Michigan Rally Against Radical Islam Attracts Protesters Who Carried More Than Mere Signs

Protesters who gathered at a Michigan "Global Rally for Humanity” Saturday — a multi-city event aimed at radical Islam — carried more than just signs to the Dearborn protest.

They also openly carried guns, WWJ-TV reported.

Some of the signs read “No Radical Islam” and “Louis Farrakhan = Hate," referring to the other rally target — the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March in Washington, which also took place Saturday.

People protesting Islamic radicalism. This man won't elaborate but says "friendly" rally in Dearborn pic.twitter.com/nabZCNPCEP

— Laura Bonnell (@LBonnellWWJ) October 10, 2015

Roughly half of Dearborn's residents are Muslim, which likely increased attention on in this particular rally.

One protestor told WWJ “as this invasion of Muslim colonization continues unchecked on American soil, we can only expect the same suffering now endured by EUROPE…Now is the time to act.”

Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad told the Detroit News that the "gun presence increases the chance of a gun being fired.” Michigan law allows open carry.

There were no problems as police were standing nearby, but protesters did argue with members of a counter-rally, the station said. Police said about 75 attended the event, mostly those against it.

“There’s over a half a million Muslims, roughly, in the city of Dearborn and for him to come over here and inflate stuff and tell us ‘Radical Islam,’ of course we’re going to be heated as Muslims,” Ali Naji said. “Again, all Muslims are not bad.”

More from WWJ:

Naji had a conversation with one of the protestors named Brian and asked why they needed guns strapped over their shoulders to protest — he didn’t get an answer to that question. But Naji did ask Brian to change his sign to not only read, “No Radical Islam” but also read “No Radical Christianity,” to make his sign fair.

The sign was changed and Naji walked away. The entire protest lasted only around 45 minutes.

9 protesters at DRbrn library don't want Muslims radicals, Syrian refugees in USA and share hate of Farrakhan pic.twitter.com/VTOtaaHHiW

— Laura Bonnell (@LBonnellWWJ) October 10, 2015

Jeremiah Spriggs, 27, chanted against the protesters, yelling “Hey-hey, ho-ho, racist fascists got to go," the Detroit News reported.

“We’re here to fight racism and show solidarity with anti-racist representatives from around the city,” the Detroit resident told the paper. “As the world gets worse and worse, people get more bold to show their racism.”

Anti Islamic rally #Dearborn what about freedom of religion???? pic.twitter.com/iehzAR2B9h

— Fatimah (@lauryou1907) October 10, 2015

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