(Handout photo)
In the wake of several worldwide racially-motivated events, a private group has taken it upon themselves to post fliers around the Tempe campus, advocating for a declaration of war against immigration.
National Youth Front, an “elite youth organization dedicated to the preservation of America,” is the organization behind the fliers. The organization aims to "put an end to the invasion of our nation, stop the ongoing defamation of our people, and eliminate the endless ideological subversion of our nations (sic) most precious gift — its youth,” according to its website.
Angelo John Gage, the chairman of this national organization, is an outspoken political activist who's been called "an unabashed racist and anti-Semitic" by the watchdog group Southern Poverty Law Center. As a member of the American Freedom Party, a self-proclaimed Nationalist party, Gage attempted to run for Congress in New Jersey in 2014.
“We will see the coming of a new era. One in which we will land devastating blows to the system and its anti-white narrative,” Gage said in his chairman letter of acceptance. “We will no longer be silent. We will no longer wait for our parents’ generation to act on our behalf. We will march in the streets, we will shout from the rooftops. We will be heard in the halls of our institutions. We will not disappear. America is ours. We are the future.”
National Youth Front posters advocate against immigration. A flier on the Tempe campus says:
“Millions of illigals (sic) flood our borders. Millions more are brought here illegally, even though we continue to suffer the worst economic crisis since the great depression. Our politicians refuse to protect us and out livelyhood (sic). They have lost complete touch with reality. Our Corporations donate hundreds of millions of dollors (sic) to funding immigration foundations, while laying off their own employees."
It ends with a call to action, and tells people to speak out against the injustices they see.
"We will not fail, we will not fear, we will not falter. We will not dissapear (sic). This is a declaration of war. America is ours, and we are tomorrow.”
On the opposite side of the declaration is a copy of the Charlie Hebdo cover depicting the Prophet Muhammad holding a sign that says, “Je Suis Charlie,” or, “We are Charlie,” underneath the saying “Tout Est Pardonné,” or, “All is forgiven.”
Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical magazine that was the target of a terrorist attack, resulting in the deaths of 12 people and injuries of 11 others.
Liban Yousuf, civil rights director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Arizona, said even though these opinions are reflected by a small minority, students should be on the lookout and report any attempted or perpetrated hate crimes.
“While it's troubling that a group like this is putting up posters with what appears to be incitements of violence against minority groups, as far as we can tell this doesn't appear to be anything more than the actions of a tiny minority of individuals on the fringes," Yousuf said in an email.
Although CAIR has received several hate calls or emails in the past, Yousuf said none have been directed toward them since the Charlie Hebdo attacks.
"In fact, we received emails from members of different faith communities expressing their support for their Muslim neighbors and rejecting the notion that somehow all Muslims are responsible for the heinous attacks in Paris,” said Yousuf.
The majority of citizens are beginning to see this small minority has an agenda to use false information about Muslims and people of Islamic faith to push their hate, Yousuf said.
Sarah Syed, outreach director for the Muslim Students’ Association at ASU, said students involved in MSA have not been the victims of any hate crime since the Charlie Hebdo attacks.
“We are grateful that nothing negative has happened in the aftermath of Charlie Hebdo,” Syed said. “We hosted an event for Muslim students to talk about how to deal with these events.”
MSA, a national club for Muslim students on campuses across the nation, has set out to provide a medium of communication between Muslim students and promote interfaith relationships on campus.
The University has responded well to including students from all walks of life in its student body, Yousef said.
“We are proud of ASU's dedication to fostering a diverse campus and creating a welcoming atmosphere for its student body, Yousuf said. “Threatening rhetoric like that on this poster has no place on any university campus.”
The identify of the person who distributed this poster is unknown. Angelo John Gage or any representatives from the National Youth Front could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
Related links:
Muslim ASU students concerned for safety after Chapel Hill shootings
ASU students from different faiths remember men killed in Indiana
Reach the reporter at Jlsuerth@asu.edu or follow @SuerthJessica on Twitter.
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