WASHINGTON -- A group of nearly a dozen protesters referring to themselves as white nationalists caused a disruption Saturday at Politics and Prose, a well-known bookstore in Washington, D.C.
Bystanders say the interruption happened during a discussion about Jonathan Metzl’s book called “Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland.” Metzl is a professor of sociology and psychiatry at Vanderbilt University.
According to Google Books, Metzl’s book discusses “how right-wing backlash policies have mortal consequences -- even for the white voters they promise to help.”
The protesters identified themselves as "identitarians," a white nationalist movement that originated in France. The group can be seen in videos chanting "This land is our land" throughout the store.
Several Twitter users posted about the incident, some capturing the commotion on video.
WUSA9 reached out to Politics and Prose co--owner Bradley Graham who says the incident was a “brief, yet unfortunate interruption.”
Graham said the store had no warning this would happen and the men were shouting white power messaging through a microphone. Attendees began to boo as the men walked through the store chanting, according to Graham.
Graham also said the store provides a platform for discussion of books and expects each author talk-back to take place in an atmosphere of calmness and mutual respect.
Graham said the goal of the event was to hold a respectful exchange of ideas. If people disagree with a speaker, they are asked to wait until the question and answer session is over.