14 Aug Anti-Racists Are Trying To Identify Charlottesville Racists And Get Them Fired

Last Saturday was a day of blood and terror in Charlottesville, Virginia. A Neo-Nazi rally intended to ‘Unite the Right’ devolved into a chaotic series of brawls in the streets, and a young fascist killed a 32-year old woman named Heather Heyer by running her over with a vehicle, no different from the tactics of ISIS.

Today, Twitter is putting itself back together by revealing the identities of those involved, exposing them to the public eye.

When it comes to Neo-Nazis chanting “blood and soil” and taking to the streets with torches, shields and bats, doxing (revealing information about them online) is potentially a seriously effective way to undermine Nazism. Think of it this way: you’re a young person online who is sympathetic to the alt-right. You oppose the left in all its forms, and are moving deeper and deeper into reactionary philosophy, to the point where ‘race realism’ and Nazism seem like the views that most align with your own.

Now, you see people who have attended a Neo-Nazi rally, screaming blood murder with tiki torches in their hands, and they have been exposed, shamed publicly, and fired from their jobs. After seeing that, a young person drifting toward Nazism is likely to begin back-pedaling.

There are categories of beliefs that reflect the role of free speech in a free society. Extremely far-right speech is protected, and that should not change if we wish to continue to live in a free society. There is great irony in those who are most skeptical of law enforcement now asking law enforcement to legislate speech, especially in a time when pro-Palestinian activism is being criminalized in the state of New York.

However, if someone professes Nazi sympathies, there are other consequences besides the rule of law to deal with them. If such a person gets fired, or loses friends, or is otherwise ejected from civilized society and left to deal with the consequences of their behavior, that is totally uncontroversial. Such a person is surely not employable, in the same vein as a person who would support child trafficking or genocide.

The ACLU has held the line for decades – the government will not prosecute you for fascist speech, but you are not entitled to retain a job and a social life. This citizen activism is a great way of curbing any alt-right kids from making the transition to full fascism.

The post Anti-Racists Are Trying To Identify Charlottesville Racists And Get Them Fired appeared first on Viral Thread.