In the past few years (specifically those of Donald Trump’s presidency), we have seen a dramatic increase in white supremacy movements and hate crimes committed by members of such movements. In 2018, the number of white supremacist propaganda nearly tripled. This propaganda includes banners, stickers, flyers, and posters that advertise such a hateful ideology towards ethnic and religious minorities.

White supremacy is defined as the belief that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds, and should therefore politically, economically, and socially rule none-white people.

White supremacy is becoming a global problem that needs to be addressed by our world leaders immediately. However, for some reason, very little is being done about this growing problem, allowing white supremacist groups to continue to carry out terrorist attacks around the world.

Fig. 1. Young, Soo. New Zealand Shooting Memorial.

Just recently in a speech, Rep. Ilhan Omar said that white supremacist attacks like the one in New Zealand are on the rise because of President Trumps rhetoric. Trump is notorious for his inappropriate language during his speeches, especially towards minorities. He has labeled Indigenous people as “savages.” He has referred to Haitian and African nations as “s—hole countries.” He has called Mexicans “rapists.” It is not coincidental that during his presidency hate crimes and white supremacist groups have dramatically grown. He has created an era where hate can flourish.

In Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15, 2019, 50 people were killed at two mosques during a hateful terrorist attack. The attack occurred during Friday prayer at the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Center. This was New Zealand’s worst terrorist attack in history. The gunman left behind a 74-page manifesto that included white nationalist rhetoric. The gunman’s manifesto also praised Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.” That’s right, the man who killed 50 people out of hate sees the United States President as a symbol of white supremacy and inspiration.

Attacks like these have not been rare either. There have been countless terrorist attacks by white supremacists over the past few years, mainly in the United States of America. One of the most recent and publicized white supremacy attacks was in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017 titled as “Unite the Right rally”. It began as a Neo-Nazi and White Supremacist rally that ended with a car being driven into a crowd of people, killing one and injuring 28. During the rally, racist and antisemitic slogans were chanted as marchers carried semi-automatic weapons, Nazi symbols, and Confederate flags. A counter protest began against the white nationalists, as well. After this terrifying incident, President Trump spoke on the matter and blamed “both sides” for the white nationalist rally. Reporters have asked Trump if he believes white nationalism is a rising threat in the United States and he responded with “I don’t really. I think it’s a very small group of people that have serious problems.” Once again, the President is incorrect, because white nationalism is on the rise, causing violence and murder.

Former FBI counterterrorism agent and founder of The Soufan Group, Ali Soufan, suggests that law enforcement needs to focus on white power groups in order to stop these terrorist attacks before they happen. Soufan says that the government needs to make combating right-wing extremists a priority, because right now they are not and are causing more and more destruction every day. He compares white supremacy with Islamic extremism, as there is a “striking resemblance in ideology [and] in strategy and recruitment tactics.” Soufan commented on the similarities between the two groups, who both share videos portraying their extremist beliefs. He believes there is a global network of right-wing extremists. White supremacy is obviously not just “a very small group of people.”

The United States takes Islamic terrorism incredibly serious and seems to be constantly suspicious of another attack. So why is this attitude not the same for white supremacy terrorism? Both are forms of terrorism that cause a loss of life, so why are they not addressed the same way? A study found that terror attacks by Muslims receive 357% more U.S. press attention than those committed by non-Muslims. Ilhan Omar explained “The reason I think many of us knew that this was going to get worse is that we had a leader in the White House who publicly says Islam hates us, who rules hate against Muslims, who thinks it is OK to speak about a faith and a whole community in a way that is dehumanizing, vilifying.”

She is correct.

The reality is that the President does not care and the United States government is reluctant to pass any laws or take any action on the matter. The President is fueling a great deal of hate across the country, resulting in this epidemic of white supremacy and it needs to be stopped, immediately.