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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHate makes a comeback in the Pacific Northwest
SPOKANE, Wash. Nearly two decades after the Aryan Nations' Idaho compound was demolished, far-right extremists are maintaining a presence in the Pacific Northwest.
White nationalism has been on the rise across the U.S., but it has particular resonance along the Idaho-Washington border, where the Aryans espoused hate and violence for years.
The neo-Nazi group was based near Hayden Lake, Idaho, starting in the 1970s, and eventually was bankrupted in a lawsuit brought by local activists and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Its compound was seized, and supporters dispersed.
But a series of incidents in recent weeks show far-right sentiments never really left the conservative region. In the county that is home to Hayden Lake, for instance, Republicans last month passed a measure expressing support for U.S. entry of a prominent Austrian far-right activist who was investigated for ties to the suspected New Zealand mosque gunman.
In 2018, at least nine hate groups operated in the region of Spokane and northern Idaho, including Identity Evropa, Proud Boys, ACT for America and America's Promise Ministries, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The center does not track how many members belong to each group.
Keegan Hankes, a researcher for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said the number of hate groups is growing across the U.S., driven in part by a toxic political culture. The human rights group counted 784 active hate groups in the U.S. in 2014 and 1,020 in 2018.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hate-makes-a-comeback-in-the-pacific-northwest/ar-AABU6V0?li=BBnbfcL
Trump's biggest accomplishment is that groups like these no longer fear crawling out from under their rocks.
MFM008
(19,823 posts)By the maggot in chief.
Spreading worldwide...AGAIN.
70+ years since WW2.
Nobody learned 💩💩💩💩.
leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)woods. I grew up in Spokane in the 50's. I remember rumors of satan worshippers in Rathdrum.
Northern Idaho and Montana are just wild places where weirdos can hide out.
For years all those logging and mining towns were wide open. Wallace was a mining town where just about everything went on.
rockfordfile
(8,708 posts)leftyladyfrommo
(18,874 posts)and I just hate that. Those woods and deep lakes are gorgeous.
Initech
(100,108 posts)Trump and Putin have ushered in a new era of hate and nationalism that seems to be on the rise all over the world, and it seems like there isn't a whole lot we can do to stop it.
Response to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)
appalachiablue This message was self-deleted by its author.
ismnotwasm
(42,020 posts)Is infuriated that White Nationalist groups are not classified as terrorists. He works for the prisons.
appalachiablue
(41,182 posts)of the population and lack of diversity really stood out in Snoqualmie, WA, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and other places we visited. JMHO. Tensions are rising, issues are becoming more complex and divisive; things have to improve.