NORFOLK, Va. — A far-right influencer named Stew Peters who was invited to speak at a reunion of the USS Liberty Veterans Association (LVA) has been barred from the Norfolk Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4809.
This comes a day after Peters, known for espousing antisemitic and white nationalist views, was banned from the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel — where the LVA is holding its 58th annual reunion.
Previous coverage: Speaker banned from Norfolk Sheraton USS Liberty reunion says he's still coming
According to LVA’s itinerary for the reunion, a Liberty Monument and Memorial Service is scheduled to take place at VFW Post 4809 in Norfolk on Sunday, June 8.
VFW Post 4809 is home to a memorial honoring the 34 U.S. service members killed on board the USS Liberty on June 8, 1967 in an attack by the Israeli Defense Force that Israel has maintained was a mistake.
According to the Naval Heritage and History Command, "To this date, no evidence has ever surfaced that the Israelis deliberately attacked what they knew to be an American ship."
An official with VFW Post 4809 told WTKR News 3 Wednesday that Peters is not welcome at the memorial event.
The VFW does not tolerate any form of bigotry or racial discrimination. The Post Officers have seen these reports and is communicating with the LVA. The same message from the Hotel also applies to the Private memorial service at Post 4809. The individual whom you speak of is not welcome on the grounds of Post 4809 and will be asked to leave if he appears.
This comes after both the LVA and personnel with the Sheraton Norfolk confirmed to WTKR News 3 Tuesday that the hotel banned Peters from its property.
Peters, who's amassed over 800,000 followers on X, is known for promoting antisemitism and white nationalism. On his X livestream Wednesday, he and a guest played a game called "Name that Jew".
Although the hotel and VFW bans are acting to prevent Peters from attending the events on the reunion itinerary, Peters is asserting on social media that he will be involved in the reunion.
“I’m going to Norfolk, Virginia, and we’ll figure out exactly what that looks like,” he stated Wednesday afternoon while discussing the upcoming LVA reunion during a livestream on X.
Later, after seeing the VFW statement, Peters wrote, "Despite being an invited speaker by the survivors of the USS Liberty, the local VFW in Norfolk, VA has banned me from stepping foot on their premises. This is a cowardly act that SPITS IN THE FACE of the heroes that survived Israel's attack on the USS Liberty."
Peters reveals alleged text messages
Around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Peters' team responded to WTKR's request for comment on the event ban.
"As far as I know, I was still given an invitation to speak as of earlier this morning. It’s sad to see the survivors of the USS Liberty, who were murdered and maimed by Israeli terrorists, be forced to bow to jewish supremacy in order to carry out their annual reunion."
Peters' spokesperson also shared screenshots of text messages allegedly between Peters and Dixon from Monday night and Tuesday morning.
"I just want to reiterate that you are still very welcome and invited to our event. We just have to deal with the hotel," the message time stamped 8:09 p.m. reads. "They are still threatening us to shut it down if we allow you to speak in any capacity and they are still threatening to trespass you as well. I was wondering if you had any ideas or plans. God Bless."
Dixon appears to follow up Tuesday morning with Peters in another exchange that began at 9:34 a.m. Dixon tells Peters he just got a missed call from him, and Peters replies that he was responding back to Dixon's earlier request.
"Have you and your team come up with a plan of action?" Dixon allegedly asks Peters in the Tuesday exchange. "Are you guys still going to attend the memorial at the VFW on Saturday? Like I said the invitation to you and your team is still good on our end. It would still be an honor to have you there."
The USS Liberty Veterans Association
The Liberty Veterans Association is an organization comprised of survivors and family members of survivors of the 1967 attack on the USS Liberty by Israeli Defense Forces.
The attack — which deployed fighter jets and torpedoes — killed dozens of crew members and wounded hundreds aboard the USS Liberty, a technical research ship, during the Six-Day War.
Israel apologized and maintains the attack was a mistake; they said they mistook the USS Liberty for an Egyptian ship.
And while no evidence has surfaced that the attack was deliberate by the IDF, the LVA maintains it was.
Shafer, a USS Liberty survivor, shared the following, in part, with WTKR News 3: "Our intent will always be to be heard by others asking them to listen to our story with the intent for the truth to be told to the American people for the past 57 years. This continues to be the largest Cover-Up in the history of our government."
A flyer circulates on social media
Peters’ reported speaking obligation began to attract attention after an account on X, Stop Antisemitism, posted a flyer on May 8. The flyer, captioned “Virginia Sheraton to host who’s who of white supremacists,” featured three people, including Peters.
When WTKR News 3 reached out to LVA to confirm the validity of the reported appearances, they responded saying that their original flyer had been edited to include the photos and names. However, at the time, they did confirm that Peters would be speaking at the reunion.
When initially sharing the news of Peters' appearance at the reunion, LVA vehemently denied tolerating any antisemitic rhetoric at its event.
“If he has any agenda for Antisemitism or Jew Hating that will not be allowed, and we have told him this,” LVA Executive Director Moe Shafer told WTKR News 3 last week. Shafer noted that Peters had spoken at an LVA event in Washington a few years ago and said he “did a great job.”
The Liberty Veterans Association 58th Anniversary Reunion is set to take place from June 6 to 9.
