Trump administration promoting racism, bigotry in US: Journalist

The administration of US President Donald Trump is promoting racism and bigotry in the United States, and emboldening neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups in the country, an African American journalist in Detroit says.

The death of a female counter-demonstrator at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year was “the direct result of the atmosphere of racism and bigotry that permeates” across the US government and mass media, said Abayomi Azikiwe, editor at the Pan-African News Wire.

“The current administration in Washington is promoting these types of bigoted and prejudice attitudes and behaviors,” Azikiwe said in a phone interview with Press TV on Monday.

“We’ve seen so many revelations, just in the past few days, about racist comments and racist attitudes that emanated from the White House,” he added.

A white nationalist rally in Washington drew two dozen demonstrators and thousands of chanting counter-protesters on Sunday, the one-year anniversary of the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville that turned violent, leading to death of one counter-protester.

“Unite the Right 2” had been denied a permit in Charlottesville this year, but did secure one for Washington.

Protesters, many of whom dressed in all-black and with covered faces, chanted anti-Nazi slogans and waved signs as they marched towards Lafayette Square to protest the rally.

There was an enormous police presence to keep both sides apart and avoid the street brawls that broke out last year.

The violence in Charlottesville sparked by white nationalists’ outrage over a plan to remove a Confederate general’s statue, convulsed the nation and sparked condemnation across the political spectrum. It also was one of the lowest moments of Trump’s first year in office.

At the time, Trump said there were “very fine people” on both sides, spurring criticism that he was equating the counter-protesters with the rally attendees, who included neo-Nazis and other white supremacists.


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