Also
on Sunday, a drone attack on a blacksmith’s shop in the Sabra
neighbourhood of Gaza City killed at least four Palestinians and wounded
another, according to officials at al-Shifa hospital where the
casualties were taken.
The Israeli military acknowledged striking the area, saying without elaborating that it targeted “terrorist infrastructure”.
Following
shooting on Friday, a Palestinian man died of wounds sustained from
Israeli fire near Al-Bureij camp, said a health official. Another
Palestinian succumbed to injuries from an Israeli drone strike east of
Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
The continued attacks in Gaza are in
violation of the ceasefire agreed last October by Israel and Hamas.
While fighting on the ground has mostly stopped since then, Israel has
continued carrying out air strikes in Gaza, killing at least 1,098 Palestinians and wounding 3,535 during the so-called ceasefire, health ministry data shows.
Since
October, Israel has expanded its control over the enclave beyond the
so-called “Yellow Line”, which demarcates territory occupied by Israel
from the rest of Gaza under the ceasefire agreement. Last week, Gaza’s
Government Media Office said Israeli forces now control about 80 percent of Gaza.
The latest violence comes as Hamas leaders visited Cairo for further talks on implementing the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
The
discussions include Hamas disarmament and Israeli army withdrawals,
according to sources close to the talks, who said no breakthrough has
been achieved.
Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on
Gaza in October 2023, the health ministry said at least 73,118
Palestinians have been killed.
2:57
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Sheikh Hamad built the Qatar the world knows today, says Adam Ereli
In
this image provided by Mark Sherman, members of the group Patriot Front
wear masks as they march through Washington before Independence Day
events honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary on July 4AP original
Explaining the Right is
a weekly series that looks at what the right wing is currently
obsessing over, how it influences politics—and why you need to know.
The white supremacist group Patriot Front brazenly marched
in Washington, D.C., on Independence Day. Their faces covered in white
ski masks and their eyes obscured by sunglasses, the identically dressed
group of men celebrated our country’s 250th anniversary by waving the
pro-slavery Confederate flag, chanting about wanting to “reclaim
America,” and carrying signs and banners promoting their pro-white
racist ideology.
Even in an era where President Donald Trump regularly spouts racist
rants from his position as the head of the U.S. government, the Patriot
Front display was shocking to millions.
In a television appearance on CNN the next day,
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum steadfastly refused to condemn the
Patriot Front when anchor Dana Bash questioned him about the racist
display.
Members of the Patriot Front hold flags on the National Mall during the annual March for Life on Jan. 23 in Washington. AP
“I think what they stand for is nothing that I could possibly agree
with, but one of the foundational principles of the United States that
makes democracy messy is free speech,” Burgum said.
At best, Burgum’s statement was a tepid signal at disagreement. But
it was far from a full-throated repudiation of the group’s white
supremacy.
Prominent conservative media figures went in an even more absurd direction.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham said the protest was “fake” and “looks more like Antifa in costume.” Ingraham even added, “No one should be allowed to cover their faces.”
Radio show host Joe Rogan has argued that the Patriot Front protesters are “feds” and not a real right-wing protest.
In reality, the Patriot Front is deeply intertwined with the bigoted
sentiment that has led Trump to become the leader of the Republican
Party and the most prominent conservative figure in America.
The group reportedly launched around 2015,
right as the mainstream right and the Republican Party were in the full
throes of a racist reaction to the election and subsequent reelection
of President Barack Obama, the first Black president in American
history.
Patriot Front was among the white supremacists who marched in
Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 as part of the “Unite the Right” rally meant
to reclaim white dominance in America. They were a part of the
pro-Confederate, pro-Nazi crowd that Trump infamously referred to as
“very fine people.”
To be sure, racism and nativism certainly didn’t pop up out of
nowhere in the 2015-2017 era. In addition to the racism intertwined in
U.S. history, the modern conservative movement has backed leaders like former President Ronald Reagan, who promoted anti-Black myths about “welfare queens” for years. Before Reagan, there were notorious figures like radio host Father Charles Coughlin, who laced his broadcasts with odious antisemitism.
But the mainstream right preferred to court the support of bigots
while also going to great lengths to keep their noxious rhetoric off of
the main stage. Republicans were happy to use coded language about
welfare and “traditional families,” but full-throated bigotry was
usually kept behind closed doors.
After Obama won in 2008, the mask was ripped off. Trump transitioned
from the host of a fading reality TV show to a prominent political
commentator by pushing
the racist and false “birther” conspiracy theory that Obama was not
born in the United States, and therefore ineligible to be president. He launched his presidential campaign by smearing Mexican people as “rapists.”
Clay Jones
Instead of rejecting Trump and denouncing his positions, Republicans
and mainstream conservatism embraced him. Republicans at the national,
state, and local level now regularly engage in open, gutter bigotry and
echo Trump.
By the time he was running for reelection in 2020, Trump put the full backing
of the American presidency behind the racist extremist group Proud
Boys. In his debate with soon-to-be President Joe Biden, he told the
group to “stand back and stand by.”
Now in his second term, Trump gave the group
even more support. Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was
convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the
U.S. Capitol, part of a plan to keep Trump in office after he lost the
November 2020 election to Biden. Then in January 2025, Trump pardoned
him—along with hundreds of other Jan. 6 rioters.
Instead of focusing on right-wing extremism, which the U.S.
government has repeatedly identified as a major security threat, Trump
is now involved in a plan to silence dissent from the left by
designating anti-fascist protesters as a security concern. He is even trying to enlist foreign governments in the crusade (and reportedly being rebuffed for it).
In a situation like this, it is no wonder that the Patriot Front and
similar groups feel they can operate so publicly. The president and his
Republican Party have made clear that they are working along the same
lines and are happy to put the government’s backing behind many of their
shared ideas.
Figures with openly pro-Nazi ideology like podcaster Nick Fuentes are now in a position
of influence on the mainstream right. Republican candidates and
officials are starting to go even further than Trump in expressing
racial and religious animus. That inclides Florida House member Randy
Fine, who has doubled down on anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Even if Trump’s presidency totally collapses, the fates of the
Patriot Front, the Republican Party, and the neo-Nazi/neo-Confederate
movements are linked. They are all banding together in infecting the
American system of government—and that’s why they marched unimpeded in
America’s capital city on the Fourth of July.
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All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. The views expressed in comments are those of the individual authors and don't necessarily reflect the views of Daily Kos.
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Comment by brat city blue.
Today's Republican party is looking more like the National Socialists of 1930's Germany.
Reply by MikefromOrland.
They've
been on the road towards the far right since Ollie North. OK City was a
wakeup call. IMO, January 6th sets the stage for after the November
elections.
We've
seen these people in their gimmicky costumes marching with fascist
flags this past 4th of July, like a cosplay reminder of January 6th and
Unite the Right. They dress up like Cub Scouts in uniforms instead of
white sheets or brownshirts/ blackshirts but the hate is the same.
Stay peaceful and know that love is on our side, true justice is on our side, freedom, prosperity and democracy is on our side.
Comment by stickman009.
Which of the following are true of the presidency of Donald Trump?
A. He has appointed the most qualified individuals for judicial and cabinet positions.
B. He has enacted economic policies that are supported by the most respected authorities.
C. He has conducted himself with dignity and integrity.
D. In his dealings with those who oppose him, he has set aside personal animus and been evenhanded and fair.
E. He has set aside personal gain for the good of the country.
F. He has personally ended eight wars.
G. None of the above.
Comment by jgt1900.
They
are now afraid to offend the racists because the Republican base
includes most of the racists and bigots in the country because for over
50 years the Rs have courted them. They are now the most reliable R
voters. If they offend the racists and the racists stay home and don't
vote the Rs lose. There is also a non-zero chance that they will
perpetrate violence against someone who speaks out against them and Rs
are cowards.
Comment by stickman009.
Senator
John Kennedy [R-LA] saves his most evocative description for Senator
Lindsey Graham [R-SC] whom he writes is “experienced, whip-smart, and
can talk intelligently on just about anything.”
“If you want to stump Lindsey, just ask him to name a country he wouldn’t bomb,” Mr. Kennedy writes.
“Invite
him to dinner, and you don’t know if he’ll sit down for an intelligent
conversation or get drunk and vomit in the fish tank. But that’s why I
like him.”
Comment by Betty Lou.
Those
hateful masked thugs are allowed to roam the streets with no problem at
all but God forbid you protest against ICE and you're treated with no
respect for doing what is allowed and that's to peacefully protest!
Trump is fine with those thugs just as he said there were some fine
people among that other hateful white supremacist group in North
Carolina. Which of course speaks volumes about Trump and his supporters
who see nothing wrong with any of it.
Comment by MikefromOrland.
Go
to see LCSW'S and psychologists, you creepy un-American psychos. You
bunch holding American flags turns the stomachs of real patriots. edited
Comment by John Johns.
Brave men doing the right thing don't have to hide their identities
Reply by WishingWell.
Exactly!
They are like the KKK with their sheets. Only these racists wear only
part of their sheets. They are the scum of the earth.
Comment by PV90.
What if they were masked, carrying flags and signs that said “Impeach Trump!” We all know they would have been arrested...
White
supremacists always seek to hide their identities, either with hoods or
masks. I have never seen civil rights protesters trying to hide their
identity.
They
lost their minds when they were asked to wear masks to prevent the
spread of COVID, claiming it was an infringement on their freedoms but
they have no issue wearing masks to harm people, spread racism and
oppose others' freedoms. They have to wear masks to conceal their
cowardice.
What a pathetic joke these guys are. Look at them with their little outfits... So brave! 🤦♂️
When
our Constitution begins with "We the People," it means ALL people. I
would like to wear this "We the People means everyone" shirt in front of
them 👇
Show your faces if you're so brave and let us see who you are. You don't sweat the American people!
Reply by mstep.
Oh
honestly. The masked KKK types didn't "invade" DC. Most of them were
Republican Congressional staffers, living in the DMV region.
Comment by Jim McHenry.
Odds on they all have dog-eared copies of The Turner Diaries and they see this as their moment.
Comment by Digler.
Ho boy. The word that springs to mind seeing that march is "cowards".
Bad sign for the current republican party and unfortunately us non republicans too. We start to change it in November.
Comment by MikefromOrland.
The Patriot Front flag has a "fascis" in the blue field, just so no one mistakes these guys for actual Cub Scouts.
So
I guess instead of these police and military men talking to LCSW's or
psychologists about their mental health issues, they gather together and
Skip To My Lou while holding high symbols of hate their grandparents
fought against.
Now, that's a fine definition of "stupid" right there. Good thing we give them guns while on duty.
Comment by Liberal Thinking.
It
isn't just Republicans who pave the way for the right-wing crazies. The
media has a prominent place in the blame for that. Any more, if it has a
swastika it leads.
Where are they when you need their cameras pointing down the guns of ICE or CPB before they kill people?
Comment by Liberal Thinking.
Someone really needs to explain the Left--to the American public.
Reply by azureblue.
The
left protects the constitution and the rights of everyone. But if
you’re talking to a right wing Christian then you say the left follows
the teachings of Christ. That always messes them up
Comment by zenbassoon.
It's
being said that the reason they were able to assemble so many so
quickly in DC was because many of them were Republican staffers in the
White House and Congress.
Reply by raboof.
Totally believable.
Comment by scoffling.
ALL CHARADE for billionaire created CULTURE WAR DISTRACTION.
Remember DICK ARMEY and his FAUX TEA PARTY crap co- hosted by FOX? DICK ARMEY CREATED THE TEA PARTY.
RW money creates these groups purposefully to distract from the WHOLESALE FLEECING OF THE TREASURY BY WALL ST
Reply by Jim McHenry.
Ah
yes., Dick Armey and his Dick Army. But where was The Tea Party when W
was crashing the economy? They didn't arise until Obama was in office,
of course.
And
don't think that after the Democratic Party is back in the driver's
seat that Republicans will not have the temerity to become deficit hawks
once again. and of course, even after all of this MAGA Trump
malfeasance, some dimwits will buy it.
Reply by hughwill.
Or, maybe, the fleecing of Wall Street by the Treasury?
After
all, it's Wall Street and our international trading partners who hold
the Treasury's accumulated debt ($39.46 trillion, and growing). They're
the ones who stand to lose big on their long-term T-bond holdings when
Trump's BBB deficits inevitably force interest rates higher.
Comment by jim johnson.
Back
in the day, wife and I flew to DC with bicycles where tourists mistook
us for locals who might know where Nixon was. Have a good photo of her
riding past Watergate.
Later
there's a phalanx of nazis marching down the mall where I stood my
ground, making them march around me. Did the same with a group on the
Boston commons where they even had a police escort. Curiously
satisfying. Evil part of me wants to take highly flammable spray paint
to their torchlight parade.
Reply by Jim McHenry.
The Blues Brothers had the right idea when dealing with Illinois Nazis.
Comment by MeJean.
The Patriot Front looks like the Invisible Man joined the Boy Scouts.
They
look absurd in their gaiters and baseball caps. I wonder how many of
them got heat exhaustion last Saturday in the 100 degree weather.
They
are good at marching and looking scary. But if they found themselves
in a position where they had to fight, they'd run like rabbits. Like
the Proud boys, when they tried to beat up some drag queens, and found
out that the queens would fight back.
Reply by jim johnson.
A
couple of proud boy wannabees challanged a friend and self for trail
right of way. We'd just been discussing fag bashing, how to avoid it
and, thinking alike, lunged, sending them scattering like roaches. Like
even Great White Sharks will recoil by instinct from anything like an
Orca, the only critter powerful enough to eat the shark.
Reply by azureblue.
The question is who paid their tab?
Comment by sgkos.
They cover their faces because they're chicken-shit bigots. Just like ICE...
Reply by Jim McHenry.
They
know what they are doing is wrong and will cost them their jobs if
their faces are exposed, of which someone, somehow has outed a number of
them already.
Reply by raboof.
They _are_ ICE.
Reply by A Noah Count.
If,
as has been suggested, quite a number of them are Republican staffers,
how could their being known as being members of the neo-Nazi Patriot
Front affect their employment status?
Comment by Carbon.
Skin
color does not impart value. Only intelligence, civilized behavior,
and a third unmentionable quality does. If your life is so empty of
those things, certain groups will convince you that...oh right... skin
color must be the key.edited
Comment by SteveinBA.
How
now Brown Cow, look Americans have always been center right, beliefs in
holy moly liberal community, means communist and the great Orange
leader demands it. Of further note, Speaker Johnson bonified 2200
Election denier, has no bank account,, probably clear glass horn rimed
glasses, to look smart, a Louisiana guy is tuff, not a empty suit,
looking down my list, ok I 🤔 I've offended said parties if I missed
you, I'm selling cry pillows, the irony.
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All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. The views expressed in comments are those of the individual authors and don't necessarily reflect the views of Daily Kos.
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