WHITENESS, DARKNESS
It’s not Islamic — the real terror threat is white nationalism.
Was the massacre of at least 50 Muslims as they prayed at two mosques in Christchurch, N.Z., last Friday strictly a random act of a deranged lone wolf? No. Was the murder solely the work, as the president of the United States described it, of “a small group of people that have very, very serious problems, I guess?” No. Was it an act of violence, however deplorable, that revealed little of where this chaotic 21st century is heading? No. No, no, no. A thousand times no. Beyond the grief so painfully evident in New Zealand, the empty platitudes so easily expressed by our politicians and a breathless 24-7 news culture so determined to distract rather than to inform, we need to keep our eye on the ball.
The events of recent days have revealed to us that there is a genuine global crisis involving increasingly violent white nationalists.
In the words of the Anti-Defamation League, the shootings in New Zealand are the latest indication “that violent white supremacists pose an international terrorist threat … (who) can inspire others like never before.” In their crosshairs are Muslims, above all, but also Jews and other minorities.
And ominously, this has been a crisis largely allowed to fester in full view. A toxic mix of indifference, complacency and complicity by governments and police have provided the spark.
In response to the New Zealand killings, Donald Trump denied that white nationalism was “a rising threat,” claiming that “it’s a small group of people.”
In truth, it has actually been Trump’s policies and rhetoric that have emboldened the white supremacist movement. Does it surprise any of us that the alleged New Zealand shooter described the current U.S. president as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.”
Furthermore, Trump, of course, had his facts wrong denying the rise of white nationalism.
In the United States, white supremacists and other far-right extremists have killed far more people since 9/11 in 2001 than any other category of domestic terrorist. The Anti-Defamation League has reported that 71 per cent of extremist-related deaths since 2008 were committed by members of the far right or white supremacist movements — compared with only 26 per cent for Islamic extremists.
Although U.S. studies indicate there has been a gradual decline of left-wing violence in the past decade, violence by white supremacists and other far-right groups rose during Barack Obama’s presidency, and has surged since Trump took office.
There have been several reasons for this surge. They include growing public fears about the increase in immigrants and the far-right’s sophisticated use of social media to inspire each other.
But they also have been given virtual free rein to operate with very limited police oversight.
In fact, their threat has been largely ignored by political and police authorities in the U.S. and Europe. Instead, the obsession since 9/11 has been to demonize Muslims and to place the counterterrorism spotlight overwhelmingly on extreme Islamist groups.
Significantly, this has not been due to mere oversight on the part of public authorities. In many cases, it has been wilful.
Since the election of Trump, there has been an effort to go easy on right-wing extremism. Several of the key research, security and advocacy programs undertaken by the Obama administration to counter white nationalism were cancelled shortly after Trump took office.
This should be no surprise since Trump has trafficked for years in rhetoric that incites hate and violence. After all, he began his presidential run by accusing Obama of being a secret Muslim and has peddled anti-Muslim lies throughout his presidency.
And, invariably, he echoes similar language to that used by white nationalists.
On the same day that the New Zealand killer used the term “invaders” to describe his Muslim victims, Trump used a White House speech to accuse so-called “illegal aliens” at the U.S./ Mexico border of mounting an “invasion” of America.
The horror of the New Zealand killings certainly had a global impact, and much of that was due to the eloquence and steely determination of the country’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern.
Embracing the country’s Muslim and immigrant communities, her message was unequivocal: “Many of those affected will be members of our migrant communities — New Zealand is their home — they are us.”
Although her approach to the tragedy was in stark contrast to Trump’s, Ardern was careful in her remarks about the U.S. president. Asked what she told Trump when he called to offer condolences, she replied: “He asked what support the U.S. could provide. My message was sympathy and love for all Muslim communities.”
Whether or not the scourge of white nationalism is ultimately defeated may very well depend on whose voice — Trump’s or Ardern’s — endures.