Civil Rights Leaders Respond to White Supremacists
Feature Story by John Madrid - 9/3/2002
In anticipation of a neo-Nazi "Rock Against Israel" rally and march on the Capitol, civil rights leaders gathered August 21 to denounce the event and its sponsor, the National Alliance."This rally uses the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict as a front to spread hate-filled messages," said David Bernstein, director of the D.C. American Jewish Committee.
Counter demonstrations were also held to directly oppose the rally on August 24.
"There is a general lack of appreciation by our leaders as well as the public of the threat posed by the National Alliance and similar groups," warned Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, "these predatory fringe groups continue to inspire hatred and bigotry and we must bring their activities to the attention of all Americans."
In the mid-1980's, National Alliance began embracing extreme forms of music such as hardcore metal and punk after realizing that music is a great recruiter of young people. "What they're trying to do is bridge the gap between healthy adolescent rebellion and hardcore hate culture," said Devin Burghart, director of the Center for New Community (CNC).
CNC has released a new report, "Beyond a Dead Man's Deeds: The National Alliance after William Pierce," to put a public alert on the group's use of sophisticated multi-media outreach. A major theme of the report is that the neo-Nazi movement and the National Alliance did not perish along with Pierce, its longtime leader. The report details Pierce's lasting legacy: a sophisticated, well-organized propaganda and recruiting machine for white supremacists.
For example, the National Alliance purchased its own label, Resistance Records, which takes in an annual income of $1.3 million. It has also produced video games such as "Ethnic Cleansing," a battle game where the goal is to wipe out Jews, blacks, and Latinos.
