A group wearing masks displayed a sign reading “White Lives Matter” in Danville on May 14, 2022. Photo from Nextdoor. (KTVU FOX 2)
A group of masked protesters displayed a “White Lives Matter” sign on Saturday in Danville, an act of free speech that has been condemned by the town’s mayor.
The sign was shown on the same day that an accused gunman allegedly fueled by racism killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket.
Hoisting the White Lives Matter message in Danville was “clearly an abhorrent gesture towards people of color,” said Mayor Newell Arnerich in a statement Monday.
“Those responsible made sure to cowardly cover their faces and hide behind their signs,” Arnerich added. “These people were acting out hate speech.”
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The sign was placed on private property at the corner of Blackhawk Road and Camino Tassajara Road, the mayor’s office said.
A group called White Lives Matter California tweeted photos and videos from the protest. They said they were engaged in “peaceful and legal activism.”
