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Tag: jewish
Tucker Carlson

Right-Wingers Take The Mask Off Their Antisemitism

Prominent right-wing commentators with major platforms and significant influence over the Republican Party spent last week airing their grievances about the Jews, an unprecedented foray into antisemitism that drew cheers from white nationalists for its explicit nature.

Right-wing commentators often promote classic antisemitic tropes in a more coded fashion. Former President Donald Trump and his media allies endorse a deracinated version of the standard, blood-soaked antisemitic conspiracy theory in which a shadowy cabal of Jews controls the heights of government, finance, and the media and uses its nefarious power to corrupt children, replace the white population with violent minorities, and destroy the fabric of society. They simply substitute Democrats, progressives, or the name of a specific (often Jewish) figure as their adversary where an out-and-out neo-Nazi would “name the Jew.”

Antisemitism surged in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 terror attack on Israel and Israel’s brutal retaliation in Gaza, with online bigotry and hate crimes targeting Jews on the rise.

Neo-Nazis and other factions of the far right are taking advantage of the situation to “push antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes into the mainstream,” Vice News reported.

Right-wing commentators maintain influence and profit by staying keenly attuned to the interests and grievances of their audiences. Last week, in the latest chapter of a very old story, some of the biggest names on the right decided to turn their attention to the problem posed by the Jews, whom they blamed for purported hatred directed at white Americans.

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X (formerly Twitter) and a Republican Party hero for his reactionary views and his willingness to impose them on the social media platform, is one of them. On Wednesday, Musk explicitly pointed the finger at American Jews in promoting the white nationalist “great replacement” conspiracy theory cited by the Tree of Life synagogue shooter.

When a paid X Premium user on Wednesday, in explaining why “Hitler was right,” accused Jewish communities in the U.S. of “dialectical hatred against whites” and blamed them for “flooding their country” with “hordes of minorities,” Musk responded, “You have said the actual truth.” Musk subsequently clarified he was not talking about “all Jewish communities,” just those who “unjustly” attack “the majority of the West” for antisemitism rather than “the minority groups who are their primary threat.”

Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News star and GOP kingmaker, hosted popular Daily Wire podcaster Candace Owens earlier the same day to discuss her public feud over the Israel-Hamas war with her company’s founder, Ben Shapiro. (The squabble had included posting “Christ is King” during an online back-and-forth with her Jewish colleague, drawing criticism for what one conservative writer called a “coded” but “vaguely anti-Semitic attack.”)

Carlson and Owens offered up views strikingly similar to Musk’s, criticizing Jewish university donors for trying to limit anti-Israel speech on campus after previously supporting the preaching of “white genocide,” a term popularized by white nationalists and linked to the great replacement conspiracy theory.

“If the biggest donors at, say, Harvard have decided, ‘Well, we’re going to shut it down now,’ where were you the last 10 years when they were calling for white genocide? You were allowing this,” Carlson said. “And then I found myself really hating those people, actually. ‘You’re OK with that? On what grounds were you OK with that?’”

Owens replied, “And this is what I’ve been trying to explain to the pro-Israel lobby, that what you were seeing as lack of support is people that are asking the question, ‘Where were you as we have endured all of this?’”

“You were paying for it,” Carlson interjected. “You were calling my children immoral for their skin color. You paid for that. So why shouldn’t I be mad at you? I don’t understand.”

As the comments from Musk and Carlson spurred a backlash, Charlie Kirk, whose pro-Trump advocacy as president of Turning Points USA made him a key player (and a wealthy one) in the former president’s political apparatus, defended them by saying they were largely correct.

Kirk addressed Musk’s remarks on his podcast Thursday, defending the richest man on the planet from critics “calling him an antisemite.” Kirk said that it is “absolutely true” that “Jewish communities have been pushing the exact kind of hatred against whites that they claim to want people to stop using against them.” He added that “not every Jewish person believes that,” but “it is true that some of the largest financiers of left-wing anti-white causes have been Jewish Americans.”

Turning to Carlson’s comments, Kirk said that the former Fox host is right that, in Kirk’s words, “Jewish Americans have primarily been financing cultural Marxist ideas.” He explained, “Tucker Carlson is completely correct by saying this, that the philosophical foundation of anti-whiteness has been largely financed by Jewish donors in the country.”

Musk, Carlson, Owens, Carlson, and Kirk have, to various extents, drawn criticism from other right-wing commentators seeking to establish guardrails against noxious antisemitism. But no one in the Republican Party establishment seems interested in having that fight. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis repeatedly refused to take issue with Musk’s comments during an interview on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the far-right is celebrating as its vile ideas, once confined to fringe cesspools, move closer to the mainstream.

A social media account operated by Gab.com, the platform infamous for its popularity among white nationalists and neo-Nazis, responded to Musk’s remarks by taking credit for having “successfully red-pilled Elon Musk on the [Jewish question].”

Andrew Torba, Gab’s openly and virulently antisemitic CEO, offered the following take on the week's events.

Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist activist who has called for Jews to “get the fuck out of America” and dined with Trump last year, is similarly ecstatic. On his show, he praised Musk for agreeing with “what we were saying in Charlottesville. This is like when the Charlottesville marchers said, ‘Jews will not replace us,’ I mean, that’s like a summary of that.”

Surveying the week’s developments on the right, the prominent Holocaust denier added: “Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump, Candace Owens, Charlie Kirk, Elon Musk are all regularly now talking about white genocide, anti-white hatred, and the role of Jewish elites, whether they're ADL or they're Zionists, and some even talking about this religious division as well between Christians and Jews.”

Reprinted with permission from Media Matters.

Neo-Nazis, White Nationalists Cheer Trump’s Feud With Black Leaders

Neo-Nazis, White Nationalists Cheer Trump’s Feud With Black Leaders

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

When President Donald Trump unleashes his racist attacks on public figures of color like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), and Al Sharpton, it provides direct comfort and support to the most repugnant and dangerous parts of the white supremacist movement.

But while unabashed racism has become ubiquitous in Trump’s rhetoric, a couple of remarks in his recent Twitter tirades jumped out at me as particularly strong dog whistles for darkest corners of the bigoted right-wing.

As part of his recent attacks, Trump said — without explanation — that Cummings is “racist.” Targeting Sharpton, he was even more specific about what he meant, saying the he “Hates Whites & Cops!”

There is, of course, blatant hypocrisy in these remarks, because while the president and his defenders say it’s ridiculous to call him racist, Trump feels no compunction about lobbing such accusations at others without explanation. But aside from this obvious hypocrisy, it seemed to me there was something deeper and more nefarious going on in these accusations. It’s a step beyond his accusation that Omar and her allies in the “Squad” supposedly “hate America” — an accusation that is steeped in racism and bigotry but also reflects feeds off a long-running political argument in the United States about political divides over patriotism.

The accusation that Cummings and Sharpton actively hate “Whites” — not America generally, but only “Whites” — stood out. And white supremacist contributors to the hate site “Stormfront” picked up on the wording as well, taking it as a signal that the president is on their side.

“Is this the first time DJT has explicitly stood up for White folks?” one asked. “Or has he apologized yet? More of this, Donnie, and you might win next year!” (The president has not apologized.)

Others on the site agreed, echoing the sentiment that Sharpton hates white people, with some adding that all black people hate white people and that the feeling is “mutual.” One added a hopeful note about what Trump’s comments mean: “For an American President to call a black person racist will hopefully embolden thousands of Whites to do the same against other non-Whites.” Yet another said Trump got “bonus points” for his tweet capitalizing the word “Whites,” as is often a custom in these forums.

As has been repeatedly observed, many white supremacists who contributor to forums like Stormfront are skeptical and critical of the president because of his relationships with Jewish people. Anti-Semitism, Nazism, and Holocaust denial run deep in these circles, and while Trump has sometimes employed anti-Semitic rhetoric, he doesn’t go nearly as far as some of these bigots would like and he has Jewish family members. In the discussion of Trump’s remarks, some of the Stormfront contributors continued to express skepticism about the president for being “close to the jews,” but they welcomed his attack on Sharpton and “blacks in general.”

Jessie Daniels, a sociology professor at the City University of New York and expert on internet manifestations of racism, told me that the president’s comments were “egregious and obviously racist” and that she was “stunned” there was any debate about the question.

“If the white supremacists are giving you thumbs up, then that’s a good sign that what you’re doing is racist,” she said.

With these types of comments, she said, the president is clearly “emboldening” the far right.

“There’s this history and this consistency in this presidency of saying things that signal to white supremacists that he’s on their side,” Daniels said. She pointed to another moment during the 2016 campaign when Trump retweeted a user with the handle “WhiteGenocideTM.” Some white supremacists, she said, took this as a signal that he was on their side, even if they didn’t see him as an anti-Semitic ally.

By accusing prominent black figures of being racist toward white people, Trump feeds into the white supremacist myth that white people are the true victims of racism. This partisan nature of this belief is reflected in polling data, which shows that Republicans are significantly more likely to say whites are subject to “some” or “a lot of” discrimination.

Daniels said this has long been a part of the white supremacist narrative opposing civil rights and equality for African-Americans.

“Whites saw themselves as under attack because of the calls for equality,” she said.

“It goes through til today,” she continued.  “We’re living in a moment of white backlash against the Obama presidency.”

Most people who voted for Trump or plan to vote for him again likely don’t see themselves as allies of the people who contribute to sites like Stormfront. But Trump seems to think his best chance at re-election is by tapping into the fears at the core of the ideology that drives white supremacy, which may be shared by many people who would explicitly reject the label. And by echoing the type of rhetoric and beliefs favored in some of the most bigoted recesses of the far-right movement, Trump is doing his part to give these people a voice on the national stage.

Man Charged With Capital Murder In Kansas Shooting Rampage

Man Charged With Capital Murder In Kansas Shooting Rampage

By Tony Rizzo, The Kansas City Star

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Johnson County prosecutors on Tuesday filed two types of murder charges against a 73-year-old avowed racist and anti-Semite in the shootings deaths of three people outside Jewish facilities in Overland Park.

Frazier Glenn Cross Jr., better known as F. Glenn Miller, is charged with one count of capital murder in the killings of 69-year-old Overland Park doctor William Lewis Corporon and his 14-year-old grandson, Reat Griffin Underwood, outside the Jewish Community Center where Reat was auditioning for a talent contest.

A capital murder conviction carries a life sentence without parole unless prosecutors seek the death penalty, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said. Under Kansas law, Howe doesn’t have to make a decision on seeking the death penalty until after a preliminary hearing.

Miller is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Terri LaManno, 53, a Kansas City mother of three who was shot outside Village Shalom senior living facility, where she had gone to visit her mother.

A first-degree murder conviction carries a life sentence with no parole possible for at least 25 years.

Miller, who was arrested about 20 minutes after the first shootings, is being held in lieu of a $10 million bond.

Though the killings happened at Jewish facilities, all three victims were Christians.

Howe announced the charges at a Tuesday morning press conference. He was accompanied by Barry Grissom, U.S. attorney for the District of Kansas. who said he does not anticipate any federal charges to be filed within the next week.

“Before I make any decision, I want all the facts,” said Grissom, who said that he is comfortable at this point with moving forward on federal hate crime charges.

A federal conviction could carry a death penalty, depending on what charges are filed and whether the Department of Justice decides to seek the death penalty — a decision that would be made in Washington, Grissom said.

One criteria that makes a case eligible for a federal death penalty is if a convicted felon uses a weapon in a hate crime, Grissom said.

Miller was convicted of a federal felony on weapons charges in the 1980s.

Since Johnson County filed state charges before the filing of any federal charges, Miller will be tried in state court first, Howe said.

The case remains under investigation, Howe said. There is a good possibility of additional state charges being filed, he said.

Capital murder is the most serious charge a person can face in Kansas, which does not have a hate crime charge.

Under Kansas law, the intentional and premeditated killing of more than one person “as a part of the same act or transaction or in two or more acts or transactions connected together or constituting parts of a common scheme or course of conduct” is one of the limited circumstances that capital murder applies.

Though two people were killed outside the Jewish Community Center, only one charge was filed in their deaths because the deaths occurred as part of the same act.

Howe said he would consult with members of the victims’ families before deciding whether to see a death sentence.

“I don’t plan to make a knee-jerk decision on that,” he said. “I want all the facts.”

Howe and Grissom declined to talk about evidence in the case. Neither would discuss a possible motive.

Aided by tips from witnesses, two Overland Park police officers spotted Miller inside the car he had driven away from the shooting scenes. The officers ordered Miller to surrender and he did without incident, said Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass. Several weapons were recovered, including a shotgun and handgun, Douglass said.

Miller, of Aurora in southwest Missouri, is scheduled to make his first appearance in Johnson County District Court Tuesday afternoon.

Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/MCT

Kansas Attack Brings Back Painful Memories In Seattle

Kansas Attack Brings Back Painful Memories In Seattle

By Christine Clarridge, The Seattle Times

SEATTLE — Cheryl Stumbo felt like she’d been “hit with a ton of bricks” when she learned of the fatal shootings at two Jewish facilities in suburban Kansas City, Mo., on Sunday, allegedly by a white supremacist.

“A shooting on the eve of Passover, a Jewish community center, a hate crime with guns. It’s so unbelievably bad, it knocked me off my feet,” said Stumbo, who survived a gunman’s attack at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle nearly eight years ago.

Stumbo, who has since become an advocate and activist for changes in gun laws, said she could not stop crying for hours after learning of Sunday’s shootings.

Stumbo and five colleagues were shot on July 28, 2006, when Naveed Afzal Haq walked into the federation and opened fire.

Director Pamela Waechter was hit in chest then tried to flee.

Haq chased her down and shot her in the head, killing her.

Stumbo spent six weeks in the hospital recovering from her injuries.

Haq was given two life sentences and an additional 120 years in 2010 for the shootings.

Jurors said they didn’t accept the defense’s contention that Haq was criminally insane at the time of the shootings.

During the seven-week trial, witnesses testified that Haq, who is of Pakistani heritage, railed against Jews and U.S.-Israeli policies as he opened fire in the Jewish Federation, an umbrella organization for the local Jewish community that raises money for social-welfare organizations, runs youth and adult educational programs, and engages in efforts supporting Israel.

Prosecutors agreed that Haq had a mental illness but contended he was sane when he entered the federation and opened fire.

Since the 2006 shooting, Stumbo, 51, has become an advocate for gun responsibility, working as the outreach associate for Mayors Against Illegal Guns and serving on the board of two gun-responsibility alliances.

“One of the biggest tragedies about (Sunday’s shootings) is that it was preventable. Here is a guy who had a history of violence with firearms and yet he, the last person in the world who should have had access to firearms, had access to firearms,” Stumbo said Monday.

Jim DiPeso, the marketing and communications manager for Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, said Sunday’s shootings served as a reminder.

“Any time an event like this occurs, it is a reminder of what we experienced eight years ago and a reminder that we always have to keep safety and security paramount,” he said.

Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/MCT