Richard Spencer, the man who claims to have coined the term “alt-right” gave a speech in the nation’s capital Saturday in which he attacked Jews, quoted Nazi propaganda in German, and proclaimed that America is white people’s “creation, it is our inheritance, and it belongs to us.”
A conference of alt-right writers and activists cheered Spencer’s speech given just a few blocks from the White House, some extending their arms out in a Nazi salute yelling, “Heil victory.”
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Racist members of the alt-right — which the Southern Poverty Law Centers defines as “a set of far-right ideologies, groups, and individuals whose core belief is that ‘white identity’ is under attack … ” — have been unwavering in their support for President-elect Donald Trump and gathered in D.C. to celebrate that white people, as Spencer put it, are “awakening to their own identity.”
Many outlets reported on the substance of the speech, but The Atlantic obtained video of the event and cut it down into some chilling highlights.
“No one will honor us for losing gracefully. No one mourns the great crimes committed against us,” Spencer said to the crowd. “For us, it is conquer or die.”
In a statement, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum said it was “deeply alarmed at the hateful rhetoric.”
“The Holocaust did not begin with killing; it began with words. The Museum calls on all American citizens, our religious and civic leaders, and the leadership of all branches of the government to confront racist thinking and divisive hateful speech,” the statement continued.
Spencer was notably suspended from Twitter last week — and not for the first time — amid the social media platform’s attempt to crack down on hate speech.
