Neo-Nazi got played
20/3/19 21:06![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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talkpolitics"I hate those black rats. And anyone who doesn't have Aryan blood". You'd seldom hear such words from a black man, right? It's unthinkable even. In the 70s, black criminalist Ron Stallworth managed to sneak into the mighty KKK, and his testament became the basis for the BlacKkKlansman movie, Oscar winner in 2019.
Can't say if black activist James Hart Stern was inspired by that movie, but it's clear that his story is also worth being filmed. Because, as we learned last week, he managed to become chairman of one of the biggest neo-Nazi groups in the US, the National Socialist Movement (it's got nothing to do with socialism, I suppose you've guessed by now).
The NSM is mostly known for its staunch antisemitism and Hitler worshiping. Their annual summits feature visitors in Nazi uniforms, wearing the swastika on their sleeves and all that. In 2005 a NSM rally in Ohio ended with street brawls with the police. In 2011 one of their leaders was shot dead by his own son.
The previous NSM chairman Jeff Schoep had been kind of trying to polish the group's image lately, breaking up with their traditional Nazi symbolics, etc. His goal was to attract a new generation of neo-Nazis. Not an easy task, what with all the pressure he had been under, ever since Charlottesville. Remember that one? A neo-Nazi plunged his car into a counter-rally, killing a woman. A series of lawsuits ensued against the leaders of various participating groups, the NSM among them.
But while we're still on James Stern. Years ago, he befriended former KKK leaer Edgar Ray Killen, who was serving a prison sentence. His odd relationship with Killen was the thing that brought him into Schoep's focus, so in 2014 he contacted Stern. Weird, huh? A neo-Nazi leader and a black civil rights activist getting together. Despite their big differences, the two kept in touch. Stern's goal, as he now admits, was to "change the guy". He constantly tried to confront Schoep about the Holocaust, Hitler, and white supremacy. In other words, they had a vigorous debate.
Stern had no success at first. But after Charlottesville, Schoep saw the pressure building on him, and he was concerned he could be personally accused of inspiring the death of the young woman in that rally. In his desperation, he sought legal advice from Stern, who in turn recognized a golden chance in this, so he ultimately managed to convince Schoep to hand him the leadership of the NSM.
In a video that he published on his website, Stern clearly stated his intentions. He openly said he wanted to detroy the NSM and KKK, two organizations that have long "enjoyed undeserved privileges".
As leader of NSM, Stern is aiming to undermine the legal defense of the group in court. Writing to that court, he said the NSM intends to plead guilty on all counts. "I tricked them", he concluded. Indeed, with this ingenuous maneuver, the NSM's end might be nigh at long last.
Can't say if black activist James Hart Stern was inspired by that movie, but it's clear that his story is also worth being filmed. Because, as we learned last week, he managed to become chairman of one of the biggest neo-Nazi groups in the US, the National Socialist Movement (it's got nothing to do with socialism, I suppose you've guessed by now).
The NSM is mostly known for its staunch antisemitism and Hitler worshiping. Their annual summits feature visitors in Nazi uniforms, wearing the swastika on their sleeves and all that. In 2005 a NSM rally in Ohio ended with street brawls with the police. In 2011 one of their leaders was shot dead by his own son.
The previous NSM chairman Jeff Schoep had been kind of trying to polish the group's image lately, breaking up with their traditional Nazi symbolics, etc. His goal was to attract a new generation of neo-Nazis. Not an easy task, what with all the pressure he had been under, ever since Charlottesville. Remember that one? A neo-Nazi plunged his car into a counter-rally, killing a woman. A series of lawsuits ensued against the leaders of various participating groups, the NSM among them.
But while we're still on James Stern. Years ago, he befriended former KKK leaer Edgar Ray Killen, who was serving a prison sentence. His odd relationship with Killen was the thing that brought him into Schoep's focus, so in 2014 he contacted Stern. Weird, huh? A neo-Nazi leader and a black civil rights activist getting together. Despite their big differences, the two kept in touch. Stern's goal, as he now admits, was to "change the guy". He constantly tried to confront Schoep about the Holocaust, Hitler, and white supremacy. In other words, they had a vigorous debate.
Stern had no success at first. But after Charlottesville, Schoep saw the pressure building on him, and he was concerned he could be personally accused of inspiring the death of the young woman in that rally. In his desperation, he sought legal advice from Stern, who in turn recognized a golden chance in this, so he ultimately managed to convince Schoep to hand him the leadership of the NSM.
In a video that he published on his website, Stern clearly stated his intentions. He openly said he wanted to detroy the NSM and KKK, two organizations that have long "enjoyed undeserved privileges".
As leader of NSM, Stern is aiming to undermine the legal defense of the group in court. Writing to that court, he said the NSM intends to plead guilty on all counts. "I tricked them", he concluded. Indeed, with this ingenuous maneuver, the NSM's end might be nigh at long last.
