<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="163030" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-mexico">New Mexico</keyword> <keyword id="66537" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Republicans">Republicans</keyword> have canceled an August 22 rally that was supposed to pay "special tribute" to a far-right paramilitary group.</li><li>Following Business Insider's coverage of the event, the Curry County Republican Party took out a full-page newspaper ad stating that it "does not support any group that believes in racist ideologies or condones violence in any way."</li><li>The <keyword id="9747814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-mexico-civil-guard">New Mexico Civil Guard</keyword> itself pulled out of the rally, claiming it took offense to "blatant racist" remarks from other, unspecified speakers.</li><li>The <a href="https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2020/08/21/clovis-new-mexico-gop-rally-canceled-cowboys-trump-still-march/5621356002/">Las Cruces Sun News reported on Friday</a> that the event, which was to be held at the Curry County <keyword id="107893" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="GOP">GOP</keyword>'s party headquarters, is no longer happening.</li></ul>Republicans in New Mexico have canceled a rally that was going to pay "special tribute" to a far-right paramilitary group — after that group earlier pulled out of the rally, citing "blatantly racist" remarks from some speakers.As Business Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-republicans-special-tribute-to-militia-2020-8">was the first to report</a>, the August 22 rally in Clovis, New Mexico, was billed as an event honoring law enforcement and the New Mexico Civil Guard. The paramilitary group, whose leaders include a neo-Confederate and a man who denied Holocaust, has appeared heavily armed at anti-racist events in the state, including one in Albuquerque where a former Republican candidate shot a protester.Earlier this week, the New Mexico Civil Guard announced on its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-removes-new-mexico-civil-guard-and-other-paramilitary-groups-2020-8">since-removed</a> Facebook page that it was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/militia-pulls-out-of-event-with-new-mexico-republicans-2020-8">pulling out of the Clovis rally</a>, claiming it did not want to be seen as condoning racism. Other speakers included Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin, who recently said Black athletes protesting racism in the United States should "go back to Africa."That announcement came after Stefani Lord, a Republican candidate for the state legislature, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-republican-pulls-out-pro-militia-rally-following-bi-report-2020-8">told Business Insider</a> she was pulling out of the event, citing its "tone and tenor."Following Business Insider's coverage, the Curry County GOP, which had promoted the event, <a href="https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2020/08/19/news/nm-civil-guard-speakers-drop-out-of-rally/166395.html">took out a full-page ad</a> in The Eastern New Mexico News saying it "does not support any group that believes in racist ideologies or condones violence in any way."As the <a href="https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2020/08/21/clovis-new-mexico-gop-rally-canceled-cowboys-trump-still-march/5621356002/">Las Cruces Sun News reported on Friday</a>, local Republicans have now decided to pull the plug (although Griffin, an Otero County commissioner, told the newspaper that his group plans to hold a march and rally itself).Rube Render, chairman of the Curry County GOP, told the newspaper that the rally — which was to take place at the party's headquarters — was canceled, but declined to say why.Earlier, the Republican Party of New Mexico told Business Insider that the rally was not affiliated with the state organization. However, the vice-chair of the New Mexico GOP, Rick Lopez, was listed as a featured speaker.On August 19, The Eastern New Mexico News <a href="https://www.easternnewmexiconews.com/story/2020/08/19/news/nm-civil-guard-speakers-drop-out-of-rally/166395.html">reported that</a> Lopez had pulled out of the event.Have a news tip? Email this reporter: <a href="mailto:cdavis@insider.com">cdavis@insider.com</a>

New Mexico Republicans cancel rally after controversial paramilitary group and other speakers pull out

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="163030" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-mexico">New Mexico</keyword> Republican party officials said they will attend an August 22 rally to register voters and pay "special tribute" to the <keyword id="9747814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-mexico-civil-guard">New Mexico Civil Guard</keyword>, a right-wing militia.</li><li>The founder of the New Mexico Civil Guard has a swastika tattoo and has served as the local "commander" of the New Confederate States of America.</li><li>Another leader of the group has called the Holocaust a hoax and, citing the conspiracy website Infowars, has argued that there is no such thing as a truly peaceful Black Lives Matter protest.</li><li>The rally will also feature the founder of Cowboys for Trump, who recently said Black athletes who protest racism should "go back to Africa."</li><li>"It's deeply troubling that the local GOP would openly endorse an event honoring a <keyword id="177381" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Paramilitary">paramilitary</keyword> group because their activities are so deeply opposed to free and open democratic practice," said Lindsay Schubiner, program director at the Western States Center.</li><li>The Republican Party of New Mexico did not respond to requests for comment.</li></ul>The mayor of Albuquerque has called for it to be labeled a "hate group," police say its heavily armed presence at anti-racist protests increases the threat of violence, and the local prosecutor has taken legal action to have it banned as an illegal paramilitary group. But some Republicans are openly embracing the New Mexico Civil Guard — led by a neo-Confederate with a swastika tattoo and a "national anarchist" who denies the Holocaust — with a GOP rally later this month paying "special tribute" to the vigilantes."Yes sir, I'm planning it," Couy Griffin, an elected Otero County commissioner and founder of the group Cowboys for Trump, told Business Insider when asked if he would be attending the August 22 event. Griffin, who last month said Black athletes who are critical of the United States should "<a href="https://www.alamogordonews.com/story/news/local/community/2020/07/29/trump-new-mexico-republicans-democrats-couy-griffin-go-back-africa-video/5525522002/">go back to Africa</a>" — and earlier said "<a href="https://www.alamogordonews.com/story/news/local/new-mexico/2020/05/20/otero-county-commissioner-couy-griffin-only-good-democrat-dead-democrat/5220170002/">the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat</a>" — is one of several elected Republicans and Republican candidates who will be in Curry County, which straddles the border with Texas, for what organizers bill as both a peaceful protest and a voter registration drive.New Mexico state Sen. Pat Woods, a Republican, described the rally as a "GOP grand opening event," confirming to Business Insider that it was the same event described in a flyer as "paying special tribute to NM law enforcement and the New Mexico Civil Guard." A fundraiser for the event, since removed from GoFundMe, said the rally would "honor the New Mexico Civil Guard for their bravery and recent heroic, life-saving practices."That poses a problem for democracy, according to Lindsay Schubiner, program director at the Western States Center, a group that monitors right-wing extremism."We would call the New Mexico Civil Guard a paramilitary group," Schubiner said in an interview with Business Insider, noting that such militias originally rose up around the time of the civil rights movement. "They're a paramilitary group that has publicly advertised weapons training exercises and has appeared armed, and in uniform, to counter-protests for racial justice, chilling free speech rights and running a serious risk of violence. All of that is concerning.""It's deeply troubling that the local GOP would openly endorse an event honoring a paramilitary group," Schubiner added, "because their activities are so deeply opposed to free and open democratic practice."The rally has been promoted on Facebook by the <a href="https://perma.cc/TL7U-TWTQ">Republican Party of Curry County</a> and by another speaker, state congressional candidate Audrey Trujillo. Vice-chair of the New Mexico Republican Party, Rick Lopez, is also listed as a scheduled speaker. He did not respond to a request for comment.Two listed speakers have pulled out of the event, both candidates for the US Congress: Michelle Garcia Holmes, a Republican candidate from Albuquerque, and Alexis Johnson, a Republican from Santa Fe. Garcia Holmes declined to say why she would not be attending; a spokesperson for Johnson attributed it to "honest miscommunication."<div type="image" title="latest flyer" height="1030" width="767" msid="77514811" hostid="261"></div>The New Mexico Civil Guard came to national attention in June, when its members — armed with automatic weapons, some <a href="https://perma.cc/689V-G42E">in camouflage</a> that gave the appearance of being federal agents — were present during a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/one-person-shot-at-albuquerque-protest-against-oate-statue-2020-6">shooting at an Albuquerque protest</a>. That protest, over a since-removed statue in the city depicting Juan de Oñate, a notoriously cruel Spanish conquistador, ended when a former Republican candidate for city council, Steve Baca, allegedly assaulted a female protester and then shot a man.Police seized a trove of weapons from the paramilitary organization and Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller blamed the militia for inciting violence, saying at a press conference that he was working to obtain "<a href="https://www.kob.com/albuquerque-news/mayor-keller-calls-for-civil-guard-militia-to-be-labeled-a-hate-group/5762008/">federal hate group designation</a>.""Instead of condemning Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin's recent racist remarks about Africans Americans or speaking out against the New Mexico's Civil Guard's intimidation of peaceful protesters, the New Mexico GOP continues to give far-right groups a platform," Miranda van Dijk, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party of New Mexico, told Business Insider. "New Mexicans deserve leaders who will bring us together for open and honest conversation, not candidates who openly embrace division and hatred."The New Mexico Civil Guard, which did not respond to a request for comment, denies being an extremist organization. But its leaders are friendly with, and some are indeed members of, other groups that have been labeled as such.<div type="image" title="Screenshot_2020 08 11 Facebook" height="1197" width="2394" msid="77514813" hostid="261"></div>In a June 30 podcast, militia founder Bryce Spangler spoke about the Oñate incident with Craig Fitzgerald, a New York transplant who previously headed a state chapter of the National Anarchist Tribal Alliance, a self-styled "third positionist" group that sees racial separatism, including white nationalism, as an alternative to the state. As head of that group, Fitzgerald's political activities, in his words, include "<a href="https://perma.cc/ESZ8-BG7F">exposing the holohoax</a>" — that is, denying the Nazi extermination of more than 6 million Jews — "and other lies like the official 911 story."Since coming to New Mexico, Fitzgerald has joined the Proud Boys, a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/proud-boys">hate group</a> that rejects "multiculturalism.""We pride ourselves on being Western chauvinists," Fitzgerald said on the New Mexico Civil Guard's podcast, adding that he's not afraid of the word "nationalism.""We believe that Western civilization, Western culture, is the best, is the greatest — is superior," he said."I've never seen anything wrong with them," replied Spangler, founder of the militia.Also known as Bryce Provance, Spangler has a swastika tattoo on his shoulder. He has also served as the New Mexico "commander" of the New Confederate States of America, a group that maintains the "original confederacy was founded to fight for freedom from tyranny," according to a <a href="https://www.law.georgetown.edu/icap/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2020/07/State-v.-NM-Civil-Guard-Filed-Verified-Complaint.pdf">July 13 lawsuit</a> filed by Bernalillo County District Attorney Raúl Torrez and Georgetown University Law Center's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection. The suit seeks to have the group banned for illegally assuming the duties of law enforcement. While the New Mexico Civil Guard purports to defend the free speech rights of all, Fitzgerald told Spangler that peaceful protests by Black Lives Matter activists were intentionally carried out as a mere "screen" for violence and property destruction, citing the conspiracy website Infowars. In a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqboVq9DqXw">separate interview</a>, Fitzgerald, an avowed supporter of President Donald Trump, claimed the militia had been approached by the US government for information on anti-fascist activists."We've had federal agents tell the New Mexico Civil Guard, 'Give us any information about antifa that you have,'" he said, suggesting there would be a civil war after the 2020 election. "I think that we're already in a cold civil war," he said.<div type="image" title="nmguard 1" height="320" width="640" msid="77514815" hostid="261"></div>Lucas Herndon, deputy director of Progress Now New Mexico, a center-left advocacy organization, said he's seen firsthand how the militia seeks to intimidate progressives, not protect their rights."They've threatened me directly," Herndon, a native of Las Cruces, said in an interview. At a Black Lives Matter action in his hometown, he witnessed "six to seven heavily armed white guys" standing across the street. So he pulled out his phone and began live-streaming on Facebook. "The next day, the Civil Guard posted screenshots of my personal Facebook, including multiple pictures from my timeline, including one inside of my daughter's room."That <a href="https://perma.cc/62NR-TQZU">post</a> labeled Herndon a possible "ANTIFA sympathizer," with the quip: "Watch your six y'all" (i.e., watch your back)."I don't have any delusions about what that means to people like that," Herndon told Business Insider. "Unsettling, to say the least."It's disappointing, he said, that some Republicans have embraced the group, "but it doesn't surprise me."Schubiner, who has spent years monitoring such extremist groups, said public officials need to address the threat posed by such groups and "their implicit, or explicit, threats of violence to chill democratic practice." It's concerning that anyone would join a group led by someone known to have a swastika tattoo and a fetish for the Confederacy, she said; doubly so that any elected official would honor them.The Republican Party of New Mexico did not respond to requests for comment.Have a news tip? Email this reporter: <a href="mailto:cdavis@insider.com">cdavis@insider.com</a>

New Mexico Republicans to pay 'special tribute' to militia founded by neo-Confederate, alongside Cowboys for Trump leader who said Black athletes should 'go back to Africa'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The NAACP calls for the removal of Cowboys for Trump cowboy from public office.</li><li>The organization cites Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin's involvement in the Capitol attack.</li></ul>The NAACP is joining efforts in New Mexico to remove and ban Cowboys for Trump co-founder from holding future public office positions, according to The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-new-mexico-race-and-ethnicity-protests-demonstrations-naacp-8d5a1aeeb3abe4ddeaf4f767d261311f">Associated Press.</a>The civil rights organization cites Otero County, New Mexico Commissioner Couy Griffin's connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which the organization says he compared to the Black Lives Matter movement. In addition, he also refused to certify local primary election results, the outlet reported — citing court documents. "Lawful protests and demonstrations in support of civil rights and the Black Lives Matter movement are fundamentally different from the insurrectionist conduct that occurred on Jan. 6," the NAACP said, according to the AP. The civil rights organization filed the brief on Tuesday in an <a href="https://www.krqe.com/news/politics-government/group-calling-for-couy-griffin-to-be-removed-from-commission-seat/">ongoing case</a> against Griffin by three New Mexicans who argued in a June lawsuit that he should be removed from his post as an Otero County commissioner for participating in an insurrection against the United States — claiming his participation violates the 14th Amendment. In March, Griffin was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-cowboys-founder-couy-griffin-january-6-trial-2022-3">found guilty</a> of a misdemeanor charge stemming from the Capitol attack. In June, he was sentenced to 14 days behind bars and left with time served, according to <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/couy-griffin-jan-6-cowboys-for-trump-new-mexico-county-commissioner/">CBS News.</a> Griffin has <a href="https://www.krqe.com/news/politics-government/group-calling-for-couy-griffin-to-be-removed-from-commission-seat/">signaled</a> he does not plan to run for re-election. According to The AP, Griffin argued that the move to remove him would "set a dangerous precedent.""If the plaintiffs prevail and a single judge subverts the will of the great people of Otero County, it will only be further proof of the tyranny we currently live under," Griffin told The AP on Friday. "There was already a recall effort waged against me after Jan. 6. In that recall effort the people of Otero County spoke and the recall failed."

NAACP backs banning New Mexico official and Cowboys for Trump co-founder from public office, citing his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="9747814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-mexico-civil-guard">New Mexico Civil Guard</keyword> announced on Sunday that it is pulling out of an August 22 rally that features a number of local Republicans.</li><li>The <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> comes <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-republicans-special-tribute-to-militia-2020-8">after Business Insider reported</a> on the existence of the rally, which was to pay "special tribute" to the group, whose leaders include a neo-Confederate and a member of the Proud Boys, a Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group.</li><li>In a post on Facebook, the New Mexico Civil Guard said that state Republicans had shown the group "an overwhelming amount of very appreciated support."</li><li>But the <keyword id="177381" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Paramilitary">paramilitary</keyword> group claimed it could not attend the rally because "key speakers have publicly made some remarks that came across as blatantly racist."</li><li>The rally is set to feature Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin, who has argued that Black athletes protesting racism in the US should "go back to Africa."</li></ul>A right-wing <keyword id="672737" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="militia">militia</keyword> is pulling out of a rally featuring elected Republicans days <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-republicans-special-tribute-to-militia-2020-8">after Business Insider reported</a> that one of its leaders is a member of a hate group who has denied the Holocaust.The New Mexico Civil Guard, in a Facebook post on Sunday, said it had "made the decision not to attend the event" — where organizers planned to pay "special tribute" to the paramilitary group — for a number of reasons, among them: that the militia, while led by avowed supporters of President Donald Trump, is ostensibly nonpartisan."[T]he Republican side of the ticket in New Mexico has shown an overwhelming amount of very appreciated support," the militia said, "but we are not a Republican or Democratic organization." The "main reason" it will not be attending, however, is because "it has been brought to our attention that key speakers have publicly made some remarks that came across as blatantly racist."<div type="image" title="Screenshot_2020 08 17 New Mexico Civil Guard Facebook" height="632" width="1000" msid="77605054" hostid="261"></div>Last week, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-republicans-special-tribute-to-militia-2020-8">Business Insider reported</a> that the militia itself was founded by a man with a swastika tattoo who has served as the "commander" of a neo-Confederate organization; another leader is a member of the Proud Boys, designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, who has made comments denying the Nazi extermination of 6 million Jews.The paramilitary organization is currently facing a lawsuit from the Bernalillo County District Attorney, Raúl Torrez, who alleges that is an illicit, far-right vigilante group.On Facebook, the New Mexico Civil Guard said it is avowedly anti-hate, asserting that it "in no way condones or participates in racism, and by us being at this event we feel that is what we would be doing."The New Mexico Civil Guard declined to comment further.In an email to Business Insider, New Mexico Republican Pat Woods described the August 22 event, promoted by the Republican Party of Curry County, as a "<keyword id="107893" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="GOP">GOP</keyword> grand opening event." A flyer for the rally says it intends to honor law enforcement and the militia, listing the vice-chair of the state Republican Party, Rick Lopez, as a featured speaker.Another special guest: Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin, an elected county commissioner who recently said Black athletes protesting racism should "go back to Africa."The <keyword id="9776784" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="republican-party-of-new-mexico">Republican Party of New Mexico</keyword> has refused to say whether or not its vice-chair will be speaking at the event. In a statement, Anissa Tinnin, executive director for the Republican Party of New Mexico, instead lambasted critics of the rally, which she described as a "grassroots" event. "[W]e will not waste our energy assaulting New Mexicans' free speech," Tinnin said, contrasting the rally with "lawless Antifa protesters looting and shooting."Tinnin did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the party agrees with the militia's statement that participating in the rally would be to condone racism.However, three New Mexico Republicans who were listed as speakers at the August 22 rally have told Business Insider they are not planning to participate, with Stefani Lord, a candidate for the state legislature, citing the changing "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-republican-pulls-out-pro-militia-rally-following-bi-report-2020-8">tone and tenor</a>" of the event.Have a news tip? Email this reporter: <a href="mailto:cdavis@insider.com">cdavis@insider.com</a>

Right-wing militia pulls out of event with New Mexico Republicans, citing 'blatantly racist' remarks from some speakers

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6354576" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="facebook">Facebook</keyword> announced Wednesday that it was removing pages associated with paramilitary organizations, including the <keyword id="9747814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-mexico-civil-guard">New Mexico Civil Guard</keyword>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-republicans-special-tribute-to-militia-2020-8">As Business Insider reported</a>, the New Mexico Civil Guard is a right-wing vigilante group whose leaders include a neo-Confederate with a swastika tattoo and a self-styled "national anarchist" with a history of denying the Holocaust.</li><li>The <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> comes after the New Mexico Civil Guard pulled out of a rally, featuring local elected Republicans, claiming offense at "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/militia-pulls-out-of-event-with-new-mexico-republicans-2020-8">blatantly racist</a>" comments from other speakers.</li></ul>Facebook has removed the New Mexico Civil Guard and other paramilitary organizations from its social network, it announced Wednesday.In an <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2020/08/addressing-movements-and-organizations-tied-to-violence/">August 19 statement</a>, Facebook said it was taking action against groups that "have celebrated violent acts, shown that they have weapons and suggest they will use them, or have individual followers with patterns of violent behavior."Nick Martin, editor of The Informant, confirmed the group's removal on Twitter.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Nick Martin (@nickmartin) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1296176886200938497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2020</a></blockquote><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-republicans-special-tribute-to-militia-2020-8">As Business Insider reported</a>, the New Mexico Civil Guard is a right-wing vigilante group whose leaders include a neo-Confederate with a swastika tattoo and a self-styled "national anarchist" with a history of denying the Holocaust.The group has appeared, heavily armed and in camouflage, at anti-racist protests in the state, earning it plaudits from some local Republicans, who planned to pay "special tribute" to the organization at a rally on Aug. 22.Earlier this week, however, the paramilitary group announced — on its since-deleted Facebook page — that it was pulling out of that rally, citing remarks from other planned speakers that "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/militia-pulls-out-of-event-with-new-mexico-republicans-2020-8">came across as blatantly racist</a>." That came after another speaker <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-republican-pulls-out-pro-militia-rally-following-bi-report-2020-8">told Business Insider</a> they would not participate in the rally, following our reporting. (Other scheduled speakers include Cowboys for Trump founder Couy Griffin, who has said Black athletes protesting racism should "go back to Africa," and Rick Lopez, vice-chair of the state Republican Party.)Facebook, announcing the group's removal, said it would also delete pages associated with the "QAnon" conspiracy theory, and continue to delete accounts "when they discuss potential violence." It also conflated armed <keyword id="9789365" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="paramilitary-groups">paramilitary groups</keyword> with anti-fascist organizations that have condoned property destruction, prompting outrage from long-time watchers of right-wing extremism."[O]utrageous," David Neiwert, author of "Alt-America: the Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump," <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidNeiwert/status/1296212476950769664">responded on Twitter</a>. "The far right thrives by spreading disinformation," he said. "One of the underrated aspects of Antifa is that [it] spreads accurate information about the bad actors on the far right."The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Have a news tip? Email this reporter: <a href="mailto:cdavis@insider.com">cdavis@insider.com</a>

Facebook removes page for New Mexico Civil Guard, along with other paramilitary organizations — and anti-fascist groups

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="163030" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-mexico">New Mexico</keyword> Republican Stefani Lords, a candidate for the state House of Representatives, told Business Insider she's pulling out of a rally that is set to pay "special tribute" to the <keyword id="9747814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-mexico-civil-guard">New Mexico Civil Guard</keyword>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-republicans-special-tribute-to-militia-2020-8">As Business Insider reported</a> on Wednesday, the so-called civil guard is a far-right paramilitary group whose founder is a neo-Confederate with a swastika tattoo.</li><li>"Originally I was told this would be a peaceful protest in Clovis with candidates speaking," Lord, founder of the group "Pro-Gun Women," told Business Insider.</li><li>"However," Lord said, "it seems as time went on, the message of 'Vote Red' became convoluted as more and more speakers were added to the list and the tone and tenor changed."</li></ul>A New Mexico Republican running for a state house seat on the outskirts of Albuquerque is pulling out of a GOP rally that's paying "special tribute" to a far-right militia.As <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-republicans-special-tribute-to-militia-2020-8">Business Insider reported</a>, elected Republicans and state party chapters have been promoting an August 22 rally that, in part, is being held to honor the New Mexico Civil Guard, a paramilitary group led by a neo-Confederate with a swastika tattoo and a "national anarchist" who has denied the Nazi extermination of 6 million Jews.Stefani Lord, a Republican looking to unseat a Democratic incumbent in New Mexico's House of Representatives, said on Thursday that she's no longer going to participate."I was asked to speak at this event months ago," Lord told Business Insider. "Originally I was told this would be a peaceful protest in Clovis with candidates speaking. However, it seems as time went on, the message of 'Vote Red' became convoluted as more and more speakers were added to the list and the tone and tenor changed."Lord, the founder of the group "Pro-Gun Women," said she has asked to be removed from the speakers list, which currently features the vice-chair of the state Republican Party.Earlier this week, "Cowboys for Trump" founder Couy Griffin confirmed that he would be attending the rally. State Sen. Pat Woods also said he would be attending the rally honoring a paramilitary group, describing it as a "GOP grand opening event."The Republican Party of New Mexico declined to comment on whether its vice-chair, a listed speaker, will be attending the event. The party also declined to address the rally's paying "tribute" to the New Mexico Civil Guard; its executive director, Anissa Tinnin, instead is lending her support for those who wish to attend."If citizens want to peacefully attend a grassroots event — unlike lawless Antifa protesters looting and shooting — it is their prerogative, and we will not stand in their way," <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-mexico-republicans-special-tribute-to-militia-2020-8">the party said.</a>Have a <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> tip? Email this reporter: <a href="mailto:cdavis@insider.com">cdavis@insider.com</a>

New Mexico Republican says she's no longer speaking at a rally paying 'special tribute' to a far-right militia, following our report on the militia and its founder

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New Mexico Republicans cancel rally after controversial paramilitary group and other speakers pull out

Charles Davis

New Mexico Republicans to pay 'special tribute' to militia founded by neo-Confederate, alongside Cowboys for Trump leader who said Black athletes should 'go back to Africa'

Charles Davis

NAACP backs banning New Mexico official and Cowboys for Trump co-founder from public office, citing his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Taylor Ardrey

Right-wing militia pulls out of event with New Mexico Republicans, citing 'blatantly racist' remarks from some speakers

Charles Davis

Facebook removes page for New Mexico Civil Guard, along with other paramilitary organizations — and anti-fascist groups

Charles Davis

New Mexico Republican says she's no longer speaking at a rally paying 'special tribute' to a far-right militia, following our report on the militia and its founder

Charles Davis