Following the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, the news is awash in buzzwords like alt-right and alt-left. Here’s a look at some of those terms and their origins.
Alt-right: Short for “alternative right.’’ An umbrella term that refers to an informal collection of far-right Internet-based extremists who reject mainstream conservatism as too weak. They espouse white nationalist, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, anti-gay, and sexist sentiments. A patchwork of groups under the alt-right banner organized last weekend’s “Unite the Right’’ protest in Charlottesville.
Alt-left: On Tuesday, in a combative exchange with reporters, President Trump partly blamed “alt-left’’ groups for the violence, saying they attacked alt-right protesters. The term, used by some right-wing websites and commentators, refers to far-left-leaning militant groups that resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations and other events. But researchers who study extremist groups in the United States say there is no such thing as the “alt-left,’’ and that it has been created to infer a false equivalence with the far right.
Antifa: Linked to the alt-left. Pronounced an-TEE-fa, it is short for anti-fascists. Adherents are predominantly communists, socialists, and anarchists who reject turning to the police or the state to halt the advance of white supremacy. They have resorted to using force at rallies, saying it is necessary to confront the threat.
White nationalists vs. white supremacists: White nationalists say that white people are a distinct nation deserving of protection, and therefore they demand special political, legal, and territorial guarantees for whites. White supremacists believe that whites are superior and therefore should dominate other races.
Neo-Nazis: Nazi flags were in abundance during the Charlottesville clashes. Neo-Nazis share a hatred for Jews and a love for Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. While they also hate other minorities, gays and lesbians and even sometimes Christians, they perceive “the Jew’’ as their cardinal enemy.
“You Will Not Replace Us!’’/’’Jews Will Not Replace Us’’: Chants heard from some of the torch-bearing extremist groups protesting in Charlottesville. It is intended to signal their intent to defend what they view as their white race and culture, and resist being “replaced’’ by minority groups. They believe that if demographic trends continue, they will become a weak minority and eventually disappear.
Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, Southern Poverty Law Center, Haaretz
