Opinion

The Rise of White Nationalism in America is a Problem.

Editor- In- Chief Orlando Angelone

According to a study done by the Anti Defamation League in 2018, three of the deadliest years in America in regards to homegrown extremism have been 2015, 2016, and 2018. In those three years alone over 190 people died, and many more were injured. There has been a very drastic increase in extremism across the United States over the past ten years and it is very concerning.

I do not doubt that the United States has its fair share of problems at the moment. Whether it be our ever rising debt, the growing threat of climate change, or the healthcare crisis that has been brewing for over thirty years. But all of these extremely important battles can and will be lost if we do not confront the battle that is being waged for the very heart and soul of our nation at the moment.

There are 39 hate groups within the state of Virginia according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Three are anti-Muslim, two are anti-immigrant, three are chapters of the Ku Klux Klan, two are radical Catholicism, there are two Neo-Nazi groups, three Neo-Confederate groups, three are black nationalist, and overwhelmingly, the most popular type of hate group in our state and in fact the entire country are white nationalist groups.

There has been a drastic rise in white nationalist groups since 2009, with hundreds of groups popping up, and as of now it does not look like it will be getting better any time soon.

White nationalist groups across the United States have been ramping up their recruiting efforts as of late, and we all know that their internet presence is quite large on certain message boards on 4chan and 8chan and to a lesser extent more mainstream platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, but that is not where it ends. White Nationalist groups have started to spread their propaganda to the streets. There have been multiple occasions where flyers have been spread around that contain vulgar white nationalist propaganda. These flyers and posts state that all people of European origin ought to be proud of their heritage, especially the aspects that involved the conquering and enslaving of other peoples. They try to convince their unknowing victims that all of the problems that they face are caused by others, and in a majority of cases, they are attacking one of history's most victimised groups, the Jews.

The Associated Press has reported that anti-semitic attacks have been on the rise in a very drastic and concerning way in the last few years, leading to what they call an, "increasing sense of emergency” for jewish communities around the world.

The crux of this violence was the attack on a Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in October of 2018 that left 11 dead. It was found out soon after the attack had taken place that the perpetrator was an active anti-semite and white nationalist. His online history was populated with alt-right propaganda and talking points. It cannot be understated that people like the man that perpetrated that attack where not as common around ten years ago as they are now, and the number of these people are not going down.

So what should we do? Well the number one thing is to not let yourself fall into their traps. If you see their propaganda online, do not let yourself believe it, look at the real facts and try to slow the spread of this cancer on our society.

Another thing you must consider is that violence is never the answer. Every time that someone performs an act of aggression against a white nationalist or a neo-nazi it only strengthens their resolve. All that we can do is disregard them and let them wither away and die. If we do this, then hopefully we can live in a society free from the fear of right wing extremist groups.