Protesters carrying Confederate flags held up a banner that read “White Lives Matter” outside the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People‘s office in Houston on Sunday.
According to local media reports, roughly 20 people, some carrying assault-style weapons and white supremacist signs, came out to the “White Lives Matter” protest to denounce the NAACP.
“We came out here specifically today to protest against the NAACP and their failure in speaking out against the atrocities that organizations like Black Lives Matter and other pro-black organizations have caused the attack and killing of white police officers, the burning down of cities and things of that nature,” White Lives Matter member Ken Reed told the Houston Chronicle.
“If they’re going to be a civil rights organization and defend their people, they also need to hold their people accountable.”
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The demonstration quickly led to a counter protest by residents of Houston’s Third Ward, a predominantly black neighbourhood.
Police set up barricades between the White Lives Matter protesters and other residents who stood across the street, according to the Chronicle.
The White Lives Matter movement argues that the Black Lives Matter movement is anti-white, which has been thoroughly refuted by BLM members.
Andre Smith, the son of NAACP Houston’s executive director Yolanda Smith, posted an image of the protest on his social media account with a response to the incident.
“So this is what the Houston branch of the NAACP looked like today,” he wrote in a caption on his Instagram account. “White supremacist protested with Confederate flags and banners that read ‘White lives matter.’
“Little did they know the executive director of this particular branch birthday was today, which so happens to be my mom. So we spent the day celebrating a black life that did matter and will continue to do great work at this place you protest! Thank you and try again! #blacklivesmatter #NAACP.”
READ MORE: Here’s why ‘All Lives Matter’ is so controversial
The protest in Houston comes amid a tense time across the U.S. that has seen a recent string of high-profile violent incidents involving police.
The fatal police shootings of two black men, one in Baton Rouge and another in Minnesota, prompted outrage among leaders and activists across the U.S., including Black Lives Matter.
The fatal shootings were followed by ambush-style attacks on police in Dallas, killing five officers, and Baton Rouge that killed three.
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