In September 2019, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana intervened on behalf of a local photographer who was being sued for defamation after documenting a New Orleans school principal wearing Nazi-associated symbols at a public protest of the removal of Confederate monuments.

Nicholas Dean, who was terminated from his job at the Crescent Leadership Academy, sued the photographer, Abdul Aziz, for defamation alleging Aziz’s coverage of the event caused him harm. The ACLU of Louisiana is asking a federal judge in Florida to dismiss the lawsuit, asserting the court lacks jurisdiction and Dean’s claims have no merit.  
    
In addition to Dean attending the protests, a May 7, 2017 interview, later posted on Facebook and YouTube, shows him at the “Battle of New Orleans” carrying a wooden shield and wearing rings associated with Nazism and other gear popular among “alt-right” activists and white nationalists. At the event, white nationalists protested the removal of Confederate monuments at Lee Circle in New Orleans.
 
The ACLU’s filing notes that Dean offered no evidence that he is not aligned with white nationalist organizations. 
 
 

Date filed

September 16, 2019