Today we have a demagogue who is clinging to the memory of George Washington to make himself more popular.

So let's tell a story of when this happened before. In 1939 a group of American Nazis held a rally in New York City.

This was their speech backdrop... (yikes thread)
American Nazi front groups with names like the "German American Bund" and "The Hitler Club" wanted to hold a big rally at Madison Square Garden right before WWII started.

They called it a "Pro-American rally" and dressed the whole event in American flags. Go figure.
20,000 Americans packed Madison Square Garden NYC to listen to pro-Nazi speeches on February 20, 1939.

You'll have to keep reminding yourself while you read this thread, these people were *Americans.* This happened right here.
They started their Nazi rally with a performance of the Star Spangled Banner... because of course they did.

Next up, a speaker said "If George Washington were alive today, he would be friends with Adolf Hitler."

And there was plenty of this behavior, as you might expect:
There were an estimated 100,000 anti-Nazi protestors outside during the rally. Five times the rally attendance!

The protestor's slogan? "Be American, Stay Home."

A small army of police protected the Nazis inside @TheGarden, and trampled some counter-protestors with horses.
One speaker at the 1939 US Nazi rally decried fake news, saying journalists were untrustworthy:

"Everything inimical to those Nations which have freed themselves of alien domination is 'News' to be played up and twisted to fan the flames of hate in the hearts of Americans."
Documentary filmmaker @marshallcurry made a great short doc about the 1939 Nazi rally in New York which you can watch online, free. https://anightatthegarden.com/ 

In this interview clip he explains what happened when a Jewish protestor rushed the stage during one of the Nazi speeches:
The 1939 Nazi rally in NYC was the beginning of the end for their movement.

The leader of the group was arrested for embezzling rally funds and spending them on his mistress. The next leader was a German spy who had to flee. The final group leader killed himself during WWII.
The 1939 Nazi rally was timed to coincide with George Washington's birthday.

Anyway, the next time you hear someone overzealously commandeering the memory of George Washington, or using him as a backdrop for racist apologia, your ears should perk up. Because you know history.
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