To any fascists, white nationalists, or others on the edges of these movements who read our blog:
This past year has seen “Traditionalist” Matthew Heimbach violently attack his wife and his father-in-law after being caught in an affair. Plenty of lower-profile flameouts and backstabbings filled out the calendar, and some of you — like Douglass Mackey or Erin Willey — had careers destroyed entirely by their own side, with no help from antifascists. You may be realizing that the white nationalist movement fails to live up to its promises and that its leaders can’t manage even the bare minimum when it comes to healthy interpersonal relationships. This is not simply a problem of a few individuals, but a pattern that has been clear for decades.
This is what being a white nationalist does to you.
The movement will take your time and energy for a while, and in return give you a transitory sense of belonging, but eventually it will spit you out in a far worse position than you were before. Think about your life: do you trust those around you to be true friends and support you? Or will they betray your trust, or dox you through their incompetence?
In the spirit of the New Year, we invite you to step away from white nationalism. You don’t have to keep doing this to yourself. People leave white nationalism all the time. Although the first step might not be easy, many report that the journey away from hate is rewarding and deeply fulfilling. We strongly encourage you to get in contact with a group such as Free Radicals to talk to former white nationalists and discuss how to get your life back on track. To be clear, we have no direct relationship with Free Radicals, we just know they do good work.
We don’t go after people for their pasts. If it’s clear that you’ve left white nationalism behind, we’ll leave you alone. Just send us an email with an account of your time in the movement as a token of good faith/sincerity (what you’ve done, with what organizations, etc.), be ready to answer some follow-up questions, and make clear in your actions going forward that you’ve left white nationalism behind. That’s all. We can’t speak for anyone else you may have harmed, but we don’t get in the way of people trying to do better by themselves and others.
Let 2019 be a better year. Reach out for support, and if you’re in our region, shoot us a message to let us know about your decision.
