Have Hate, Will Travel: The Demographics of Unite the Right

[Yonnie3]

https://www.adl.org/blog/have-hate-will-travel-the-demographics-of-unite-the-right

Extremism, Terrorism & Bigotry
Have Hate, Will Travel: The Demographics of Unite the Right

October 8, 2017

States represented at the Unite the Right rally

Unite the Right drew white supremacists from at least 35 states, according to new research from ADL’s Center on Extremism. This is evidence of the event’s widespread appeal, and of the ability of these extremists to attract a broad, national audience, who are willing to travel significant distances to express their hateful views.

Center on Extremism analysts have identified 200 of the estimated 500-600 individuals who showed up to support Unite the Right. This number does not include the 2000 or so counter-protesters who also lined Charlottesville’s streets on August 12. Most were from the Eastern half of the country, but further-flung states like Alaska, California, Arizona and Washington were also represented. This is attributable in large part to the unprecedented variety of white supremacist groups — from racist skinheads to Klan members — who came together for this event.

The willingness of so many people to commit both time and financial resources to travel for the cause points to a movement energized by the leadership of the alt right, and actively capitalizing on a perceived window of opportunity to spread their message and recruit new members.

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[Fred Sanders]

1. A "window" of opportunity provided by Trump and zero hate speech laws.