The organizers said they chose middle Tennessee partly in hopes of avoiding clashes, but said protesters could bring shields, goggles and helmets for protection. The cities are just southeast of Nashville, whose metropolitan area has become home to refugees from Somalia, Iraq and elsewhere under Tennessee’s resettlement program. Over the last 15 years, about 18,000 refugees have been resettled in Tennessee, less than 1 percent of the state’s population, the Tennessean reported. Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro canceled events and some businesses boarded their windows. In March Tennessee sued the federal government over refugee resettlement in the state, saying it was unduly forced to pay for it.

Source: bd News24 October 28, 2017 11:03 UTC