The threat of white supremacy at UNT
The Editorial Board
According to WFAA, police are investigating the “white nationalist propaganda” fliers that appeared in Wooten Hall and other UNT areas this week. Including appalling headlines such as “we have a right to exist,” and “White America is under attack,” at least six of these fliers have been uncovered and taken down.
Isaac Davis, a UNT student for his second year, discovered one of the fliers and took a photo of one, according to the report. He later described the signs as “shocking,” “suspicious” and “could potentially be dangerous.”
UNT isn’t the only American college to be plagued with this issue. Last November and December, white supremacist group American Vanguard posted similar fliers at Massachusetts’ Emerson College, Indiana’s Purdue University and the University of Central Florida.
At Purdue in particular, one poster read, “Defending your people is a social duty, not an anti-social crime.” Since the message was typified by artwork of a white woman and her baby, it’s disturbingly clear how perverse this nationalist epidemic actually is.
In the Life Scieneces building @UNTPrez @UNTsocial pic.twitter.com/gkUIwv4w7s
— Imani La Negra (@imaniblack_) January 30, 2017
Worst of all, these posts aren’t illegal by national standards. Thanks to the seemingly flawless First Amendment, freedom of speech is protected for the sake of all people, assemblies and white supremacists throughout the nation.
In fact, the only reason an investigation can even happen is because those signs violated university policy. According to University Policy #07.012, students “are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that demonstrates respect for the rights and property of others.” We are also expected to “[uphold] the integrity of the university community.”
Originally issued on Aug. 1, 2003, the objective of this policy is “to foster a safe environment conducive to learning and development.” But who would’ve guessed that almost 14 years later, the Code of Student Conduct would be invoked to prevent the dissemination of xenophobia on our beloved Mean Green?
Since similar reports began last November, it’s easy to assume that the election and inauguration of President Trump provided a gateway for groups like American Vanguard and the “alt-right” to rise.
American Vanguard posters at #Purdue
The revolution is growing!https://t.co/XPONGJ2jbn pic.twitter.com/TIifLwbQNo— American Vanguard (@americavanguard) November 30, 2016
While America’s fearless leader was wise enough to expand his slogan into “[making] America great again for everyone,” his executive order to ban Muslims and plot for an anti-immigrant wall are only worsening matters for people who aren’t white Christian males. These kinds of nationalists on North Texan soil are simply a further step in splitting America apart.
Say what you will about UNT President Neal Smatresk’s Monday letter, which declares a commitment to international students and faculty despite his refusal to declare UNT a sanctuary campus. Regardless, the letter provides at least one commendable statistic: how “our university family is greatly enriched by more than 2,500 international students from more than 130 countries.”
By citing this, President Smatresk reassured students that our campus has, and will continue to, turn blind eyes to any student’s “country of origin or immigration status.” Despite the threat of white supremacy, his letter is more than enough encouragement for us to continue spreading progressive thought everywhere we go.
Due to First Amendment guarantees, these racist groups have something of a “right to exist.” On the flipside, the Constitution gives us the right to speak against them in return.
Hopefully, we won’t have to resort to violence in our efforts to combat this growing rebirth of proto-fascism. No matter how many people are hurt defending what’s right, racism is a cross-generational ideology that will never truly end.
However, virtue will never end either. Therefore, we can exercise our right to keep that ideology moving forward.
Featured Illustration: Samuel Wiggins
This speech is offensive. So what? So are the pictures of aborted fetuses that fundies like to display every year. I am willing to tolerate such displays of free speech. People should talk about it, post about it, criticize it but don’t throw away free speech because someone said or did something offensive.
I’m actually ashamed to be an alum… not because someone put up some “alt right” flyers, but because of this op ed piece (of garbage). Don’t get me wrong… I didn’t vote for Trump (or Clinton, by the way) and I am not white (hispanic male if you’re wondering). But there are a few things that I would be remiss if I didn’t point out. Yes we do have the 1st amendment in this country, and it does – and should protect even people on the alt right. It is also worth noting that if this flyer traded out virtually any other race besides white people, not one eyebrow would be raised. You can tell me I’m wrong, but I know I am not! In fact… I believe that the “literature” would be celebrated by most if it had been written for any other group besides anglos. Finally… the statement “hopefully we won’t have to resort to violence… ” is disturbing to say the least. Resort to violence? Because some flyers were put up? I must have missed the “call to arms” that these flyers contained.
Is racism wrong? Sure. Have I been the victim of it myself? Yes I have, unfortunately. But if I wanted to start the Latino Lives Matter Group, I doubt I would be chastised for it. And so far I haven’t seen any language in these flyers that indicates any violent tendencies… Only pride in one’s race, and a notion that said race has a right to exist. Again… take any other race and insert it where it says “white” and I wonder if anyone even bats an eye.
Show me proof of this statement “his executive order to ban Muslims and plot for an anti-immigrant wall”. His executive order was not to ban Muslims, it is an attempt to implement a system in which people from certain countries that are known as hotbeds for terrorist activity are properly vetted before entering into the United States. If the order was “banning Muslims” there would be many more countries on the list. Oh, and by the way, the genesis of this list of countries is straight from Obama’s administration. The proposed wall will not stop immigration. Not legal immigration that is. This country has a laws and processes to handle immigration legally. Simply walking across the border is not legal and puts our country in danger and contributes to the financial trouble we’re currently experiencing. Tell me why I can’t walk into a bank, point a gun at the teller and have that person give me all the money in the vault and not expect to be incarcerated for it? Because we have laws and that activity is illegal. Breaking the law is breaking the law. I don’t care if you’re stealing, slandering, murdering or coming into this country illegally. Laws are laws and need to be followed. Without laws and citizens who abide by them this country will fall into chaos.
This article is nothing but hot air and LAZY journalism. The author(s) are as guilty of fear-mongering as the author(s) of the fliers discussed in the article.
“Hopefully, we won’t have to resort to violence in our efforts to combat this growing rebirth of proto-fascism.”
“Hopefully, we won’t have to resort to violence…”
“Hopefully…”
Are you saying that white people do NOT have a right to exist? Remind me again, who’s the xenophobic one here?
“We have a right to exist.”
SO OFFENSIVE LOL!
I’m sitting here holding my 11 month old son. I’ll be sure to tell him and his brothers and sisters that NTDaily wants them dead, the logical conclusion of such an anti-white mentality.
The historic majority of this nation has been victorious dozens of times. We are not going to fall, and we are not yielding up our patrimony to those who would commit genocide against us. If you think that dramatic, I challemge you to research the UN definition.
This is not going away. This is the protocol of the next 50-100 years.
You could give up identity politics and race grievance at any point. We as a collective were ready for such a measure in 2008. You chose not to though. You chose to double down, as you do now.
It I’ll not be pretty. It only takes a hundred of us to take down an empire. Fortunately those of us on the Alt-Right are enormously fecund while leftists (socio-sexual failures, let’s be honest)) are largely sterile. thank God.
The post-1945 world ended in 2016. We are in a new age of nationalism and particularism. We will not commit suicide just because we make you feel inadequate.
The West, including Canada and America, is not and never was intended to be, a place for “all races and nations”. To claim that it is, or was, is a direct attack on the identity, legitimacy, and existence of the Western people.
This talk about “oppressed minorities” dissimulates the very real disenfranchisement of the White majority, of non-white meritorious and integrated Westerners, and serves to deny us from our rights to public empathy,
to dignity, or to even basically survive in a world of our own.
Progress and Virtue you say?
Keep trying to build your Ministry of Truth, and never forget to doublethink:
“WAR IS PEACE,” “FREEDOM IS SLAVERY,” “IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.”
-Ministry of Truth Party slogan from George Orwell’s Nineteen-Eighty-Four.
Oh my. What a horribly racist article. You should be ashamed of yourself. All you’ve cited of offensive activity at UNT in this article is “White America is under attack”, and “we have a right to exist”? And THAT’S offensive to you? Have you not heard of black lives matter? Or seen the coverage of CAIR every time anyone says anything about Muslim terrorism? I have no idea who American Vanguard are but I can smell racism and it’s in your writing. You think a temporary ban on countries whose main religion is the world wide sponsor of terrorism and a wall to protect against ILLEGAL immigration is aimed at benefitting white males?? You sirs, are the racists. And you want sanctuary campuses? Well, I guess that seals it. You are a racist, criminal lover. Thank goodness you lost the election.
Why is this offensive?
They’re not denigrating any other race or group. They’re simply saying that anti-white sentiment is wrong.
Are you saying that civil discourse must always begin with a condemnation of the white race?
Isn’t that racist in and of itself?
If offensive speech is not protected by the First Amendment, then the Amendment itself is worthless.
“Including appalling headlines such as “’e have a right to exist'”
WHAT? I absolutely do not understand what is so appalling about that slogan. So I guess white people asserting their right to exist is now “White Supremacist Propaganda”?
“‘Defending your people is a social duty, not an anti-social crime.’ Since the message was typified by artwork of a white woman and her baby, it’s disturbingly clear how perverse this nationalist epidemic actually is.”
My god, you people are crazy and unhinged! You should seriously consider removing this article from your website.
In what world is it offensive for white Americans to stand up for their own interests? In a time when multiculturalism has fragmented the Republic, every interest group has its own advocacy groups except the descendants of the people who actually founded the country and who are increasingly the targets of abuse both in popular culture and academia. This article and the hatred it demonstrates for white Americans is shameful; the North Texas Daily owes an apology to its readers and all Americans.
Very well said. https://twitter.com/KC_Jr_
Haven’t you heard? White people are evil.
Why are you misrepresenting the temporary immigration restrictions as a “Muslim ban”? It is most certainly not a Muslim ban, as over 90% of the world’s Muslims are not affected by it. It bans all entrants from countries that are either state sponsors of terror, or known safe havens for terror. It’s not a “Muslim ban”.
It’s not a “Muslim ban”
He acts as though whites DON’T have a right to exist.
“Worst of all, these posts aren’t illegal by national standards.”
You still don’t quite understand who the threat to liberty is, do you?
What a shamefully ignorant and bigoted piece of writing this is, and unintentionally ironic.
Why do white “interests” include a belief in racial supremacy and the subjugation of all non-white peoples? Of course, everyone has a right to exist, but wouldn’t it be in our best interests to work together for the overall progress of the human race? Isn’t harmony a key interest in the survival of human beings on the planet Earth? White people need to learn to take what they dish and understand that their actions have consequences. And violence cannot be met with nonviolence for long. If survival is your focus you’d see that.
Dang, guess you got their attention. At least they can show up in force via internet comments, just not in person. If only they had the balls.
THIS^^^
They showed up in person last November on Election Day, and the days before for early voting. That’s why Donald Trump is president. Participating in protests that are just excuses to whine and bitch and throw temper tantrums because your candidate lost an election isn’t the only way to have power – in fact, many of us have better and productive ways to spend our time. But voting is power, and Americans in a majority of states used that power to put someone in the White House who doesn’t pander to special interest groups and doesn’t bash white Americans.