The Growing Threat of White Nationalism
By Jo Lorenz
It’s been four days now since the massacre of 50 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand
While this heinous and calculated crime on my Muslim-ANZAC brethren has left me desperately sad, it has also left me more resolute than ever to openly defy anyone who continues to play-down white nationalism as something on the outskirts of modern society. The reality is that white nationalism is an international threat, void of borders, being exported, digitalised and globalised, right before our eyes — and if you can’t see that, you need to wake the f_ck up.
The core of white nationalism is not engulfed in wisdom, nor does it boast an abundance of insight. It is not rational, it is not discerning, it is not logical. White nationalism — and indeed all forms of extremism — is simply forged through fear, manipulation and an acute empathy deficit. Fear that non-white folks are daring to try to expropriate the privileges previously only afforded to white people. Manipulation by white nationalist media that the power that ‘belongs’ to whites is being brazenly distilled. Fear of ‘invasion’ and that the white race is being forced into a position of vulnerability and weakness. All fear. All manipulation. All pathetic.
When asked whether white nationalism is a rising threat after the Christchurch massacre, Trump said: "I think it's a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess.” Once again, and unsurprisingly, this latest statement from Trump is both utterly void of fact and articulation.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a US-based organisation focused on tracking extremist activity. Last year their data tracking revealed that white supremacist murders in the US more than doubled in 2017; and that far-right extremist groups and white supremacists were responsible for 59% of all extremist-related fatalities in the US in 2017. Then in 2018, the ADL recorded 1,187 incidents of white supremacist propaganda in the US, a 182% increase from 421 incidents in 2017. 182%!!
Furthermore, over the past two years in the US there have been several high profile incidents involving white nationalists, including: the Unite the Right march and consequent murder in Charlottesville, VA; the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh, PA; and sixteen pipe bombs mailed to prominent critics of Trump, including Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and CNN Headquarters.
The brutal and calculated attack in New Zealand last week punctuates these disturbing trends and confirms that white nationalism is a ubiquitous tumour that has gone global. The disgraceful man charged with the New Zealand massacre said that Trump is a ‘symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose’ while also citing a list of white nationalists who inspired him.
Fact: White nationalism, white propaganda and far-right extremist attacks are on the rise.
Donald Trump is a proven liar, cheat, manipulator and coward, as well as being belligerently dumber than bygone batshit to suggest that these groups do not present an alarming and burgeoning threat.
White nationalism and propaganda have constantly been at the centre of destructive mainstream culture throughout history, each time to the detriment of human decency, human health and the health of our planet.
Unless we collectively demand that our leaders and elected-officials adhere to the fundamental deliberative of equality, love and tolerance, extremism in all forms will return to our collective cultural mainstream, and I promise you, that story never ends well.
Please do not remain silent, please do not tolerate bigotry and please do not let hate win by denying its existence. Concentrated denial is bigger than the aggregate order.
