IN THIS ISSUE Violence in Virginia: the Rise of the Alt-Right

IN THIS ISSUE Violence in Virginia: The Rise of the Alt-Right

Duration: 19:07

In August 2017 a quaint college town in Virginia became the epicentre of America’s cultural and racial divide. White nationalists clashed violently with counter protesters. One woman died after a car was deliberately driven into the crowds. Dozens were injured. But what led to this seeming re-emergence of virulent racism and white supremacy? And is this strictly an American problem? It seems Canada has more than a few neo-Nazi groups of its own.

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VIDEO REVIEW helpful to use a framework specifically developed for discussions involving race. Before Viewing – What is Race? Glenn E. Singleton and Curtis Linton developed a protocol called “courageous Did you know that ancient societies did not conversations” to help students and divide people according to physical educators have these dialogues. differences but according to religion, status and language? It was not until modern The Four Agreements of times that race became a social construct Courageous Conversations and people began to identify people by 1. Stay engaged skin colour and other physical characteristics. Try to actively listen, participate and reflect on the dialogue from moral, emotional, Race has no genetic basis since not one intellectual, and social perspectives. characteristic, trait or gene distinguishes all members of one so-called race from all 2. Experience discomfort members of another so-called race. There is Talking about race doesn’t cause racism only a 0.1 per cent DNA variation among but it will cause discomfort. This discomfort is individuals. In other words, our genetic needed to bring awareness, healing and similarities far outweigh our differences. change.

The concept of race has been used as a 3. Speak your truth justification for denying some people the rights and freedoms that others take for Honestly share your perspective in an effort granted. As the concept of race evolved, it to raise your own awareness and the was used to justify slavery, the oppression of awareness of others. Indigenous peoples, the exclusion of 4. Expect and accept non-closure certain groups of immigrants and the colonization of the lands of other people. You must be willing to remain uncertain. Racial practices were institutionalized within Don’t rush to easy solutions. Commit to government, laws, and society. having the dialogue again. Subsequently, race has become a powerful social idea. White privilege in particular has created social advantages for people who belong to this dominant group. This has affected everyone, whether we are aware of it or not.

Conversations about race, racism and hatred are difficult and important. Since our race impacts all of our lives, you may find it

Task What does this quote mean to you? Why do you think there has been an Using the protocol of courageous increase in the number of white conversations, answer the following nationalist and white supremacist questions: groups in Europe and North America in FIRST » on your own the last decade? NEXT » with a partner Viewing FINALLY » debrief in a group of four or five 1. The hundreds of torch- 1. What is your racial identity? Does your carrying protesters are racial identity provide you with identified as white advantages or disadvantages? How do supremacists in the video. you think people of other races view  True  False your race? 2. The protest was held near How can we learn more about other Washington, D.C. racial identities? How can we learn  True  False more about our own racial identity? 3. Donald Trump’s statement after the 2. How do you define your personal violent protest was criticized by many identity (note: your racial identity might people because… be a part of this)? Think about your age, a) he blamed “many sides” and not your interests, what languages you solely the white supremacists. speak, your religious/spiritual beliefs, your gender, your nationality, your social b) he stated that he admired Robert E. class, your education, your family Lee. background and your community. c) he stated that the protesters were not neo-Nazis. 3. What is the difference between your racial identity and your personal 4. The mayor of Charlottesville said that, identity? during his presidential campaign, Donald Trump courted white 4. What aspects of your racial identity supremacist and white nationalist provide you with advantage, power or groups.  True  False privilege? What aspects of your racial identity cause you to be marginalized or 5. How does white nationalist leader oppressed? Richard Spencer explain the alt-right as an “identity movement”? 5. Social rights activists have come up with a saying: “When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.”

6. How does Christian Picciolini, a former After Viewing Neo-Nazi and founder of Life After Hate, explain the alt-right? TRY THIS! 7. What does Picciolini think of President Return to the Before Viewing questions (under the Task Trump’s responses to groups promoting heading). Create a collage using apps such as PicCollage hate? or Diptic that visually represents your answers to question 1, 2, 3 or 4. 8. Which Canadian white supremacist groups are mentioned in the video?

9. Why do some people support the removal of John A. Macdonald’s name from schools in Canada?

Some people claim that they do not see race. This may be a well-intended stance but colour blindness will not end racism. Pretending that race doesn’t exist is not the same as creating equality. Race is more than stereotypes and individual prejudice. To eliminate racism, we need to identify and remedy social and institutionalized policies that advantage some groups at the expense of others.

THE STORY

Violence in Charlottesville

In August 2017, a “Unite the Right” rally turned violent as white supremacist groups clashed with counter protesters. The rally was held to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee from Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. Lee was a general in the Confederate Army during the U.S. Civil War. He was fighting for the South in defence of slavery. The organizer of the rally was Richard Spencer, a white nationalist leader, who portrayed the demonstration as a defence of an historic memorial. Opponents of the white nationalists viewed the statue as an endorsement of colonial racism and staged a counter-protest to combat the ideas put forward by the “Unite to Right” rally organizers.

Many of the “Unite the Right” protesters carried assault rifles (Virginia laws allow the open carrying of firearms) and wore full camouflage. Some marched with flaming tiki-torches and shouted the Nazi-era slogan, “Jews will not replace us.” Others draped Confederate flags over themselves and carried shields as they entered Emancipation Park. Swastikas and “Trump- Pence” signs were also carried by many of crowds were dispersed, a woman was the protestors. Word of these actions murdered by a man who intentionally spread like wildfire and inspired counter- drove his car through a crowd of counter- protestors to gather to stop the “Unite the protesters. An additional 19 people were Right” rally. Eventually, the governor called injured. The driver was linked to several in the National Guard to disperse the white supremacist groups. crowds because he worried that a clash The rally brought alt-right groups and their between the two sides would lead to beliefs to the forefront of the news. widespread violence. Shortly after the

President Trump was widely criticised for not condemning white nationalists specifically. By blaming “both sides” for the violence he was seen as making a moral equivalency between white supremacists and those who oppose them. Trump later denounced white supremacist groups. He caused further controversy by accusing people of trying to “take away our culture” in reference to the confederate statues. The Richard Spencer violence in Charlottesville sped up the removal of Confederate statues for many moments. Alt-right is an umbrella term for cities. Some Canadians watched in many different groups of people with right- disbelief as their neighbours to the south wing ideologies who reject mainstream muddled through their national battle with conservatism in favour of white nationalism. racism. Canadians also wondered: is the Richard Spencer, an American white alt-right a problem in Canada as well? supremacist, promoted the term alternative right (later shortened to alt-right) beginning in 2010 in the United States. Many people The activist group Stop Normalizing developed feel the term alt-right is used to intentionally the “stop normalizing Alt-Right” Chrome extension. The extension changes the term STOP disguise racist, white supremacist, neo- “alt-right” on webpages to “white supremacy”. fascist, neo-Nazi beliefs and other forms of hatred in order to bring these ideas into the mainstream. The rise of the alt-right in Canada Alt-right recruiting The quick answer to that question is: YES. Canada has a history of problems with Promotional posters and pamphlets by alt- white supremacist groups. For decades, right groups have appeared on campuses political organizations like the National across Canada promoting free speech, Party of Canada, the Heritage Front, and white identity, and Islamophobia. Two the Western Guard Party have spread right- groups that are attempting to recruit wing, anti-Semitic and racist propaganda. university students include Generation These groups were often charged and prosecuted by provincial and federal governments for violating hate speech laws The most recent Canadian hate crime statistics show and, sometimes, for committing acts of there has been a 60 per cent rise in hate crimes perpetrated against Muslims since 2014. violence. Nationally hate crimes overall rose by 5 per cent Social media has proven to be a catalyst with a 39 per cent spike in the province of Alberta. for the current crop of alt-right hate

Identity, a self-proclaimed ethno-nationalist According to Davide Mastracci, “Not only group which was launched in France but would it send a clear message to the has branched out to other nations, and public, but the law enforcement threshold Atalante, an ultra-nationalist group which would be lowered, so police would more held a gathering at Quebec’s National easily be able to take action against the Assembly to voice their claim that group, fundraising and mobilizing on behalf immigration was eroding Quebec culture. of the organization would become illegal, and more surveillance tactics would Hate groups in Canada deliver a steady become available.” stream of anti-I slamic and anti-immigration rhetoric to its supporters. These groups include: Soldiers of Odin/Soldats d’Odin, “Alt-Left” is a term used by some conservatives to (and its splinter group Storm Alliance), the identify those to the far left of the political spectrum. World Coalition Against Islam, Pegida The term was used by President Trump in an August 15, Canada, Canadian Combat Coalition and 2017, press conference after the attacks and protests in the Three Percent. These groups frequently Charlottesville. He stated that both sides were to blame threaten Muslims and are openly hostile to for the violence at the rally. He criticized what immigrants, refugees and multiculturalism. he called the “very, very violent . . . alt-left” as a way of contrasting non-white supremacist Dealing with the alt-right protesters with the alt-right. A study published by Dr. Barbara Perry and Ryan Scrivens found there are over 100 far- Task right groups existing in Canada. Often these Choose one of the topics below and groups pose as “free speech” activists while conduct an inquiry. Present facts from reliable others offer themselves as “security” for and credible sources and pose two (2) ways other hate groups who are having a “free that you can take positive action against speech” rally. These groups are media hate: savvy, intentionally provocative and seek to draw young people into supporting their  Social media’s role in promoting hate ideas. The alt-right idea of “identitarianism”  Islamophobia in Canada has worked its way towards the American and Canadian mainstream and ideas,  Anti-Semitism in Canada once considered racist, are now being  White supremacy in Canada viewed by many as acceptable topics of conversation.  Alt-right memes on social media  Donald Trump’s presidency and the rise How can we tackle the danger of the alt- of the alt-right right? Some experts want alt-right groups to be viewed as terrorists and to be treated that way both politically and legally.

Facing History: Geographic Names Changes, Symbols and Statues

Communities and nations have evolving and Removal of symbols, statues, monuments changing identities. Sometimes these changing identities result in people expressing The Charlottesville protest stemmed in part strong feelings about which historical figures from objections to the removal of a statue of and which parts of the national identity should Robert E. Lee, a Confederate General. To be preserved and celebrated. They also have many, the symbols of Confederate America strong feelings about which parts of the represent an oppressive and evil past involving national identity should be changed or slave ownership and racial derision. removed. Consider the following examples of Confederate relics continue to act as how changing attitudes and beliefs have had concrete tributes to the white supremacist an impact on geographic names as well as the movement. To families whose ancestors died symbols and monuments of particular nations. for the Confederate side – the side that lost the U.S. Civil War - these memorials are a tribute to Geographical renaming lost lives and to heroic leadership. In the U.S., the debate over Confederate symbols has Here are a few examples of geographical been going on for years. One turning point renaming: came when Dylann Roof, a white supremacist with an affinity for the Confederate battle flag,  The city of Bombay changed its name to killed nine black parishioners in a June 2015 Mumbai to distance itself from the legacy church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. of British colonial rule in India. Ten days later, Bree Newsome, an activist,  The Gold Coast in Africa was renamed climbed a 30-foot flagpole and removed the Ghana in 1957 for the same reason. Confederate flag from the South Carolina  Frobisher Bay in Canada was changed statehouse grounds. The Confederate flag back to its original Inuktutut name Iqaluit to remains a contested symbol in many states in recognize Indigenous rights and identity. the U.S.  Saigon, the name of a city in Vietnam, was International examples renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the fall of South Vietnam to North Vietnam in 1975 to What about nations other than the United honour the new leader. States? Do they have contested symbols?

There are dozens more examples of  Germany removed all Nazi symbols and communities that were renamed to signify new names from its buildings and institutions political power or changing attitudes after World War Two. To this day, teaching especially towards an oppressive past. lessons about the Holocaust and the Third Reich is a mandatory part of its curriculum.

 Monuments and symbols of European To consider colonialism have also been removed in several counties. Historical figures who were once revered are now questioned by new societal standards  In Cape Town, South Africa, a statue of and beliefs. Do you think historic symbols imperialist businessman Cecil John Rhodes should be subject to societal critique and was dismantled in 2015. removal? Why or why not?  In Caracas, Venezuela, a monument to Christopher Columbus, who claimed the After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, land for Spain in the 1400s, was toppled in Lithuania moved its statues of Stalin to a Soviet- 2004 and replaced by a likeness of style theme park, where guests could be treated Guaicaipuro, an indigenous chief who to a quasi-theatrical experience of life in a Soviet bunker. resisted Spanish conquerors.   Statues of Joseph Stalin, a former leader of Sources the Soviet Union, have been destroyed in many former Soviet states. Fortin, J. (August 17, 2017). Toppling Monuments, a Visual History. The New York Times. Retrieved from:  Statues of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin have nytimes.com/2017/08/17/world/controversial-statues- also been removed in countries such as monuments-destroyed.html Romania, Uzbekistan and Ethiopia, around Jorde, L.B. and Wooding, S. (2004). Genetic variation, the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union. classification and race. Nature Genetics. Retrieved from: nature.com/ng/journal/v36/n11s/full/ng1435.html?foxtrot Meanwhile in Canada callback=true Lamoureaux, M. (June 14, 2017). The birth of Canada’s Recently, delegates of the Elementary armed anti-Islamic patriot group. Vice Canada. Retrieved Teacher’s Federation of Ontario (ETFO) from: vice.com/en_ca/article/new9wd/the-birth-of- approved a motion that called upon all school canadas-armed-anti-islamic-patriot-group boards to rename schools and buildings Mastracci, D. (September 7, 2017). Why Canada missed named after Sir John A. Macdonald. its best chance to de-radicalize the alt-right. The Walrus. According the ETFO, the motion recognizes Retrieved from: thewalrus.ca/why-canada-missed-its- best-chance-to-deradicalize-the-alt-right/ that Macdonald has been celebrated based upon an incomplete version of Canadian Montpetit, J. (January 8, 2017). Inside Quebec far right alt right. CBC News. Retrieved from: history. “As a central architect of the Indian cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/inside-quebec-far-right- Act and residential schools, Macdonald alt-right-1.3919964 played a key role in systems that perpetuated Singleton, G.E. & Linton, C. (2006). Courageous genocide against Indigenous people. Passing Conversations about Race: A Field Guide for Achieving this motion recognizes that the impact this Equity in Schools. pp.58-65. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. history has on all of our students, but What is Race? PBS.org. Retrieved from: specifically on Indigenous students, parents pbs.org/race/001_WhatIsRace/001_00-home.htm and educators.”