August 15, 2018

Far-right extremists in the U.S. suffer a hit

located:	USA
editor:	Yair Oded

It was a year ago when a crowd of white supremacists held a rally they called “Unite the Right” in Charlottesville, Virginia, which culminated in violent clashes between them and anti-racist protesters and the murder of counter-protester Heather Heyer by a white supremacist.

To commemorate the anniversary of the Charlottesville march, the founders of Unite the Right have organised a “Unite the Right 2” rally, this time in Washington, D.C. Just like its name, however, the march was a serious flop. White supremacists’ numbers have dwindled dramatically (only about two dozen of them were reportedly in attendance), and the latter were drowned out by a massive crowd of counter protesters. As many across the nation continue to battle the systemic and prevalent racism in America, it is important to recognise the decline of Unite the Right and examine its causes.

One factor behind the apparent collapse of Unite the Right came from within its ranks. The violence sparked by last year’s rally, and the tragedy of Heyer’s death, led many far-right activists to distance themselves from the movement. Although white supremacists were given a boost by the president following the events in Charlottesville, the reaction across the nation was far more visceral. Names and pictures of white supremacists were circulated in the media and social media, and many of them have been shunned from their communities and lost their jobs.

In an interview for The Hill, George Hawley, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama who studies the far-right, claimed that far-right activists had aspired that last year’s march “would make them transition into being a normal, real-world political movement.” Yet, he argues, “The opposite was what happened. They found themselves further marginalized, and they did not make gains among the rest of the population, and I suspect it really put a damper on future growth."

Another major cause behind the organisation’s failure was its difficulty to organise and fundraise following the bloody Charlottesville rally. Many social media platforms have blocked their members, and PayPal, which constituted the main fundraising source for the group, have since denied access to its members. Facing increasing difficulty in organising, as well as in securing and transferring funds, Unite the Right sustained a drastic institutional and financial collapse.

This is a significant and positive development in the fight against racism in America. The crumbling of Unite the Right, the expansive and harsh boycotting of their members and the gathering of over one thousand anti-racist protesters in D.C. last Sunday all serve as reminders of the power citizens have to speak out against injustice, and their ability to harness community leaders, businesses, and major institutions to support their cause.

That being said, liberal Americans (and all those who oppose hatred, really), should not rest on their laurels, for while extremists such as KKK and Neo Nazis are experiencing a downfall in America, racist sentiments continue to permeate mainstream culture through right wing leaders and institutions. Covering Sunday’s events in D.C., Fox News commentator Lou Dobbs reported of left-wing “thugs” wreaking havoc across the capital, outnumbering “so-called white supremacists”. Another Fox News commentator, Tucker Carlson, denied the prevalence of white supremacy in the United States, saying “It’s not even a meaningful category. It is incredibly rare. You could easily live your entire life in this country not meeting a single person who believes anything like that. Most of us have lived lives like that. I have!” Exclaimed the white commentator, before stating that the actual crisis is growing violence among the left. This comes from a commentator who in a previous episode lamented the “bewildering demographic changes in America”, angrily referring to an increasing population growth of Latinos in American cities “without public debate” on the matter.  

“I don’t think the fight is over,” said a counter-protester in D.C. last Sunday in an interview with The Young Turks, “I think the fact that there are even two or three people here speaks volumes… this is still a problem." While another counter-protester said, "The fact that they even decided to come at all to D.C. tells you that the person in the White House is giving them licence.” 

Commenting on Sunday’s rally in D.C., the president tweeted: “The riots in Charlottesville a year ago resulted in senseless death and division. We must come together as a nation. I condemn all types of racism and acts of violence. Peace to ALL Americans!”... wink-wink.