Appleton, WI activists demonstrate against Moms for Liberty and the John Birch Society
Appleton, WI – On Monday, August 14, activists from the organization Hate Free Outagamie (HFO) demonstrated outside of the Freedom Project Academy to show their opposition to a talk being given by reactionary ideologue Dr. James “Duke” Pesta.
Pesta’s talk – sponsored by the far-right hate group Moms for Liberty – was billed as discussing “Extreme sex ed, CRT…social emotional learning in schools and how to fight back.” Pesta is a tenured professor at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, a prominent member of the infamous John Birch Society, and is at the forefront of the growing movement to ban progressive books from public schools in the U.S.
The John Birch Society’s national headquarters is in Appleton. It is considered by many to be the progenitor of modern “conservative” ideology. The Bircher movement is known for its strategy of framing antisemitism, homophobia, racism, misogyny and anti-communism as being in defense of “family values” and the “American way of life.”
Hate Free Outagamie activists came out to declare that even at the very heart of this reactionary movement, even within the belly of the beast, resistance is possible.