Company Bans White Supremacists From Renting Trucks
The company's decision comes after videos on social media showed masked members of Patriot Front fleeing in one of the company's yellow trucks after being confronted by a group of people in downtown Springfield, Missouri, on Saturday.
Newsweek has contacted Penske and the Springfield Police Department for further comment via email.
Patriot Front frequently relies on rented trucks to transport members to demonstrations in cities across the country. Penske's response is the first public rebuke by a major company against the group and the decision could affect its ability to rent trucks in the future.
The group's protests and public appearances are "typically tightly choreographed and scripted to maximize propaganda value," according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Patriot Front said in videos and posts on social media that its members were in downtown Springfield to protest Ozarks Pridefest, which is held annually in the city.
But video of the incident shared by Patriot Front on Telegram and others on social media showed several members-dressed in khaki pants and carrying shields-climbing into the Penske truck after being confronted by a group of people angered by their presence.
"Run, cowards, run," a man can be heard yelling in one video of the incident, which captured the license plate number and Department of Transportation number of the truck.
"Do something, you f***** pathetic Nazis," another man is heard saying.
In a statement, Penske said the incident was "unacceptable" and that the actions had violated its rental agreement.
Penske said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter: "Penske Truck rental is aware of an incident involving one of its vehicles yesterday in Springfield, Missouri. This incident is unacceptable. We strongly condemn these individuals and their actions, which violate out rental agreement. Effective immediately, the individual(s) on the rental agreement are banned from future rentals."
Patriot Front has not public commented on the ban, but said in a post on Telegram on Saturday: "Deranged and violent homosexual aggressors attempt to silence the lawful speech of the patriotic activists, and target individual members for assault. However, disciplined conduct on the part of the activists and the intervention of other bystanders renders the attacks useless. All are able to depart safely and without incident."
Penske's decision could put pressure on other rental companies to review their policies about allowing Patriot Front and other extremist groups to rent trucks, which could affect their ability to organize.
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