Protests Planned to Greet Massive Gathering of Republicans

Several thousand Republicans; including Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, Haley Barbour, Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Bobby Jindal, Tim Pawlenty, Mike Pence, Rick Santorum, and Michael Steele; are planning to descend on New Orleans this coming weekend for the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, billed as the largest GOP gathering until the next RNC convention.

This Friday, April 9, several brass bands, including the Stooges Brass Band, will be leading a secondline from Lafayette Square to the Riverside Hilton Hotel, site of the RNC convention. The secondline begins at 6:30PM sharp.

The protest is organized by a coalition of activists who list the following points of unity:

- The SRLC is not welcome in NOLA without a fuss.
- Healthcare is a basic human right.
- Oppose police oppression, the prison-industrial complex, and the dominant culture of militarism.
- Recognize the need for active resistance to confront all forms of oppression, respecting a diversity of tactics.
- A commitment to mutual-aid and voluntary association as organizing principles.
- Recognize the need to settle organizational differences internally.

We hope the people of New Orleans will show this hate-filled gathering that they are not welcome here.