as Michigan’s largest pride celebration, the event is estimated to have been attended 40,000 people celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.

However the day’s celebrations took a sour turn when the NSM showed up and amplified tensions among the LGBT community.

Until 2007, NSM members protested in full Nazi uniforms, and traded in their look for black ‘Battle Dress Uniforms,’ according to their website.

The group was founded in 1994 in Michigan, claiming that it ‘specializes in theatrical and provocative protests’.The resurgence of the NSM began in 2004, in the wake of the deaths of the country’s two major neo-Nazi leaders, William Pierce and Richard Butler.

Unlike other neo-Nazi outfits, the NSM adopted an open-arms recruiting policy that allowed members of other white supremacist groups to participate in NSM actions and join the NSM.

Meanwhile in Washington DC, several people were injured at a gay pride paradeo yesterday when some in the crowd ran to escape what they mistakenly thought was the sound of gunshots.

Seven people were taken to hospitals from injuries they sustained in the panic, a reporter for NBC 4 in Washington said on Twitter, citing details from police.

The extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.

Washington Deputy Mayor Kevin Donahue had earlier said on Twitter that people in the city’s Dupont Circle were injured “running from what they thought were gunshots but that there was no active shooter.”

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser added on Twitter, “There were no shots fired, and there is no active threat.”

Parade organizers Capital Pride decided to cut the parade short after the scare, but say that after consulting with police the rest of the events scheduled for the weekend will go on as planned.

Police are calling the disturbance an isolated incident and say it does not pose a threat to other events.

Trump, with his new hairdo

Astonishingly, Trump, who’s administration is seeking to undo years of equality gains made under Obama’s tenure in the White House, tweeted in support of LGBT people to mark LGBT Pride Month.

His tweets come one week after his administration moved to revoke newly-won health care discrimination protections for transgender people.

In his tweets on Friday, Trump said he wants to

Recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation.

He said other nations:

Punish, imprison or even execute individuals on the basis of sexual orientation.

He said the US has:

A global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality.

Hat tip: BarrieJohn