White Student Union

White Student Union
Abbreviation WSU
Motto "Not Racist, not violent, just no longer silent"
Formation 2012
Type Youth activist group
Legal status Active
Purpose To advocate for European-American Civil Rights
Location
Region served
 Towson University
Official language
 English
President
 Matthew Heimbach
Affiliations American Right Wing
Website TowsonWSU.blogspot.com

The White Student Union (WSU) was an unaffiliated organization founded in Towson, Maryland by Matthew Heimbach, who is a former member of Youth for Western Civilization and current supporter of right-wing organizations. The group advocates for what it sees as the interests of white Americans, and openly supports far-right European political parties. It has been listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League.[1] The organization rejects this label, stating in a blog post that "We do not hate any other race and we do not wish anyone harm".[2] In May 2013 Heimbach that the group would merge with the Traditionalist Youth Network"[3] which Heimbach described as an effort to build" a wide coalition of Kinists, social conservatives, Traditionalist Christians, believers in Right-Wing political ideologies, and other factions of the pro-white movement."[4]

History

The group's existence has caused a series of nationally reported controversies and accusations of promoting racial bigotry and white supremacy. It has invited self-described "racial realist" Jared Taylor to speak at one of its meetings, which attracted an attendance of nearly 250.[5] Heimbach said he started the group because of "a culture of crime where primarily it's nonwhites doing it to white students and we perpetually have to live in a system of victimhood."[6] He also said "We'd also want to create a safe space for members who have filed hate/bias reports and who have had anti-white language used against them....Especially the female members who have heard 'cracker' and 'honkie,' and nothing has ever come of it. It’s a support network for a campus that is hostile toward white students."[7]

The White Student Union sought but failed to get official recognition by the college, arguing that the college needs to officially recognize the group in order to show that it does not discriminate against white students. A change.org petition was circulated urging the campus not to recognize a "whites only" group.[8] The organization noted in a press release that the Change.Org petition was based on the false assumption that the WSU would be a "whites only" group, despite the statement on the WSU website that "the organization invites people of all races, colors, and creeds to join together to celebrate European culture!"[9]

Activism

The WSU has received national attention for participating in community watch programs to raise awareness about violent crime that is primarily directed at the majority-white student body. WSU President Matthew Heimbach said that "the goal is not to go out and intimidate, the goal is not to go out and prove something, the goal is just to be an extra set of eyes and ears for the [Towson] community at large."[10] Organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League condemned these patrols as being racially motivated. The Southern Poverty Law Center said that the patrols were "a fairly obvious allusion, it appears, to the terroristic role of the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction."[11]

The White Student Union has hosted a series of lectures and speakers on campus. President Matthew Heimbach stated that "The WSU, unlike Towson University, believes in intellectual freedom and will host lectures and speakers that are banned by the Liberal Establishment." American military veteran and former Presidential candidate Merlin Miller spoke at the WSU. "Mr. Miller spoke to students, faculty, and supporters about the future of America, the role of foreign influence in our media, and the steps we can take to stop the demographic suicide of the Occident. Mr. Miller’s experiences in the military and Hollywood helped expose to Mr. Miller the vast and various issues in our society."[12]

Earlier examples

A 1990 article in the Chronicle of Higher Education mentions a number of white student unions created at the time to oppose racial integration and affirmative action; two of the unions obtained official recognition from their colleges.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://blog.adl.org/extremism/hate-app-targets-towson-university Hate App Targets Towson University
  2. ↑ "Weekly Update". Towson White Student Union. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
  3. ↑ [White Student Unions: White Nationalist Minor League? "White Student Unions: White Nationalist Minor League?"]. http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2013/08/02/white-student-unions-white-nationalist-minor-league/''. Southern Poverty Law Center. August 2, 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Towson White Student Union. May 22, 2013 http://towsonwsu.blogspot.co.uk/. Retrieved 4 October 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ "White Student Union Speaker Preaches Racial Separateness". Northbaltimore.patch.com. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  6. ↑ "Towson Student Wants White Student Union". Theroot.com. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  7. ↑ "Towson Student Wants to Establish White Student Union". Bet.com. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  8. ↑ "Towson U White Student Union Controversy Sparks Creation of Change.Org Petition". Inthecapital.com. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  9. ↑ "About the WSU". Towson White Student Union. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
  10. ↑ Wells, Carrie (2013-03-25). "Towson White Student Union to patrol campus looking for crime". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
  11. ↑ "Racist Maryland Student Leader Vows Patrols Against ‘Black Crime’". Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center. March 27, 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
  12. ↑ "End of Semester Update". Towson White Student Union. 2012-12-06. Retrieved 2013-06-05.
  13. ↑ "New White-Student Unions on Some Campuses Are Sparking Outrage and Worry". Eric.ed.gov. Retrieved 2012-10-31.

External links