Supremacists plan to protest Holocaust event in Boston

An Arkansas-based white supremacist group plans to protest a Holocaust remembrance event Sunday at Faneuil Hall and appear in nearby communities, prompting security preparations by officials in Lexington and Somerville, as well as in Boston, authorities confirmed yesterday.

The group, White Revolution, has not applied for a permit in Boston or the other locations where they plan to appear, officials said, but police and the Holocaust event's organizers said they are ready for potential trouble.

''This white supremacist group has no business being in Boston," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. ''They should go home and let us have a service to commemorate the individuals who gave their life in the Holocaust. They have no place in Boston or anywhere in this world."

The annual Holocaust remembrance this year marks both the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi concentration camps and the 10th anniversary of the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston. Holocaust survivors, foreign dignitaries, and religious and local leaders are expected.

Alan Ronkin, deputy director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, the group organizing the event, said they hope to fill Faneuil Hall to its capacity of 900. Ronkin said organizers are encouraging anyone planning to attend to avoid engaging in discourse with the protesters.

''We're very disappointed that this is happening," he said. ''It's an insult to the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust."

White Revolution's chairman, Billy Roper, said in a telephone interview last night that he and another group member from Arkansas plan to connect with supporters from New England this weekend. He said he hopes to draw about 100 people to protest near the Holocaust memorial for two to three hours Sunday afternoon despite not having a permit as the city requires for protests.

''One doesn't need a permit to practice the First Amendment," Roper said.

He said his group plans to remain peaceful and abide by police orders. ''I really feel like it's an opportunity to present a counterpoint to the establishment position on not only the Holocaust, but . . . the overall affect of Jewish influence on American foreign and domestic policy."

Based on Internet postings, Roper said, he expects counterdemonstrations from anarchist and antifascist groups.

He said he probably will visit Lexington and hold a meeting in Somerville, but has no plans to demonstrate in either location.

Lieutenant Detective Joseph O'Leary of the Lexington police said Web postings indicate the group may be targeting that town because it is on the route of Paul Revere's famous ride in 1775 warning of a British invasion.

Lexington police have distributed about 200 fliers alerting residents to the possibility of an appearance by White Revolution members, O'Leary said.

Authorities are developing a contingency plan for monitoring the event, including limiting access to area streets.

O'Leary said the group had in the past three weeks requested use of Cary Memorial Library on Saturday, but the library was reserved.

The group plans to appear in Somerville, on School Street, near Cummings School, for a meeting on Saturday afternoon, Roper said.

''We're coordinating with the other jurisdictions and with the FBI and so forth on this," said Mark Horan, spokesman for Somerville's mayor, Joseph A. Curtatone. ''They have not filed for a permit or anything else in Somerville, presumably because they are just talking about meeting there."

Nenette Day, spokeswoman for the FBI's Boston office, would not say what role, if any, the agency would have in monitoring the group this weekend, but she said the FBI would not get involved unless there was a specific threat of violence.

Scott Goldstein can be reached at sgoldstein@globe.com.