Demonstrators protest Johnson post

LACONIA — Dozens of people lined up along North Main Street in downtown Monday morning to protest state Rep. Dawn Johnson’s posting of a link that contained an anti-Semitic cartoon and demand that she resign from the School Board and state Legislature.

The protest took place two days after a news story was published in The Daily Sun that Johnson shared a link from a neo-Nazi website that contained a derogatory caricature of a money-grubbing Jewish man. Johnson deleted the post on Friday and apologized for sharing the post from the Daily Stormer website, saying she was unaware of its source.

Johnson has not been available to further explain the post.

“I’m repulsed by the bigotry of those posts. It’s beyond the pale,” said Lew Henry of Gilmanton, who was one of about 40 placard-holding protesters who lined both sides of the street in front of the Laconia Public Library.

“I saw the material she forwarded,” Dennis Bothamley of Laconia said. “No one who does that has any business being on the School Board.”

Standing across the street, in front of Veterans Park, was Johnna Davis, of Gilford.

“I’m supporting my friends and neighbors who are Jewish,” said Davis, who is co-chair of the Belknap County Democrats Executive Committee.

Lois Kessin, who is Jewish, was holding a placard that read, “Our kids and our state deserve better than Dawn Johnson.”

“For those who lost people in the Holocaust that caricature was gut-wrenching,” she said, adding: ”No one has any business being on the School Board with those kinds of opinions.”

Kessin said the School Board should take strong action in response to the Johnson matter, but was doubtful that would happen.

On Sunday School Board Chairman Heather Lounsbury sent out a statement to parents and staff acknowledging the public outrage over comments made by “a certain board member,” and noting the School District’s nondiscrimination policies pertaining to educational programs and employment practices, among other areas.

Kessin said she found the School Board’s statement to be wishy-washy.

“It was cover-your-tush,” she said.

Some who turned out said they decided to participate after hearing about the plans for the protest through their church, or on local Democractic Party social media sites. Meghan Daigneau of Laconia said she found out about the event from a website for a grass-roots political action group Rights and Democracy.

“I don’t want our kids or anyone else to think that Granite Staters find this kind of anti-Semitism or racism acceptable.”

Carlos Cardona, chair of Laconia Democrats, found the Johnson matter distressing.

“I didn’t expect this kind of thing around the holidays,” he said.

Situations like this make members of minorities especially anxious, said Cardona, who is gay and Hispanic.

“What frightens us is people who say these things will act out on this,” he said.

Cardona said he had heard that Johnson plans to “lie low” for the time being in hopes the controversy will blow over in a few weeks. But he said those who find the white supremacist sentiment behind the link objectionable will continue to make their feelings public.

“We plan a larger (demonstration) if she doesn’t resign by Friday,” he said.

Johnson told Laconia School Board Chairperson Heather Lounsbury that she has no plans to resign, Lounsbury said Sunday.