What Is The Alt-Right? Facts About The White Nationalist Movement

With the rise of President Donald Trump in the U.S., the country’s attention has shifted to the rise of an alternative or alt-right — a group of people supporting far-right ideologies. People supporting this ideology are blamed for promoting racism, anti-Semitism, and misogyny.

Rejecting mainstream conservatism, supporters of the alt-right ideology say they are mainly concerned about their race, nationalism, civilization, and their culture. They paint themselves as guardians of the U.S. culture and society.

Read: Alt-Right Leader Richard Spencer Responds After Southern Baptist Convention Condemns White Supremacy

The term “alternative right” was first used by paleo-conservative philosopher Paul Gottfried in November 2008 while addressing the H.L. Mencken Club. However, Richard Spencer, the director of the National Policy Institute, is often credited with coining the term. In an interview with Europe Maximum in February, Spencer said he coined the term “alternative right” to distance himself from “the failures of mainstream American conservatism.”

The mission of Spencer’s Nationalist Policy Institute is to be “dedicated to the heritage, identity, and future of people of European descent in the United States, and around the world.”

Supporters of the alt-right advocate for mass deportation of people who are not Americans, traditional gender roles and conspiracy theories.

While the alt-right remained off the news, it found its way to the mainstream when Trump — during his presidential campaign, vowed to keep immigrants out of the U.S. and verbally attacked Muslims — began gaining popularity and support from a set of white nationalists, such as Spencer. Those who are affiliated to alt-right reject egalitarianism and universalism. They have been staunch opponents of immigration and seek racial homogeneity.

“Right-wing populists are not necessarily extremists, and extremists are not necessarily populists. The latter, however, is very likely, as extremism lends itself to populism. The more ethnocentric the conception of the people, the more xenophobic the positioning against the other, and the clearer the desire to overthrow democratic governance, the more likely it is that a right-wing populist party is also extremist,” according to non-profit German foundation the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.

Apart from Spencer, right-wing Breitbart News’ ex-editor Steve Bannon, who serves as the White House chief strategist, is also reported to be a supporter of alt-right. He previously said Breitbart was the "platform for the alt-right.” However, he retracted the statement later stating he is not a white nationalist but an “economic nationalist.” Jared Taylor, the founder of white supremacist magazine “American Renaissance,” and Greg Johnson who runs the Counter-Currents Publishing company also know alt-right supporters.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, alt-right is not “monolithic.”

“The diversity of far-right ideologies that it includes has resulted in some disagreement with regard to Jews, and whether to blame them for the perceived plight of white culture—a belief that has undergirded many sectors of white nationalism for decades. While some alt-right leaders are unquestionably anti-Semitic, others … are not, seeing Jews simply as white people,” the center says.

Read: What Is Antifa? Anti-Fascist Movement Clashes With Alt-Right

Far-right ideology has not only gained popularity in the U.S. but also in European countries. In France, there is Marine Le Pen who has been vocal about closing the doors for refugees. The Netherlands’ Geert Wilders used harsh words against immigrants and maintained immigration from Muslim-dominated countries should be stopped to counter terrorism. In February, Wilders reiterated a controversial statement on Moroccan immigrants. He called them “Moroccan scum.”

“Once again not all are scum but there is a lot of Moroccan scum in Holland who makes the streets unsafe, mostly young people,” he said at the time. “If you want to regain your country, if you want to make the Netherlands for the people of the Netherlands, your own home again, then you can only vote for one party.”

However, opponents of far-right ideology have begun citing centrist independent Emmanuel Macron’s win in the French presidential election against Le Pen, as a proof that egalitarianism and universalism are what people still prefer.