When the church doors open, only white people will be allowed inside.
Thatβs the message the Asatru Folk Assembly in Murdock, Minnesota, is sending after being granted a conditional use permit to open a church there and practice its pre-Christian religion that originated in northern Europe, NBC News reports.
Despite a council vote officially approving the permit this month, residents are pushing back against the decision.
Opponents have collected about 50,000 signatures on an online petition to stop the all-white church from making its home in the farming town of 280 people.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
βI think they thought they could fly under the radar in a small town like this, but weβd like to keep the pressure on them,β said Peter Kennedy, a longtime Murdock resident. βRacism is not welcome here."