Neo-Nazi Joshua Arbues Shows Up to Intimidate Upcoming Pride Celebration in Oakdale, CA

In late June, anti-LGBTQ+ bigots came out to an Oakdale City Council meeting to attack plans for an upcoming Pride event which was supposed to happen at a local park, claiming that the planned drag performance was a threat to local children, parroting far-Right conspiracy theories pushed by Republican politicians and corporate outlets like Fox News.

Among those in the audience who came out to oppose the upcoming Pride celebration was Joshua Arbues, a pro-Hitler neo-Nazi influencer living in Oakdale, CA, and the man behind “Curb Stomp MFG,” an online merch store, which sells neo-Nazi themed clothing, promoting graphic violence.

Following the meeting, Pride organizers announced that they would be moving the Pride event from a local park to inside a community center, citing fears of potential harassment of event attendees.

These fears are not without warrant. Only a few weeks earlier, a man was arrested on hate-crime charges for destroying a Pride flag at a local coffee shop. In 2020, militia members and other far-Right activists in Oakdale yelled racial slurs and attempted to harass and intimidate Black Lives Matter protesters while police stood by. Oakdale, CA was also once the home of neo-Nazi leader Nathan Damigo, one of the key organizers of the deadly white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA.

Active neo-Nazis showing up to oppose community gatherings of the local LGBTQ+ community should be met with widespread opposition and refusal to let white supremacists intimidate working-class people from organizing and celebrating Pride together.

Oakdale celebrates Pride on Sunday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gene Bianchi Community Center at 110 S. 2nd Ave. The event is free.