At 12:48 p.m. on Saturday, August 29, a gathering consisting of roughly a dozen white supremacist protestors formed in downtown Princeton. The individuals were wearing clothing that concealed their faces while carrying flags associated with either their own organizations or American history. The group was photographed with a large banner that read “Keep New Jersey White.” According to Princeton Police Captain Thomas Lagomarsino, the protest disbanded by about 1:30 p.m., and police confirmed that the protestors did not possess the necessary permits to hold such a gathering.
The Princeton Police Department has classified the event as a bias incident and is currently investigating the presence of criminal activity that could upgrade this incident to a bias crime. No timetable has been provided as to when this investigation could reach its conclusion. There were no reported confrontations concerning these protestors, and they disbanded naturally shortly after entering Princeton University property.
“A bias incident is any suspected or confirmed offense or unlawful act that occurs to an individual, group of individuals, private property, or public property on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender expression, or ethnicity,” said Patrolman Luis Martinez-Balbuena of the Princeton Police Department Communications Bureau. “We have to do our job to determine whether or not there was a crime committed in the actual incident.”
The Garden State Active Club, a youth-centered white supremacist organization that was founded earlier this year out of South Jersey, announced its participation in the protest on X (formerly Twitter). The organization has posted numerous videos from their participation in similar incidents, while also openly conveying their support for white nationalists and Nazi beliefs. In a social media post, they provided a video from the event complete with a manifesto-style monologue, and credited Atlantic Youth as the organizers. Northeast Action as well as Pennsylvania Action Club were credited as co-participants; however, these two organizations share a near-identical social media footprint and origins as the Garden State Active Club, meaning these organizations are either closely related or the same. An X post also described what the club claims occurred:
“Members marched to the Revolutionary War Princeton Battle Monument where a speech was given. Afterward, the column marched through downtown Princeton before all participants departed the area safely and without incident. … Never before has a nationalist demonstration with such regimentation and numbers been led by teenagers in American history. This was a youth-led effort.”
Princeton Mayor Mark Freda asserted that Princeton does not seek to deny anyone their First Amendment rights and that, had the demonstrators applied through the proper channels for a permit, the Princeton government would be unable to deny their right to assemble solely based on the content of their message. However, Freda explains that the message of the protestors stands against Princeton’s core values and is contradictory to its diverse community.
“I think the Princeton community, for a very long time, has shown itself to be very open-minded, very respectful of people’s rights, very respectful of people’s different views and backgrounds,” said Freda. “There’s people from all over the world with all kinds of backgrounds at all kinds of levels, educationally, socially, economically, whatever, it’s quite a mix. … Their message about keeping New Jersey all white just doesn’t fly in Princeton.”
As the protestors had entered Princeton University’s campus, the Tower attempted to reach out to University staff for comment. While the school declined requests for interviews at this time, Princeton University Media Relations Specialist Ahamad Rizvi shared a similar sentiment to that of the mayor in a statement released to the Tower.
“The University is aware of this incident and deplores expressions of hate directed against any person or group. Such expressions are contrary to our community’s values,” wrote Rizvi.
Princeton has not seen a white supremacy-related protest in recent years, leading to surprised reactions from some PHS students. Sebastian Helbig ’27 said that while everyone is entitled to their First Amendment rights, some messages toe the line between personal belief and outright discrimination towards others.
“There’s been so much progress toward peace and no[n]-aggression toward anyone of other races. … Naturally, it’s gonna happen, but I don’t think you should ever voice those [discriminatory opinions] out in public because [you should] keep it to yourself,” said Helbig. “This specific message doesn’t belong in any environment, let alone Princeton.”
The mayor encouraged both students and members of the Princeton community to reach out to local government representatives while reminding people that the town strives to be a welcoming place for all members.
“We spend a lot of time trying to tell people you can trust us, and whether it’s dealing with the police, human services, or health department, or recreation department, … we’re not so much worried at all [about] what somebody’s status is in this country; if somebody needs help, they can come to us, and if there’s a way we can help, we’re going to help,” Freda said.
If a similar situation were to occur in the future, the Princeton Police Department advises treating the situation cautiously and calling 9-1-1 if there is a perceived immediate danger or suspected unlawful activity. An incident or complaint can also be reported through the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights Portal online.
“If [you] feel that there is something suspicious, alarming, threatening in any capacity, report it. … I would not confront individuals, especially not if you’re alone,” said Martinez-Balbuena. “There’s a telephone number and there’s a portal that individuals out in the public could report it [to].”
The mayor encouraged high school students in the Princeton community to take action if they feel passionate about a particular social topic or issue by volunteering with local organizations that he feels teaches valuable real-world information or skills in the process.
“I think the biggest thing for the Princeton high school student community [is to] figure out ways to get involved [and] pay attention to what’s going on in town,” Freda said. “I think the message is: go work for some nonprofit in town, just go volunteer. … It’s just amazing when it opens up to you, and the stuff you’re going to learn, real knowledge that you’re going to need in life, as opposed to just stuff out of a book.”