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FERNDALE, Mich. (ChurchMilitant.com) - A local "antifascist" group is trying to crush free speech and silence dissent by protesting Church Militant's upcoming men's conference. The group is also smearing Church Militant as "anti-woman" and "hateful."

The Michigan Peoples Defense Network (MPDN) announced on Facebook its intent to hold a press conference on the sidewalk in front of Church Militant studios in Ferndale Friday, July 28, at 5 p.m. ET. The purpose is to announce its August 5 "Shut Down Church Militant's Anti-Woman Conference" event, which will involve picketing outside the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Sterling Heights, where the third annual Strength and Honor Conference will be held. Members hope the protest will get the event shut down, touting their 2014 victory closing down a men's conference in St. Clair Shores.

"As the radical Christian right rises in America, having supported Donald Trump’s campaign of hatred against the most marginalized," MPDN's announcement reads, "it is more vital than ever that the community stands against hate draped in a cross."





MPDN falsely characterizes Church Militant's Strength and Honor Conference as a "men's rights" event, condemning the alleged "hateful messages" spread at this "anti-woman" event.

Logo of Michigan Peoples Defense Network, featuring crossed baseball bats, a favorite weapon of Antifa protestors

"[T]he claim that the conference is about 'men's rights' is a deliberate distortion," stated Church Militant's official press release Monday. "The conference is about men's obligations, not 'rights.'"

In fact, Strength and Honor — the third conference to date — is devoted to fostering men's growth in virtues like charity and humility by promoting the notion of selfless sacrifice and laying down one's life for the sake of the other. The event is meant to help men be better husbands, fathers, sons and brothers, modeling themselves after the Perfect Man, Jesus Christ.

"Church Militant is proudly pro-woman, pro-life and pro-immigrant," the press release concluded.

MPDN, only formed in December, employs a logo that includes two crossed baseball bats, as well as fists raised in defiance, and claims it's necessary "to respond with more than messages of unity and solidarity" to what it calls the rise of the far right. MPDN goes on to state it is "prepared to physically defend" victims of alleged racist attacks.

"We will not allow the KKK, Nazis and their kind to run rampant and unopposed," MPDN declares.

MPDN says it offers a "[r]apid, militant response" as well as "material aid for the victims of reactionary violence."

The lingo is consistent with Antifa thuggery.

A sample of Antifa's violent tactics (warning: language)

Antifa (short for "antifascist") has been associated with violent protests and destruction of property. In its most recent attacks at the G20 Summit this month in Hamburg, Germany, rioters set fire to cars, destroyed property and terrorized residents, injuring more than 200 police officers.

In March, Antifa thugs placed Middlebury College professor of politics and economics Allison Stanger in a neck brace, after hitting her in the head and causing a concussion, sending her to the hospital. Her mistake? Attending a talk by conservative commentator Charles Murray. Nearly 70 students have since been disciplined by the college for their participation in the violence.

And in February, Antifa protestors caused thousands of dollars in damage at University of California Berkeley when the group shut down a talk by conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos.

Scores of Antifa protesters have been arrested in multiple riots in Portland, Oregon, where they blocked traffic, caused fires, and damaged public and private property.

Antifa leader Yvette Felarca was arrested last week for being ring leader to a violent 2016 Sacramento protest, after video showed Felarca punching a peaceful Trump supporter.

According to Church Militant's press release:

Church Militant absolutely condemns and abhors the lies and violence that have become the hallmark of the Antifa movement, which MPDN members associate with on social media. Church Militant is not a hate group; MPDN is the real hate group, trying to intimidate religious organizations into silence and shut down a conference meant to help men become better husbands, fathers, sons and brothers by fostering the virtues of humility, charity and sacrifice.

Church Militant discourages supporters from organizing a counterprotest. Instead of engaging with Antifa and its allies, we recommend that supporters stay home and pray a Rosary for the success of the Strength and Honor Conference.

To learn more about the third annual Strength and Honor Conference and sign up, please visit this page.



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