Thursday, May 20, 2010
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — The National Park Service has approved a permit for a white supremacist group to hold a rally at Gettysburg National Military Park next month.
The Aryan Nations group plans a rally June 19 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. near the old Cyclorama Center.
Park spokeswoman Katie Lawhon said the park is obligated to make the land available to the public to exercise their free speech rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
The group has said it plans speeches and discussions of current issues such as immigration and homosexuality.
Some other Adams County groups have announced plans for a “celebration of diversity” on the same day. In 2006, a “Community Unity Day” was held to counter a rally by the World Knights of the Ku Klux Klan at the battlefield.