White nationalists planning rallies in SF, Berkeley

A demonstrator supporting President Donald Trump wields a knife during a fight with counter-protesters on Saturday, April 15, 2017, in Berkeley, Calf. A demonstrator supporting President Donald Trump wields a knife during a fight with counter-protesters on Saturday, April 15, 2017, in Berkeley, Calf. Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close White nationalists planning rallies in SF, Berkeley 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

With violence sparked by neo-Nazis in Virginia raising tensions across the U.S., white nationalists are planning rallies in San Francisco and Berkeley later this month.

A permit has been issued for a “Patriot Prayer” group to gather Aug. 26 at Crissy Field in San Francisco, said Sonja Hanson, spokeswoman for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The group is ostensibly religious, but its purpose is really “an attempt to provoke black-clad ideologues on the left into acts of violence,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.

“The park will review and assess safety,” Hanson said. “We’re planning accordingly.”

MORE: In wake of Charlottesville, Bay Area law enforcement girds for protests

Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin said another group, No Marxism in America, is planning an event on Aug. 27 at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park in Berkeley. The park was the site of two other gatherings of far-right protesters this year, including one on April 15 marked by violent clashes with counterprotesters.

(See footage of the April 15th protests in the video below.)

No Marxism in America has not yet applied for a permit, Arreguin said. He said police are making plans to respond should the gathering turn violent.

“We will be prepared to keep our community safe and prevent any destruction of property,” Arreguin said.

In light of what happened in Charlottesville, Va., over the weekend, when a suspected neo-Nazi allegedly drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, “I’m deeply concerned,” Arreguin said. One woman was killed in the Virginia incident and 19 people were hurt.

MORE: White nationalists: Charlottesville just a beginning

“If this was really about freedom of speech — the city of Berkeley welcomes freedom of speech,” Arreguin said. “This isn’t about that. This is about confrontation. This is about people coming to commit violence and spout hate speech and promote bigotry and promote white supremacy.”

Peter Fimrite and Joe Garofoli are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email pfimrite@sfchronicle.com and jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com