A woman and man hug at a makeshift memorial after the massacre at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. Photo: EPA-EFE
Source:
https://scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3021865/declare-war-white-nationalism Comment
Declare war on white nationalism
- The killing of 22 people in El Paso, Texas, by an avowed racist is yet another reminder that terrorism is not exclusive to Islamic extremism
Chanting "White lives matter!" and "Jews will not replace us!", white supremacists march through a US university campus in 2017. Just as with Muslim extremism, governments have to declare war on white nationalism. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein / Washington Post.
Terrorism and Islamic extremism have become synonymous.
But what of the spate of attacks by white gunmen on ethnic groups, as in El Paso in the American state of Texas at the weekend where 22 people were killed, or on two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch in March that left 51 dead?
If the attackers had been Muslim, there is no doubt the incidents would have been treated differently, with national and international intelligence agencies mobilised to crack down on the ideology behind such hate.
Until there is an acknowledgement that white nationalists are also terrorists and have to be treated as such, the prevalence and scale of the killings will only worsen.
The Christchurch attack inspired the 21-year-old man who opened fire in a supermarket in El Paso, which is near the United States border with Mexico.
Like the Christchurch attacker, he had posted a manifesto on an online forum known for its racist content, writing he feared an “Hispanic invasion” that was replacing white Americans.
“Invasion” and “replacement” are terms frequently used by racists and those who oppose non-white migrants on the grounds that they are taking jobs and opportunities. US President Donald Trump frequently refers to immigrants and refugees as an “invasion”; he has denied he is a racist.
Around the world in the past eight years, more than 175 people have been killed in 16 high-profile attacks by people identified as white nationalists.
Apart from the Christchurch shootings, Muslim worshippers have also been killed in Britain and Canada, and black churches and synagogues targeted in the US. Activists and politicians have been murdered in Britain, Greece, Norway and the US.
Some of the incidents have been perceived by authorities as terrorism, as in the Christchurch shootings, and such charges are being considered against the Texas gunman.
But charges alone do not get to the heart of racism and hatred. The social media sites that enable the spreading of ideology, obtaining of weapons and financing, and inspire attacks have to also be dealt with.
Just as with Muslim extremism, governments have to declare war on white nationalism.