As a child growing up in West Asheville, I loved the public library, and every week, my mother took me and my sisters there to return and check out books. Because of this free access to knowledge, I learned many things over many years.
Now, because of what just happened at this library, news reports from all over the world say a number of Asheville anarchists are facing charges for physically assaulting three Jewish people who were there to livestream their event held in support of Gaza and the Palestinian people, and what happened there absolutely did nothing to help promote a cease-fire or help the Palestinian people.
Some advice to the people who set up and promoted this event: What happened there is terrible and seems to me like it became similar to an event that the North Carolina Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan group might have held, so if you don’t want people at an event you sponsor, do not have it in a public library and do not physically attack those who do not agree with you if they show up and livestream your public event. Rent a private space and have organized security and let people know that those who show up who don’t agree with you are not welcome.
Personally, I have been a longtime supporter of the Palestinians and worked part-time for a New York civil rights attorney who did years of international legal work on their behalf, so this issue and the tragedy of Gaza now breaks my heart. Yes, it makes me angry, too, but what happened at our West Asheville public library does as well.
As a photojournalist, I photographed many events like the Unite the Right tiki march in Charlottesville, Va., and got threatened there by Nazis but was not assaulted by them and continued my journalist work, which I later gave to the Charlottesville district attorney to prosecute Nazi torchbearers who violated the Virginia law in a similar way to the Asheville “anarchists” who are now facing charges. The Nazis attacked students who showed up to protest them, and they were openly protesting the Nazis, not just livestreaming and not disrupting the event as the Jewish people were doing at the West Asheville public library.
In closing, I welcome discussion on this letter and disagreement about my views, but please do not assault me if I show up in Asheville to photograph a protest because you disagree with my letter.
— John Penley
Lake Havasu City, Arizona
I agree.
Anarchists oppose government, yet they were using a library — a government institution — for their meeting.
Quite a glaring bit if hypocrisy.