What are the important rules you live by? Be kind. Don’t hurt
other people. It’s all the sort of Christian ethics stuff I thought was
bullshit when I was a kid. No, it turns out it’s not bullshit. Tell the truth, be kind, all that corny stuff.
There’s been a lot of discussion surrounding Donald Trump and the so-called “alt-right” (which is basically a term for white nationalism) in the weeks that have passed since the 2016 election. Many members of the white nationalist group have been outspoken Trump supporters, including the founder of the movement itself, Richard Spencer. Trump has also appointed Steve Bannon as his chief strategist — a man who has been heavily associated with the “alt-right.”
The “alt-right” is known for its extremist and racist views, as well as being severely anti-Semitic. It seems like the association between the Trump campaign and neo-Nazis won’t be broken any time soon, as his chosen national security advisor, General Mike Flynn, recently met with Heinz-Christian Strache — the head of Austria’s far-right Freedom Party, which was established by former Nazis after World War II.
The Freedom Party was originally created to be a safe haven for Nazis and Nazi sympathizers after World War II and the Holocaust. In the ‘80s, Jörg Haider became its leader, and the party took a turn toward right-wing populism with a strong anti-immigration stance. As the New York Times explains, today, the party is “anti-foreigner, anti-Islam and anti-globalization” making it an appealing party for Europe’s far-right — much like the white nationalist “alt-right” in the U.S.
It should be obvious that this meeting between Trump’s National Security Advisor and the leader of a neo-Nazi movement is extremely alarming. This meeting calls back to the words of representatives from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, who spoke out after the “alt-right” held a chilling conference in Washington D.C. praising Trump. They reminded us, through their statement, that the Holocaust didn’t begin with killing – it began with words.
