When Donald Trump says that the violence in Charlottesville came from “many sides,” he is trying to establish a moral equivalence between the “alt-right” protesters and the counterprotesters. No such moral equivalence exists.
The alt-right is comprised of neo-Nazis and white supremacists whose ultimate goal is to live in a country ruled only by white Christians and to subjugate or expel everyone else. They intend to make that happen with violence. While it’s true that there may have been scattered instances of minor violence by the counter-protesters, violence is an integral part of the white supremacists’ ideology. Their goal is repugnant and their strategy is violence.
Trump uses the term “alt-left” to describe the counter-protesters to make them sound like a mirror image of the “alt-right.” The people he is describing are the ones who want all Americans to be treated with equality and dignity.
We are Americans not because we share a skin color, religion, or even a language. We are Americans because we share the ideals of freedom, inclusion, compassion, respect and empathy for our fellow human beings.
Steve Huthman
Brigham City