Clara Barros/ Contributing Writer
The FIU Holocaust and Genocide Awareness week seems to have become more important than ever. Remembering history is crucial in the political moment we live in — a moment marked by the rise of neo-Nazi, white supremacist, islamophobic and other far-right groups.
Last year will likely be remembered for “Unite the Right”, the white supremacist rally that took place in August 11th, in Charlottesville,VA. The event gained notoriety after it led to violent confrontations and caused the death of one person, injuring almost 40 people on the way.
At the occasion, neo-Nazi demonstrators – including members of the Ku Klux Klan – gave “Heil Hitler” hand salutes, and chanted “Jews will not replace us”, according to CBS News. When asked why he joined the march, one man explained that “Our country has been usurped by a foreign tribe, called the Jews. We’re tired of it”, as CBS reports.
What is most concerning is that the Charlottesville episode is not an outlier. Research conducted by the Southern Poverty Law Center indicates that far-right hate groups have seen an increase in popularity in the United States in the past few years.
Between 2015 and 2016, neo-Nazi and white nationalist groups both grew by five percent, anti-LGBT groups grew by eight percent, neo-confederate groups grew by 22 percent, and anti-Muslim groups grew by an astonishing 197 percent.
One of the strategies these groups use to propagate their views is historical revisionism: “revising” history by proposing interpretations different from (or even opposite to) the scholarship’s consensus.
Far-right groups often do this by claiming that Nazism was on the left side of the political spectrum, simply because the Nazi party’s name stands for “national socialist.” This amounts to a shallow and ahistorical analysis. Hitler’s project was fascist, and he endorsed the exact opposite of socialist tenets like egalitarianism and internationalism. Socialists and communists were heavily persecuted by the Nazi regime.
Another element that feeds, today, the steep growth of hate groups is the spread of quasi-fascist discourse in college campuses, notably championed by far-right organization Turning Point USA, also present at FIU. TPUSA uses ultra-nationalism, populism and disdain for the working-class as devices to mobilize college students around a reactionary agenda.
This cannot be tolerated. The FIU Holocaust and Genocide Awareness week reminds us of the real, dramatic consequences of supremacist narratives, and compels us to take the responsibility of responding to ideas like the ones advanced in Charlottesville.
History is unnegotiable, and Auschwitz cannot be repeated.
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The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo by Anthony Garand on Unsplash.
Sounds typical of the left,who squawk loudly and often
how tolerant and inclusive they are ! But in reality
ONLY tolerant & inclusive of views they agree with.
This mantra of ” white supremacy beliefs have no place
in our society! ” screams exclusion and intolerance.
The white supremacist on the other hand are known for
Their exclusion and intolerance. One could say it’s
One of their platform planks.
Thus leaving the far left looking disingenuous and
Dishonest!