Film screening, panel discussion with former neo-Nazi skinhead taking place in Rigby Thursday
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RIGBY — Community members are invited to attend a free film screening and panel discussion featuring a former neo-Nazi skinhead.
Tony McAleer, an author and international speaker, shares his reformation story in his book “The Cure for Hate.” McAleer, along with Peter Hutchison — the director of “The Cure for Hate” film — will be at the community event. It will take place Oct. 19 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Jefferson School District No. 251 board room at 3850 East 300 North in Rigby.
“Tony was a pretty bad neo-Nazi skinhead,” Laron Johnson, a Rigby High School teacher who is overseeing the event, said. “He was so intertwined with it that he ran a lot of the major internet dark web stuff in Canada in the 1990s.”
Johnson, who teaches an advanced Holocaust class, said about 300 students will participate in a question and answer with McAleer Thursday morning. Students are also invited to go with their families to the community event that evening.
Students have been watching McAleer’s 80-minute film at school this week. While the community will see the same film, it has been edited down to 55 minutes due to time.
“Five years ago, I never would have invited a former neo-Nazi skinhead in the classroom,” Johnson explained. “But this concept of T’shuvah, (which means) atonement (and is discussed in McAleer’s book) inspires me. I want our kids to realize that even our biggest slime balls have the ability to be good people. I want our kids to be aware when they see someone that is mean, destructive, insulting, that we don’t give up hope on them.”
With the community night, Johnson’s goal is to make sure parents understand how important their role is in leading their children.
“We got a big responsibility of being parents and raising our kids well,” he stated.
Johnson has been working on this event for two months and is looking forward to it happening in eastern Idaho.
“I’m feeling extra pumped up because our kids get so much attention on this (and) this very infamous yet famous man at the same time is going to come in and talk about some real unique psychology.”
He added, “If you believe in atonement (T’shuvah) or redemption, (this is) a story for you. If you want to learn about the process of redemption and atonement, this is huge.”
Johnson said McAleer and Hutchison will also make their way to other local schools such as Madison High School and Brigham Young University-Idaho.
