The wanton murder of 49 (as of 9 a.m. Eastern) innocent worshipers at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand hours ago serves as a terrible warning about the rise in the violent, global right-wing, white nationalist hate movement. The shooter, as self-proclaimed white nationalist from Australia, wore a body cam to record and disseminate his act of genocide, after posting a "manifesto" of hate on line. Calling it "The Great Replacement," the shooter, Brenton Tarrant, rants in the 74-page screed about whites being "replaced" by Muslims and other non-white ethnic groups. The shooter had reportedly been in contact with followers of Norway's racist mass shooter Anders Breivik, illustrating the connective tissue among white nationalist believers worldwide.
There has been a similar upwelling of right-wing white nationalist violence in the U.S., particularly since the election of bigot and demagogue Donald "Rump" Trump. He's frequently praised on white nationalist social media for his anti-immigrant stance and attacks on Muslims. There are also reports that the mass killer praised Rump in his manifesto, calling him "a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose."
Rump's incapable of acknowledging any role that he's played in emboldening white enthnonationalists. Indeed, in an interview with the notorious white nationalist rag Breitbart, Rump complained about the rough treatment the Dems are giving him, suggesting that he may call upon his violent supporters one day:
"I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump – I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad." (our emphasis)What's truly "very bad" is having Rump use his platform to fan hatred and violence against those that oppose him. What happened in Christchurch may only be a tweet from him away from happening here.
BONUS:
I’m not seeing practically any discussion of the fact that the New Zealand terrorist cited Donald Trump, and far-right GOP hero lauded by Trump, Candace Owens, as part of his inspiration.— John Aravosis 🇺🇸 (@aravosis) March 15, 2019
Had a sitting Dem president been praised by a terrorist, it would be non-stop news. https://t.co/BQacBj3zXZ
(photo: AP)
