Klan plans rally at Antietam battlefield
White supremacist group gets permit to use site of bloody Civil War clash
Video: Life |
A summer camp that has heart July 17: At Camp Rhythm, kids with heart defects get a chance to participate in the cherished childhood ritual of summer camp without worrying about whether or not they’ll fit in. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports. |
![]() |
Breaking news alerts (about 1 per day) |
Find more alerts at alerts.msnbc.com |
SHARPSBURG, Md. - A Ku Klux Klan group plans to hold a rally June 10 on the grounds of the Antietam National Battlefield, site of the bloodiest one-day clash of the Civil War, an organizer and a park official said.
Battlefield Superintendent John W. Howard said Tuesday the National Park Service approved the white supremacist group's application for a permit to use the park to exercise its free speech rights.
"It would be very difficult to find a reason why a First Amendment permit would be denied," Howard said.
Gordon Young, Imperial Wizard of the World Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, estimated in his application that about 100 people would attend the rally at the nearly 3,300-acre park.
Howard said the park service would establish separate areas for news media and counter-demonstrators. Park Service police would be aided by state and local law enforcement in providing security, he said.
Nine Klan members marched in an event the group held in nearby Sharpsburg in 2004. Young said at the time that he chose to rally in his hometown partly because of its proximity to Antietam, to honor fallen Confederate soldiers.
On Sept. 17, 1862, more than 23,000 men on both sides were killed, wounded or reported missing at the western Maryland battlefield.
The Confederacy's failure to achieve a clear victory at Antietam gave President Lincoln the political strength to issue the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in the South.
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
-
Rate Story:
View popularLowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM LIFE |
| Add Life headlines to your news reader: |
Boost your career with an online Degree. Pick from Leading Colleges!
www.EarnMyDegree.com
Sponsored links
Resource guide



