AUGUSTA, Maine — After a string of hateful acts around Augusta, dozens gathered in the city’s Mill Park Sunday for the 'Love is Louder' rally. The event, organized by Democratic State Representative Raegan LaRochelle, sought to build a broad coalition around the idea of anti-discrimination.
“There's something for everyone here,” LaRochelle said, “this is a non-partisan event. people experience discrimination on all kinds of levels.”
The event saw speeches from local politicians, as well as rabbis and reverends from protestant denominations. To back it all up, a rock band kept the beat.
The lively energy on display Sunday follows a concerning few months for Maine’s capital region. In August, members of the neo-Nazi group NSC-131 marched on the Blaine House, raising Nazi salutes and yelling anti-immigrant chants at cars passing by.
One month later, the same hate-filled words arrived in the form of a Zoom attack at a meeting of the Hollowell City Council. In addition to this all, local police have reported swastikas drawn on public property.
Beyond the central aim of condemning these acts of hate, a variety of issues drew supporters to the rally at Mill Park, situated on the banks of the Kennebec River in downtown Augusta.
For Minda Gold, the decision to attend came in part because of the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel and the documented rise in anti-Semitic hate that has plagued college campuses in the weeks since.
“There's always been antisemitism and it’s just exploded right now. So, this [event] is a way for people of all walks of life to come together,” Gold said Friday.
In Victor Trepanier’s case, a desire to spread the message of LGBTQ rights caused him to brave the cold and set up a booth for his organization Hallowell Pride Alliance.
“I think the important thing is having that willingness to talk and understand were each other is coming from.” Trepanier said.
No matter the cause, there was a distinct sense of solidarity at the rally, made most clear as the crowd followed a local Rabbi in Hebrew song.
On this feeling of togetherness, Trepanier added, “individuals can be so sequestered and siloed in our identities and our experiences and forget that all these things affect us.”