'Antifa,' 'alt-right' hang dueling posters at Clemson
Alt-right and Antifa groups are apparently competing for the loyalty of “white people” at Clemson University, with dueling flyers appearing on campus last week.
Veronica Mobbs, a Clemson student, snapped a photo Monday morning of what appeared to be an alt-right recruiting poster taped to the front door of Fike, Clemson’s gymnasium, triggering outrage across campus.
[RELATED: Pro-Antifa students give the finger to victims of communism]
“This is your Monday morning reminder that we now live in a world where neo-nazis [sic] are recruiting openly on college campuses,” Mobbs posted, adding, “I just found it on the door when I arrived for work. #TrumpsAmerica.”
“White supremacy exists in South Carolina, and here’s proof of it,” she concluded.
“Attention: White People,” the header of the poster reads. “Tired of being blamed for everything? Wondering why only white countries need multiculturalism? Tired of political correctness?”
“Join the Alt Right,” it suggests, listing a variety of alt-right affiliated websites.
The identity of the person who hung the poster remains unknown, but Mobbs’ father, Geoffrey, commented on the post raising the possibility that the posters were a “false flag” designed to generate controversy.
“Dad, if you really, truly believe that, you’re listening to too many nutcases on youtube [sic],” Mobbs responded.
[RELATED: Clemson instructor offers to do graphic design for Antifa]
It didn’t take long for local Antifa groups to respond. On Thursday, Alexander Cullen, a Clemson student and editor-in-chief of the Tiger Town Observer (TTO), uploaded a picture of a poster that was apparently put up by a group formerly known as Upstate Antifa, which recently rebranded itself as Upstate Anti-Racist Action (UARA).
“Hey, White Person,” the poster begins. “Tired of being appealed to by fascists who want to divide you from your friends and/or family because they aren’t white? [...] Scared of how extreme and dangerous the right wing has become recently?”
“Congratulations! You are a well-adjusted human being!” the poster concludes before encouraging viewers to “support your local Anti-Fascist Organization!”
This isn’t the first time UARA has posted recruitment materials on campus. In February, members of UARA posed with baseball bats, and promoted violence and vandalism in the name of fighting “fascism.”
[RELATED: Antifa group openly promotes violence, vandalism at Clemson]
In a Facebook post, the TTO placed the Antifa and alt-right posters side by side, drawing attention to the “similarities” between the two documents and declaring that “students at Clemson University can do better than communists and fascists.”
UARA responded by sharing the TTO’s post, remarking that “they were quiet until we responded” and adding that “it should be noted that there are antifascists across the political spectrum—we are not all communists.”
UARA charged the TTO with advocating for “genocidal assholes” to recruit on campus, even ominously informing Alexander Cullen, the head of the TTO, that “we know who and what you are, too,” before later deleting all the comments.
Campus Reform reached out to UARA, which responded, “F**k off. Your harassment of members of our community and defense of hate speech has not gone unnoticed.”
Clemson University spokesman Mark Land later addressed the posters in an email, saying the university will not tolerate direct threats or advocacy of illegal activities.
“Any form of speech that is deemed to be a direct call to imminent lawlessness, or which presents a true threat to members of the campus community, will be dealt with swiftly and appropriately by the university,” he wrote, adding that “Any student or employee who comes across future similar materials, should contact Clemson University Police, which is actively monitoring this situation.”
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @rMitchellGunter
