Fascists in the White House and Hate Crimes in the Streets
March 27, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
There has been a leap in the number of hate crimes taking place across the country since Trump was elected. And in a third or more of the incidents, the perpetrators linked their crimes directly to Trump and his policies. On March 15, a man in Arizona yelled racial slurs at an interracial couple in a parking lot, and then fired a pistol at them. On March 16, racist and anti-immigrant signs were left at a Spokane, Washington, NAACP building, with one saying “refugees not welcome,” and another warning of “white genocide.” On March 17, in Lakeland, Florida, an interracial couple with a child were threatened with “Leave or Die” and the “n-word” written on their front porch.
The anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies coming from the Trump/Pence regime have put millions of people’s lives in danger. Here are just some of the headlines: “Tampa police declare hate crime in mosque fire.” “Muslim women report hijabs being ripped off by men shouting support for President-elect.” “Bangladeshi film director punched at California anti-hate rally.” “Man attempted to set Florida convenience store on fire because he believed owners were Muslim.”
Trump also continues to slander all undocumented immigrants as drug dealers and violent criminals. His regime recently announced the creation of a new government office to document and publicize crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. Miami Herald columnist Andrés Oppenheimer appropriately calls this the “Office of Anti-Immigrant Propaganda.” This will no doubt unleash more harassment, more hate crimes, more bullying, more discrimination toward anyone who appears to be an immigrant.
Attacks on the LGBTQ community have also increased dramatically. “You live in Trump country now!” hollered a gay-basher after shouting slurs at a gay couple, and crashing his scooter into the bicycle one of them was riding in Key West, Florida. On February 28, a gay couple walking in New York were confronted by a man who called one a “f——t” and said they were a “disgrace.” The suspect then grabbed a stick and hit one of the men on the thigh. On March 12, a stained-glass window was smashed at a transgender-supporting New Orleans church. And on March 13, a LGBT community center in Washington, DC was vandalized and a staff member assaulted. Attacks on this community are occurring on almost a daily basis.
Anti-Semitic attacks are escalating as well. On February 24, the Anti-Defamation League headquarters in New York received an anonymous bomb threat. On February 26, dozens of headstones were vandalized at a Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia. On February 28, a shot was fired into a synagogue window in Indiana. And on March 2, a dozen grave markers were vandalized in a Jewish cemetery in Rochester, New York. Meanwhile, Trump has only rejected his support among reactionary neo-Nazis in the most pro forma and superficial way, and has avoided condemning "anti-Semitism," even in his speech on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Hate crimes have been integral to the history of this country for centuries. But a crucial element of fascism, as we have written about here at revcom.us, is “ruling through reliance on open terror and violence, trampling on what are supposed to be civil and legal rights, wielding the power of the state, and mobilizing organized groups of fanatical thugs, to commit atrocities against masses of people, particularly groups of people identified as ‘enemies,’ ‘undesirables,’ or ‘dangers to society.’”
In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America! Drive Out the Trump/Pence Regime!
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For more on the unfolding hate crimes in this country, see “Hate in America: A list of hatred, bigotry and abuse since the election,” by the staff of slate.com.
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