Alabama editor under fire after calling for KKK revival

WASHINGTON: The publisher of a small Alabama newspaper has come under fire after calling in an editorial for the return of the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan. Goodloe Sutton, publisher and editor of The Democrat-Reporter, wrote the editorial that appeared in last week’s edition of the weekly newspaper in Linden, Alabama. “Time for the Ku Klux Klan to night ride again,” the editorial said. “Democrats in the Republican Party and Democrats are plotting to raise taxes in Alabama. “Seems like the Klan would be welcome to raid the gated communities up there,” it said. “Truly they are the ruling class.”

Alabama Senator Doug Jones, a Democrat, called for Sutton’s resignation. “OMG! What rock did this guy crawl out from under?” Jones tweeted. “This editorial is absolutely disgusting & he should resign-NOW! “I have seen what happens when we stand by while people-especially those with influence publish racist, hateful views,” Jones said. Sutton, 79, defended his views in an interview with another newspaper, the Montgomery Advertiser.

“If we could get the Klan to go up there and clean out (Washington) DC, we’d all been better off,” he told the Advertiser. Asked whether he considered the Klan a violent organization, Sutton said “well, they didn’t kill but a few people. “The Klan wasn’t violent until they needed to be.” Linden is a town with a population of around 2,000. According to the Advertiser, The Democrat-Reporter had about 3,000 subscribers in 2015. —AFP