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The latest ABC News/Washington Post poll found that most Americans (56 percent) disapproved of President Trumps response to Charlottesville. The poll also delved deeper into issues that were discussed because of the violence in Charlottesville. It's findings suggest that Americans are widely unfamiliar with the term alt-right.

Ten percent of those surveyed said they support the alt-right movement, 50 percent opposed it, and 41 percent had no opinion of it, indicating, as ABC noted, wide unfamiliarity.

Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed said the alt-right holds neo-Nazi or white supremacist views, 21 percent said it did not, and 39 percent had no opinion.

Theyre not the only ones struggling to understand what the term alt-right, commonly thrown around by the media, means.

During Trumps remarks on Charlottesville, a reporter said, Sen. McCain said that the alt-right is behind these attacks, and he linked that same group to those who perpetrated the attack in Charlottesville

Well, I don't know -- I can't tell you, Trump interrupted, I'm sure Sen. McCain must know what he's talking about. But when you say the alt- right, define alt-right to me. You define it, go ahead.

Well, I think that the reporter began hesitantly.

No, define it for me, come on, Trump insisted. Let's go. Define it for me.

What about the alt-left that came charging at the -- as you say, the alt-right? Do they have any semblance of guilt? Trump asked.

While some neo-Nazis and white supremacists have been labeled alt-right, so have more mainstream figures, including CNNs Jake Tapper.

The Anti-Defamation League calls it a vague term that actually encompasses a range of people on the extreme right who reject mainstream conservatism in favor of forms of conservatism that embrace implicit or explicit racism or white supremacy.

The New York Times defines it as a racist, far-right movement based on an ideology of white nationalism and anti-Semitism, acknowledging, many news organizations do not use the term, preferring terms like white nationalism and far right.

It is also anti-immigrant, anti-feminist and opposed to homosexuality and gay and transgender rights. It is highly decentralized but has a wide online presence, where its ideology is spread via racist or sexist memes with a satirical edge, they add.

An interestingly broad definition given that, just days before that definition was given, another New York Times writer referenced Milo Yiannopoulos as an alt-right provocateur, despite Yiannopoulos being openly gay.

Maybe the alt-right is not opposed to homosexuality? Or maybe just some of it is?

The poll also found that 35 percent of Americans reject the idea that Trump has been equating neo-Nazis and white supremacists with the counter protestors at the Charlottesville rally. Forty-two percent say he has been equating them, and 23 percent have no opinion.

The poll also asked participants, Do you yourself think its acceptable or unacceptable to hold neo-Nazi or white supremacist views?

Nine percent overall called it acceptable to hold neo-Nazi or white supremacist views, and 83 percent called this unacceptable, while 8 percent had no opinion.

Excerpt from:
New Poll on Charlottesville Shows Many Americans Confused by the Term 'Alt-Right' - Townhall

A permit has yet to be issued by the National Parks Department for the proposed Patriot Prayer rally at San Franciscos Crissy Field this Saturday, but even if the event is cancelled, dozens of counter protests are expected all over the Bay Area. Sam Brock reports. (Published 3 hours ago)

A permit has yet to be issued by the National Parks Department for the proposed Patriot Prayer rally at San Franciscos Crissy Field this Saturday, but even if the event is cancelled, dozens of counter protests are expected all over the Bay Area.

Congresswoman Jackie Speier believes the reason a permit has not been issued is because officials havent determined if the event could pose a threat to the local community.

Im certain that theyll make a decision within the next 24 hours that will make it convenient for those who want to protest and those who want to participate, said Speier after a Womens Equality Day press conference.

Until the National Parks Department determines whether or not to grant a permit, the Human Rights Commission has already begun to schedule a series of community events to help inspire a conversation on the issues of equality.

The events focus on educating participants on the historical context of movements against white supremacy in the Bay Area as well as the local impact of racism.

Were really hoping that folks will stay united, come together in love and avoid putting themselves in a situation where they may be provoked, said executive director of the Human Rights Commission, Sheryl Evans Davis.

Here are the upcoming events hosted by the Human Rights Commision:

Much like the Boston protests last weekend, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, hopes that Bay Area counter protesters will behave with the same.

I would hope that if people turn out, we have followed the example of Boston, said Pelosi after a Womens Equality Day press conference. Where the silence was deafening, it spoke louder than any of the comments that any of us could make.

Golden Gate Park headquarters have yet to respond to requests for more information on the issue.

The Patriots Prayer rally is billed as "a day of freedom, spirituality, unity, peace, and patriotism." Organizer Joey Gibson promises a diverse group of speakers and condemns the recent violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Check out this list of upcoming events:

Published 5 hours ago | Updated 4 minutes ago

Read the original post:
Counter 'Alt-Right' Protests Expected in San Francisco - NBC Bay Area

Sixty-seven planned rallies in 36 states that were meant to attract members of the so-called alt-right and other racist groups are moving online after a free speech rally on Saturday in Boston attended by white supremacists was drowned out by demonstrators.

ACT for America is deeply saddened that in todays divisive climate, citizens cannot peacefully express their opinion without risk of physical harm from terror groups domestic and international, reads a statement from the anti-Islamic group behind the rallies, which were meant to begin September 9.

Instead, a Day of ACTion will be conducted through online and other media, ACT said, but it did not detail what shape that would take.

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A demonstrator holds a U.S. flag in front of white supremacy flags and banners as self-proclaimed white nationalists and members of the "alt-right" gather for what they called a Freedom of Speech rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., June 25. Jim Bourg/Reuters

The group accuses extremist individuals and groups inspired by the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) as well as anti-fascists, neo-Nazis and the KKK of creating security issues at similar free speech events this month.

In recent weeks, extremist and radical organizations in the United States and abroad have overrun peaceful events in order to advance their own agendas, and in many cases, violence has been the result, the group said. Protests against neo-Nazis were held in Germany last week.

Tens of thousands of anti-racist demonstrators also marched in Boston Saturday, dwarfing the number of alt-right members who gathered to express their views in Boston Common. The alt-right label was coined by white nationalist Richard Spencer and acts as an umbrella term for white supremacists, conspiracy theorists and misogynists.

The counterprotest was largely peaceful and followed a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned violent the week before. In Charlottesville, one counterprotester was killed and 19 others injured when police said a right-wing activist drove his car into a group of pedestrians. Anti-fascist groups in Charlottesville also pepper-sprayed and beat white supremacists.

Related: U.S. authorities consider shutting down hard-right rallies after Charlottesville

The ACT for America statement was first given to the hard-right website Breitbart. The sites executive chairman, former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, has called the outlet a platform for the alt-right.

Two hate group watchdogs, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Anti-Defamation League (ADL), identify ACT for America as the largest anti-Muslim group in the U.S. ACT propagates the hateful conspiracy theory that Muslims are infiltrating U.S. institutions in order to impose Sharia law, according to the ADL.

In June, ACT organized simultaneous March Against Shariah events throughout the U.S. that attracted armed militia groups, white nationalists and other members of the alt-right, including the Blood and soil fascist group Vanguard America and white nationalists Identity Evropa.

Shariah law in Europe and North America refers mainly to an Islamic family law court system set up for religious adherents that can be used to mediate and settle disputes. Many hard-right Americans see the system as encroaching on the traditional European court systems jurisdiction. Since 2010, 15 anti-Sharia bills have been passed in various states. A total of 42 have been tabled across the U.S.

ACT for Americas membership is patriotic citizens whose only goal is to celebrate Americas values and peacefully express their views regarding national security, according to group, which claims to have 750,000 members.

In 2007, the groups founder,Brigitte Gabriel, saidat the Department of Defenses Joint Forces Staff College that any practicing Muslim who believes the word of the Koran to be the word of Allah...who goes to mosque and prays every Friday, who prays five times a daythis practicing Muslim, who believes in the teachings of the Koran, cannot be a loyal citizen of the United States. She has made a number of other anti-Islamic statements.

Despite these statements, ACT says that any organizations or individuals advocating violence or hatred towardanyone based on race, religion, or affiliation are not welcome at ACT for America events, or in the organization.

The groups online day of action is planned for September 9.

View post:
Alt-Right 'America First' Rallies Move Online After Boston 'Free Speech' Protest Is Overrun - Newsweek

Richard Spencer, a prominent white nationalist, said Tuesday that, despite President Trump's remarks denouncingwhite supremacists and neo-Nazis, the president has yet to condemn the alt-right.

"Trump has never denounced the Alt-Right. Nor will he," Spencer wrote on Twitter.

Trump has never denounced the Alt-Right. Nor will he. #ArizonaTrumpRally

Speaking at a campaign-style rally in Phoenix on Tuesday night, Trump insisted that he sufficiently denounced hate groups after violence erupted during a white nationalist demonstration in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month.

Instead, he said, the media failed to accurately cover his remarks in the wake of the violence that left one counterprotester dead.

"They dont report the facts. Just like they dont want to report that I spoke out forcefully against hatred, bigotry and violence and strongly condemned the neo-Nazis the white supremacists and the KKK," he said.

But Trump made no mention of his initial claim in the aftermath of the violence that "many sides" were responsible for the mayhem a claim that drew fire from both Democrats and Republicans.

Continued here:
Richard Spencer: 'Trump has never denounced the Alt-Right' | TheHill - The Hill (blog)

In recent days, it has occurred to me that that radical Islamists and the alt-right have more in common than domestic terrorism. By tapping in to similar psychology and group dynamics, the alt-right is aping the recruitment strategies of radical Islam.

Consider this: Terrorist groups like al Qaeda purportedly believe that getting the West to overreact is more important than instilling fear. If you can provoke enough non-Muslims to treat all Muslims with fear and hostility, write Stephen D. Reicher and S. Alexander Haslam in Scientific American, then those Muslims who previously shunned conflict may begin to feel marginalized and heed the call of the more radical voices among them.

The alt-right is likewise playing the long game of engaging in behavior so despicable as to entice an overreaction. This is the smart thing to do if you are a relatively small (in number) movement that prioritizes recruitment. The end result is to increase polarization by red-pilling whites into viewing a shared racial status as their defining identity (which is why another term for the alt-right is identitarian).

Heres how it works: When minorities see Nazis marching in Charlottesville, they are understandably troubled. But when their leaders overreact to the acts of a small group of whites who are attempting to co-opt conservatism, it actually helps push mainstream whites into the alt-right.

A prime example of this overreaction played out recently when liberals like Al Sharpton and my CNN colleague Angela Rye suggested that statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson (not just Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson) should be taken down.

By coming after Washington and Jefferson, otherwise apolitical and moderate whitespeople who never thought much about their white identitycould have skin in this game.

The same liberals who worry that we are creating more terrorists by being overly aggressive on the anti-terrorism front dont seem to worry that they might be creating more racists by being overly aggressive in their opposition to racism.

This is not to say we shouldnt fight against fascism; we should. It is to say that we should fight smart. Sadly, some on the left have taken the bait.

This is not to say that left-wing iconoclasm is the moral equivalent of drone strikes, but it is to say that there are some parallels in the way extremists bait us into overreacting in order to grow extremism.

In the case of Washington and Jefferson statues and monuments, the desire to remove images of Americas Founding Fathers demonstrates the radical nature of ones adversaries. Even for those who would prefer to remain on the sidelines, confronting the unreasonable demands of retroactively imposing modern values on our nations most revered founders might justify fighting fire with fire.

Its plausible to imagine some young white conservative who is sort of on the fence about all of this now thinking: Well, if theyre going to come after Washington and Jefferson, I guess this really is a mutually excusive, binary choice. And the truth is, I dont have a choice. I was born this way.

This is just one small example of how liberal overreaction fans the flames of extremism, but its a timely one.

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Extremists on both sides make it harder for anybody to be a conscientious objector to this culture war.

It has been said that the first thing you should do upon going to jail is to join a gang for protection. In that regard, the outside world is becoming more and more like prison.

You may not be interested in tribalism, but tribalism is interested in you.

Just as moderate Muslims may come to believe that they will never be truly accepted by a white mob that wrongly conflates them with terrorists, some vulnerable whites increasingly feel pressed into service for their tribe. Young people are especially vulnerable to getting caught up in this cycle. If the alt-rights plan works, this same sort of misrecogntion will also help drive moderate whites into the alt-right.

It used to be easy to spot a white supremacist. They wore hoods or stupid black Hitler t-shirts or skinhead tats and regalia. In contrast, anyone wanting to signal that he was harmless could do so by looking preppy or stylish and being educated or cosmopolitan.

Thanks to the alt-righters, thats no longer the case. Consider the tiki-torch rally held in Charlottesville the Friday night before the big protest. Donning polos and khakis, these guys looked more like they were attending the Brooks Brothers riot than a Nazi rally.

This was not an accident. Recently, the editor of the Daily Stormer advised his fellow neo-Nazis to start dressing better and getting in shape. But theres more to it than aesthetics. As Cam Wolf writes in GQ, the khaki-wearing demonstrators in Charlottesville weren't trying to be fashionablethey were trying to blend in. And in doing so, they've turned the blandest items in our closets into a dog whistle. Is your neighbor wearing a polo and khakis because he's a style-agnostic dad? Or is he just actively supporting the creation of a white ethno-state? The problem is that when they put on our uniform, they dont just blend in with us, we blend in with them.

Case in point: The other day, a man was stabbed and accused of being a neo-Nazi in the parking lot of a Steak n Shake in Colorado, all because his haircut resembled that worn by alt-righters (called a fasci). This man is reportedly considering changing his look, and who could blame him? At the micro level, thats probably what will happen. But its the macro level that concerns me. Its not absurd to think that someone attacked or shamed (even in a case of mistaken identity) might be easier to radicalize. We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be, warned Kurt Vonnegut. But maybe we also become the people who pretend to be us?

This is not to say that it will work. There are lots of moderating traditions and mediating institutions in America to mitigate this. But its very clear that the alt-right is tapping into some of the same strategies that have been used to fuel the growth of other extremists in history.

Violence usually begets violence; hate usually begets hate. At least, thats what the alt-right is planning on.

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What the Alt-Right Has Learned From Al Qaeda - Daily Beast