It doesn’t take much to be called a “white supremacist” these days. There are certainly actual white supremacists out there — just look at Charlottesville — but most people don’t fit the label.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is throwing the it around pretty casually right now, asking the National Park Service (NPS) to rescind a permit for a pro-Trump group called Patriot Prayer.
Whether she likes them or not, being pro-Trump doesn’t a white supremacist make. Yet, Pelosi has called it a “white supremacist rally” and asked that NPS “reevaluate its decision and its capacity to protect the public during such a toxic rally.”
The rally is set to take place on August 26 at San Francisco’s Crissy Field. The group’s leader recently spoke out against white supremacist tactics, but that’s apparently not enough evidence for Pelosi and other progressives to prove he isn’t himself a supremacist.
The group lawfully obtained permits for their rally and nothing about the name “Patriot Prayer” suggests racism of any kind, though a local paper is reporting that counter-protests are being planned.
In a twist of irony, Pelosi said San Francisco “cherishes free speech and the right to public dissent,” before misleadingly labeling the Patriot Prayer group a “white supremacist rally” that shouldn’t be allowed to meet on public property.
It’s a sad day when respected members of our political class spew blatant falsehoods about members of the public, simply attempting to exercise their right to free speech and assembly.
There are groups out there, like the alt-right, white nationalists and the KKK, who make it very clear they stand for racism. Being a Christian supporter of President Trump isn’t a hate crime.