Local appearance by Stefanik ally stirs opposition
Man called “patriot” by congresswoman linked to hate groups
Citizens opposed to a Gopsupported appearance by antimuslim activist Scott Presler will gather for a vigil on Wednesday evening in Congress Park.
The 5:30 p.m. “No to Hate in Upstate, No to Fascist attacks on Democracy” event, organized by Joe Seeman, will coincide with Presler’s voter registration drive in Gavin Park in Wilton.
“He’s a fascist,” said Seeman who ran for state office in 2020. “Does he wear a white robe and a Nazi symbol? No. But he is a far-right radical who promotes conspiracy theories and the Jan. 6 insurrection.”
Seeman said nearly 100 people have signed up to be at the vigil that is meant “to send a strong message that racism and fascist attacks on our Democracy have no place in Saratoga County, New York State or the United States of America.” He said organizers decided not to appear at the Presler event, co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik and the Saratoga County Republican Committee, as it would likely lead to “a shouting match,” which his group wants to avoid.
Presler, of Virginia, has been described by Stefanik, who announced his appearance in a tweet, as an “American Patriot.” She also tweeted he will be joining #Teamelise and “everyone is excited to meet you.”
Stefanik is not expected to attend the Presler event.
Presler, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, was at the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., that ended with the storming of the U.S. Capitol.
In 2017, the Southern Poverty Law Center listed Presler’s efforts in its Hatewatch. They described him as an Act for America organizer who put together “March Against Sharia”
events in 18 states. The nonprofit Law Center, which monitors hate groups around the country, noted that the Facebook page for these marches has “racist and violent content directed toward Islam and Muslims.”
Presler’s group, the Law Center also noted, “is recruiting the services of anti-government groups to act as security for the rallies.” Those include anti-government groups like the Oathkeepers, the Proud Boys and the 3 Percenters.
In a joint statement, the dozen chairs of the Democratic Committees in Stefanik’s 21st Congressional District are condemning her and the Saratoga County GOP for their support of Presler.
In the statement released Monday morning, the signers, including Saratoga County Chair Todd Kerner, “express our outrage that she has welcomed a leader of the insurrection that overwhelmed the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 to a rally in Saratoga County. This is not what the North Country residents want or support.
“Scott Presler, is not only an insurrectionist who was a leading voice in the Big Lie ‘Stop the Steal’ movement that led to the insurrection, he has a history of close affiliation and leadership with an organization, ACT for America, that the Southern Poverty Law Center has classified as a hate group,” the statement read. “He peddles wild anti-muslim conspiracy theories and led a nationwide series of ‘March Against Sharia’ rallies. The hatred he spews, like these Charlottesville-style events, is not welcome here.”
They called on Stefanik and Saratoga County Republican Committee to renounce Presler.
Carl Zeilman, the chair of the county GOP, said that Democrats simply want to distract from “their own failed policies.”
“They are threatened by Republicans’ historic support in upstate and all of America,” he said in a statement. “We will be meeting to door knock as was planned and continue to register Republicans at a 2-1 advantage in NY-21 over the Democrats.”