Charlottesville: A White Terrorist Attack
By Lawrence Pfeil, Jr.
Heather Heyer was killed and 19 others were wounding, some critically, while protesting against NAZIs, Klansmen, the Alt-Right, and other white nationalist groups who had converged on Charlottesville, Virginia for the “Unite the Right” rally.
According to reports, one rally participant laid in wait in his car for the protestors to fill the street. Taking a page from the ISIS playbook, video shows him gunning the engine, mowing down marchers, backing up and over his victims, and then plowing into them again.
We’ve seen this exact type of attack in Nice and London with media outlet graphics and chyron crawls plastering our screens with TERROR ATTACK. But coverage in the media this time has been noticeable more “reserved” in its phrasing. They’re saying “terrorist attack,” but not splattering it everywhere in sight as before.
Where there has been a deafening silence on the obvious terrorism is from the President. His statement not only tried to blame the victims “on many sides,” but also neglected to denounce the hate groups who participated in the Unite the Right rally.
So, why the hesitation and failure to call this violence and carnage what it is?
In polite terms it’s called, white privilege; in reality it’s racism.
A brown skinned, non-Christian, person commits a violent murderous act on innocent people its terrorists and Trump goes on a twitter tirade condemning them, their organizations, and swears to protect America with their destruction.
A white, Christian, pretty boy does the exact same thing in America?
(crickets)
Never forget, Trump’s Chief Strategist and puppet master is the racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic, Steve Bannon who ran the Alt-Right media outlet, Breitbart News. What’s more these organizations don’t just support Trump; they literally praise him, for example Alt-Right leader Richard Spence. (FYI, heil is German for hail)
As President, Trump is the de facto leader of the Republican Party, and by not immediately, publicly, and vehemently denouncing the radical right groups in Charlottesville his “silence implies consent” and enforces his de facto place as their leader too.
The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the KKK, neo-Nazis, Alt-Right, etc. “hate groups.” But it’s time to start calling them what they are white, radical Christian terrorist organizations and treating them as such. Terrorism has always been their stock and trade: the Klan burns crosses; NAZIs phone bomb threats to synagogues; and skinheads threaten gays with violence and death.
Yes, it’s time to start calling out radical Christian extremists. If there are radical Islamic extremist, there are also radical Christian extremist too. How many Christians have stated publicly homosexuals should be put to death? (Ted Cruz was endorsed for President by pastor and radio host Kevin Swanson who does.) All of these white Christian terrorist groups use the Bible to justify their hate; give themselves dominion; and want to impose their God’s law on everyone else.
The man who slammed his car into a crowd in Charlottesville is as much a terrorist as the man who picked up a gun and walked into Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
Oren Segal of the Anti-Defamation League, who was in Virginia happened to capture a picture of the man police have in custody rallying with white nationalist group, Vanguard America before the attack and tweeted it out.
Vanguard America denies he is a member; but even if you believe them, it’s irrelevant. Lone wolf terrorists are self-radicalized by extremist groups and their propaganda constantly.
Heather Heyer’s last words on Facebook were, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.”
How prophetic.
(Main photo courtesy of Standard Republic)
(Note: TheOUTfront is aware the identity of the driver in Charlottesville is known, but refuses to give him any notice, fame, or publicity for his heinous act.)
