For Ben Servetah, it’s not enough to say that he disapproves of all that the New Jersey European Heritage Association – a group that states it seeks to “secure the existence of our people and a future for White children” – stands for.
“It is not enough to dislike it. You have to fight it, peacefully. Hate has no place, especially in a town like Princeton,” Ben said – and that’s why Ben and his father, Adam Servetah, traveled from Manalapan to Palmer Square in Princeton on Jan. 12.
The father and son were among the hundreds of people who turned out for a counter-protest to the New Jersey European Heritage Association’s planned march on Palmer Square.
Except the members –which the general public refers to as a white supremacy group –did not show up.
The New Jersey European Heritage Association had posted fliers around Princeton advertising its rally last week, but hours before the rally was to take place, a tweet on its Twitter account said the march was a hoax and it never intended to carry it out.
But the group’s no-show did not stop counter-protesters from gathering around Tiger Park in Palmer Square to hold a demonstration of their own.
Chanting “No hate, no fear, Nazis are not welcome here” and carrying signs and posters that proclaimed “It’s okay to be white, it’s not okay to be an a–hole,” and “Not in Princeton, not anywhere,” about 200 protesters walked in a circle around Tiger Park.
One counter-protester brought along a poster of a smiling former President Barack Obama that said “I came to p-ss off racists,” while another poster said “Love not hate makes America great” in a swipe at President Donald Trump.
Pam Fairman and her friend, Dagmar Skinner, stood on the sidelines. The two Princeton residents said it was important to turn out for the counter-protest to get the message across – what the New Jersey European Heritage Association espouses is not acceptable.
“It is very important to us to send the message to them – you are not going to have this space to organize. It helps us to become stronger when we turn out (in opposition to white supremacists),” added Yeou Shiuh.
Although the New Jersey European Heritage Association’s march fizzled, the Princeton Police Department was not taking any chances. Palmer Square and Hulfish Street were closed off to cars and trucks from early morning until early afternoon.
Two garbage trucks belonging to the Princeton Department of Public Works were parked on Nassau Street, blocking vehicular access to Tiger Park and Palmer Square.
Pedestrian barricades were placed around Palmer Square, including Tiger Park, for crowd control. Police officers were stationed on the perimeter, behind the orange and black barricades.
Police officers from neighboring towns, including East Windsor Township and West Windsor Township, as well as the U.S. Marshals Service and the Princeton University Department of Public Safety, were called in to back up the Princeton Police Department.
Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert, who observed the counter-protest from the sidelines, said it was “a beautiful demonstration of Princeton’s values. We were preparing for a more unwieldy event. I am glad it did not come to that.”