A print shop in Arizona has refused to print signs bearing the message 'Protect White Americans' for a student group, with the owner citing the order as hate speech.
Jim Torgeson, owner of Mesa Sign Shop, stated he would not fulfill the order of approximately 16 signs for the College Republicans United (CRU) group. Torgeson, a Republican himself and a member of the Gilbert Town Council, told AZ Central that the message was intended to divide and incite people, and that he did not want to be associated with it.
The design for the signs reportedly featured an image of a white family, including a baby, on four-by-eight foot poster boards.
Kevin Decuyper, 31, of the CRU, criticized the shop for refusing their business, noting that Mesa Sign Shop had previously printed signs for a trans mayoral candidate. In a Google review, the CRU described the situation as "Bizarre politics at work here. No integrity."
Mesa Sign Shop responded to the review by stating, "If you don't see that your art would put people in danger, then I'm sorry." The shop further clarified that the mayoral candidate's signs did not contain any hateful messages.
Torgeson mentioned that he rarely refuses business, but has done so in the past for signage he deemed inappropriate. He cited an earlier instance where he declined to print signs that referenced a transgender candidate's genitalia.
According to AZ Central, Decuyper had attempted to expedite the payment for the sign order and only submitted the design after the payment was processed. The report also detailed Decuyper's past online comments, which have been described as ethno-nationalist. These included references to "the J's" and "the final solution," a term associated with Nazi genocide.
Decuyper has since distanced himself from those previous comments, according to recent media interviews. Republicans United LLC, a group listing Decuyper as a principal, was identified on the invoice for the sign order. This national organization's website promotes texts such as Henry Ford's 'The International Jew' and 'The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion,' a fabricated text alleging a Jewish plan for world domination.
Decuyper has been actively involved with the group, including establishing a chapter at Arizona State University. The organization publicly supports 'America First' candidates, advocates for mass deportations, and states it has 'no foreign loyalty.'
Torgeson stands by his decision, believing that printing the signs would have led to worse outcomes. He stated, "There's no winner when somebody's trying to incite division. I don't care what side of the aisle you're on."