Tag: neo-Nazis

When Will The Republican Party Push Back Against White Nationalism?

Two horrific acts of terrorism were committed this weekend against non-Christians. One by an Islamophobic Christian supremacist terrorist mistakenly targeting Sikhs (again), and one by an anti-Semitic white supremacist terrorist spouting “replacement theory” smears.

In the first case, a man whose father was a pastor and who was suffering mental illness in part due to service in Iraq, drove into a family of Sikhs in Sunnyvale, California, allegedly believing they were Muslims. A 13-year-old girl is now in a coma and fighting for her life. The terrorist was allegedly on his way to a Bible study group and praising Jesus when authorities caught him.

In the second, a white supremacist took credit for an arsonist attack against a mosque last month, only after gunning down several people at a synagogue in Poway, California, killing one and injuring three.

View the complete April 28 article by David Atkins with The Washington Monthly on the National Memo website here.

As Trump stands by Charlottesville remarks, rise of white-nationalist violence becomes an issue in 2020 presidential race

First came Joe Biden’s campaign announcement video highlighting President Trump’s “very fine people on both sides” comment about the 2017 white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville that left a counterprotester dead.

Then Trump dug in, arguing that he was referring not to the self-professed neo-Nazi marchers, but to those who had opposed the removal of a statue of the “great” Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Less than 24 hours later came another act of violence described by authorities as a hate crime: Saturday’s shooting at a synagogue in Poway, Calif., in which a gunman killed one person and injured three others.

View the complete April 28 article by Felicia Sonmez and Ashley Parker on The Washington Post website here.

Neo-Nazis hope to leverage Alex Jones controversies one year after Charlottesville violence

The following article by Matthew Sheffield was posted on the Hill website August 9, 2018:

Credit: Washington Post illustration; iStock

White nationalist activists are seeking to leverage a series of social media setbacks experienced by far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones by encouraging even more technology companies to ban Jones’ Infowars website in the hopes of radicalizing his dedicated fanbase.

In a post on his Daily Stormer website, neo-Nazi blogger Andrew Anglin wrote that Jones’ banning from Facebook, YouTube, and elsewhere could encourage Republican elected officials to create laws which would prevent private technology firms from cancelling the accounts of users, including racist groups.

Last August, Anglin’s publication was banned by many internet domain providers after a rally organized by white nationalists and other hate groups in Charlottesville, Va., descended into violence that eventually ended in the death of three people.

View the complete post and video here.

Charlottesville Anniversary

President Trump answers questions about his response to the violence, injuries and deaths at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville as he talks to the media in the lobby of Trump Tower in Manhattan, Aug. 15, 2017. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

We’re one year past the Charlottesville tragedy, and Trump has only further cemented his status as a divider. Rather than work to ease racial tensions and bridge cultural divides in America, the president has made it clear that he prefers to use division as a tool to rally his base.

We have not forgotten that the leader of this country openly and unapologetically defended the alt-right, white supremacists, and Neo-Nazis. Every time Trump insults black leaders, tweets about anthem protests, or uses racist and offensive language, he continues to divide our country.

Democrats have denounced in the strongest possible terms the hatred, bigotry, and racism that led to the senseless murder of an innocent woman at the Charlottesville protests. Democrats believe that there’s no room for this sort of brutality in America.

Democrats believe in a future of inclusion and opportunity for all Americans. Absolutely no one should fear for their safety because of the color of their skin.

Diversity is our nation’s greatest strength, and any actions that make this country less inclusive are inherently un-American. We’ll fight tooth and nail against any attempts to divide our country.

VIDEO: How Fox News is mainstreaming white supremacists and neo-Nazis

The following article by Dayanita Ramesh and Mles Le was posted on the Media Matters website October 6, 2017:

Fox News has been trying to normalize white supremacy for years. But since Donald Trump’s election, hosts, guests, and contributors on Fox are now openly defending white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

Everyone is well aware that Trump has been continually signaling his support to white supremacists since the 2016 presidential campaign. He retweets them, refuses to immediately disavow them, and even defends them. And Fox News is right there to validate him at every turn. Continue reading “VIDEO: How Fox News is mainstreaming white supremacists and neo-Nazis”

Poll shows clear disapproval of how Trump responded to Charlottesville violence

The following article by Scott Clement and David Nakamura was posted on the Washington Post website August 21, 2017:

Twice as many Americans disapprove than approve of President Trump’s response to the deadly Charlottesville protests led by white supremacists that ignited widespread political backlash against the White House, although a majority of Republicans offer at least tepid support in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Trump’s handling of the racially charged clashes at the Unite the Right rally Aug. 12 erupted into a major flash point in his administration and earned him rebukes from members of Congress, military leaders and major business executives. The president equivocated in denouncing the hate groups and cast blame on “both sides” for the deadly violence, prompting criticism that he was fanning racial tensions. Continue reading “Poll shows clear disapproval of how Trump responded to Charlottesville violence”

Just How Many Neo-Nazis Are There in the U.S., Anyway?

The following article by Julia Flasphaler was posted on the AlterNet website August 16, 2017:

Credit: Youtube screencap / Vice News

Neo-Nazis suddenly seem highly visible following this weekend’s Unite the Right riot in Charlottesville that left counter-protester Heather Heyer dead. The protest was largely void of Klan hoods, suggesting that neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan are feeling more emboldened. With the renewed visibility of these groups, many may be wondering: How many people do hate groups count as members, and where are these groups located?

Data from the Southern Poverty Law Center suggests the number of hate groups is currently near the country’s all-time recorded high, in 2011. The SPLC reports that as of 2016, there are 917 active groups. (That’s 100 fewer than the 1,108 groups reported in 2011.) The SPLC’s hate map identifies groups by tracking their publications and websites. Of those 917, more than 90 are neo-Nazi groups. California has the highest number with 79, followed by Florida with 63 and Texas with 55. Continue reading “Just How Many Neo-Nazis Are There in the U.S., Anyway?”

Trump and race: Decades of fueling divisions

The following article by Marc FIsher was posted on the Washington Post website August 16, 2017:

Last summer, when Donald Trump’s comments about Mexicans and Muslims led to widespread accusations that he harbored racist attitudes, the candidate pushed back. “I am the least racist person that you’ve ever encountered,” he said.

As evidence, Trump cited an endorsement he’d received from a weekly newspaper published in Ohio by Don King, the legendary African-American boxing promoter.

“Now, Don King knows racism probably better than anybody,” Trump said in an interview with The Washington Post. “He’s not endorsing a racist, okay?” Continue reading “Trump and race: Decades of fueling divisions”

False moral equivalency is not a bug of Trumpism. It’s a feature.

The following articke by James Hohmann with Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve was posted on the Washington Post website August 16, 2017:

THE BIG IDEA: President Trump has a troubling tendency to blame “both sides.”

Showing that the remarks he delivered from a White House teleprompter on Monday were hollow and insincere, Trump yesterday revived his initial claim that “both sides” are to blame for the horrific violence at a white supremacist rally over the weekend in Charlottesville.

Going rogue during an event at Trump Tower that was supposed to be about infrastructure, the president said there are “two sides to a story.” He then attacked counterprotesters for acting “very, very violently” as they came “with clubs in their hand” at the neo-Nazis and KKK members who were protesting the planned removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. “You had a group on one side that was bad, and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent, and nobody wants to say that,” Trump said. “Do they have any semblance of guilt? Do they have any problem? I think they do!” Continue reading “False moral equivalency is not a bug of Trumpism. It’s a feature.”