White supremacist group gets approval to use Minnesota church as regional hub
Asatru Folk Assembly, a religious group that’s been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, received approval to use a former church in Murdock, Minnesota as a regional hub.
MURDOCK, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Murdock City Council held a final vote on a permit to allow an organization, considered by many to be a white supremacist group, to plant roots in a small western Minnesota town.
Residents against the idea are even more upset after they say the meeting wasn’t very transparent.
Ahead of the meeting people lined the streets of Murdock, wanting to be heard before the final vote on a conditional use permit for the Asatru Folk Assembly – a religious group that’s been labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
"This is such a critical moment to stand out, speak up, and stand up against white supremacy and hate," said Victoria Guillemard of the Murdock Area Alliance Against Hate.
The AFA says they consider themselves a religion for only those of northern European descent, and makes clear they don’t allow anyone outside of that to take part, which doesn’t sit well with neighbors.
"We don’t need anybody who’s got a race-based litmus test to be in their religion as part of this community, but really not a part of any community anywhere," said Pete Kennedy, a Murdock resident.
AFA needed the city council’s approval to use a former church as a hub for their northern plains members to worship. The meeting was held via Zoom Wednesday night because of COVID-19 restrictions. While it was open to the public, things didn’t go as planned.
"I was never granted access into the Zoom meeting, I was put in a waiting room," said Guillemard.
Some told FOX 9 they couldn’t get into the meeting. Others said they couldn’t see or hear council members.
The city later told FOX 9 that as far as they were aware, they did let in all those who were in the virtual waiting room. They are now posting the minutes to the meeting on to their Facebook page for anyone who was unable to hear what was happening.
What was clear was the final vote, approving the conditional use permit for the AFA. The motion passed 3 to 1.
AFA member Matt Flavel told FOX 9 AFA is "overjoyed and we appreciate the fairness from the City Council. We want to assure them and the citizens of Murdock it is our goal to be the best possible neighbors."