White nationalist Richard Spencer finally faces consequences for his beliefs
Hillary Clinton faced considerable criticism when she described the supporters of Donald Trump as “deplorables” during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The subsequent four years after Hillary lost to the orange menace only served to belatedly prove the truth of her assessment as Trump brought on an open White nationalist, Stephen Miller, to serve as one of his top advisors and referred to the neo-Nazis marching in Charlottesville, Virginia as “very fine people.”
Now, The New York Times is reporting that Richard Spencer —one of the main organizers of the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally in August of 2017 — is now facing some of the consequences of his hateful behavior and ideology.
Spencer is now apparently an “outcast” in Whitefish, Montana where he has been living in his mother’s multi-million dollar summer home and where he once ran his National Policy Institute that was forced to close down in the aftermath of the “Unite the Right” rally.
Shunned by local citizens after he encouraged his right-wing extremist followers to launch an online harassment campaign against a local Jewish realtor who was involved in a business dispute with his mother and then doxxed the realtor by publishing her personal contact information, Spencer now reportedly finds it difficult to even find a local restaurant that will allow him to dine in their premises.
Spencer’s troubles have followed him into his personal life as well.
“Meanwhile, his wife has divorced him, and he is facing trial next month in Charlottesville, Va., over his role in the deadly 2017 neo-Nazi march there, but says he cannot afford a lawyer,” The New York Times writes.
Spencer’s original attorney representing him in the case withdrew from the Charlottesville case after the White nationalist leader stopped paying him, so now Spencer is acting as his own attorney in the case, despite the fact that the neo-Nazi leader has never studied law.
The financial troubles that Spencer is now experiencing stem largely from the fact that he is no longer able to use social media platforms to raise money from like-minded racists.
“Due to deplatforming efforts against me, it is very difficult for me to raise money as other citizens are able to,” Mr. Spencer said at a pre-trial hearing last year.
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Spencer’s ideological opponents are not displaying much sympathy for his current dismal plight.
“After four years of so little accountability, it’s important to make clear that accountability matters and it works,” Amy Spitalnick, the executive director of Integrity First for America, the nonprofit group responsible for the lawsuit that Spencer is facing, told The New York Times.
Some of the people who had to face Spencer’s racist ideology in Whitefish, Montana also pointed out that he is merely suffering the consequences of his own words and actions.
“Richard Spencer wanted this to be his happy vacation place where he could play and have fun, and people would just live and let live,” said Rabbi Francine Green Roston of the town’s Glacier Jewish Community/B’nai Shalom. “Then he started suffering social consequences for his hatred.”
“The best way to respond to hate and cyberterrorism in your community is through solidarity,” said the Rabbi, who now lectures other groups on how to ward off hate campaigns like the one Whitefish endured. “Another big principle is to take threats seriously, and prepare for the worst.”
Whitefish Mayor John Muhlfeld could not agree more with Rabbi Roston’s prescription.
“You have to act swiftly and decisively and come together as a community to tackle hate and make sure it doesn’t infiltrate your town,” he told The Times.
You can read the full account of how the town of Whitefish, Montana responded to Richard Spencer’s local hate campaign in the original article in The New York Times at this link. (Paywall protected, subscription required.)
Meanwhile, you can relax with the knowledge that at least one of the most despicable figures of the so-called “Alt-right” is being held accountable for the damages that he has helped create in American society.
Let’s hope that justice for the rest of that lot is not far behind.
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Original reporting by Elizabeth Williamson at The New York Times.
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