Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on July 19, 2017

The so-called alt-right rose to such prominence during the course of the 2016 presidential election, and was being mentioned in the media so frequently, that the Associated Press felt it necessary to issue guidelines on how to use the term. Just a few weeks after Donald Trumpwith support from the alt-rightbeat Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, the AP said mention of the movement should always be accompanied by a definition, such as an offshoot of conservatism mixing racism, white nationalism and populism, or a white nationalist movement.

The movement has remained active and visible in the months since Trumps election and inauguration, but another group of right-wing activists has also emerged onto the scenethe alt-lite. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) released a whos who guide to right-wing activists on Tuesday to define and differentiate between the two groups, and to identify several key figures associated with each.

In the past year, members of the alt right and alt lite have been increasingly at odds with each other, even as they hold public rallies to promote their extreme views, Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADLs CEO, said in a statement. We want people to understand who the key players are and what they truly represent.

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The ADL defines the alt-right (or alternative right) as a segment of the white supremacist movement that rejects mainstream conservatism and embraces racist, anti-Semitic and white supremacist ideology. Its a loose network whose members tend to be relatively young and active on the Internet and social media. The alt-lite, which is sometimes also referred to as the New Right, refuses to publicly support the white supremacist aspects of its counterparts beliefs. But members of the alt-lite do hate feminists, immigrants, Muslims and anyone on the left. In other words, the main differentiator between the two groups is the explicit racial component of their nationalism.

While the alt right has been around for years, the current iteration is still figuring out what it isand isnt, Oren Segal, director of ADLs Center on Extremism, said in a statement. This is further complicated by the emergence of the alt lite, which operates in the orbit of the alt right, but has rejected public displays of white supremacy. Both movements hateful ideologies are still somewhat fluid, as are the lines that separate them.

Nevertheless, the ADL has begun a whos who guide to both branches of right-wing activists, featuring 36 key figures to start. Some have been in the spotlight in recent months, while others are less familiar.

The alt-right list includes figures such as Andrew Anglin, founder of the neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer, who was recently sued by a Jewish woman in Whitefish, Montana, accused of orchestrating a troll storm of harassment and threats against her and her family. It also features Richard Spencer, the white supremacist who is credited with coining the term alternative right. Less than two weeks after the election, Spencer gave a speech at a conference of the National Policy Institute, of which he is president, that was met with Nazi salutes.

Milo Yiannopoulos, the well-known provocateur whose book was dropped by Simon & Schusterafter a controversy about comments he apparently made about pedophilia, is classified as an alt-lite figure here. Hes joined by Gavin McInnes, Proud Boys leader and founder of theFraternal Order of the Alt-Knights and Vice magazine, which heleft in 2008. A video he posted in March titled 10 Things I Hate About Jews sparked such controversy that he later changed the title to 10 Things I Hate About Israel.

The ADL plans to update the guide as new activists and leaders surface in the fluid landscape of right-wing figures.

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'Alt-Right' or 'Alt-Lite'? New Guide From ADL Classifies Right-Wing ... - Newsweek

Category: Anti-Defamation League
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