ATLANTA (AP) – Suburban Atlanta’s Stone Mountain Park, home of a giant sculpture of Confederate leaders, says it will close its gates Saturday in the face of a planned right-wing rally.
The event has sparked fears of violence, especially before an all-Black militia said earlier this week that it would cancel plans to show up. Other groups were still planning to counterprotest.
Pro-Confederate, white supremacist and other right-wing groups had planned their event in response to a march by the Black militia group on July 4.
Last year, the park also closed down rather than allow a rally organized by white supremacists to go forward.
The organizers were led by an Arkansas group called Confederate States III%, which applied for a permit. But Stone Mountain Memorial Association spokesperson John Bankhead said the park denied the permit on Aug. 4. The denial cited a violent clash between groups in April 2016. Bankhead said the park has not received any other permit applications. He said police would be present to keep demonstrators away.