White nationalists and other right-wing groups will gather along the lawns and brick paths of Lafayette Square in the shadow of the White House on Sunday for a controversial “white civil rights rally.”
The event is being organized by Jason Kessler, the same man who organized last year’s “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville.
That quaint Virginia college town, still wrestling with slavery’s legacy, was the scene of protests, violent clashes and the death of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, who was struck down by a speeding car that plowed into a group of counterprotesters.
The permit application for the Washington rally said 400 people were expected, and described the event as a protest against “civil rights abuse in Charlottesville.” Authorities will be scrambling to prevent violence between participants and counterprotesters.
Here’s what you need to know about white nationalists and what they want:
What is white nationalism?
The term white nationalism originated as a euphemism for white supremacy, the belief that white people are superior to all other races and should therefore dominate society, according to Oren Segal, director of the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism.
Do they sometimes go by other names?
Yes. They include the “alt-right,” “identitarians” and “race realists.” However, Segal said, such words are simply a rebranding – “a new name for this old hatred.”
Richard Spencer, president of the National Policy Institute and the editor of Radix Journal, is credited with coining the term Alt-Right.
“I don’t use the term white nationalist to describe myself,” he said.
“I like the term Alt-Right. It has an openness to it. And immediately understandable. We’re coming from a new perspective.”
Other white supremacist groups include the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis. But most white supremacists aren’t affiliated with an organized group, Segal said. Some also take measures to distance themselves from known hate groups, like the KKK.