American Vanguard on campus: What you need to know
Vanguard America, a white supremacist group made famous by their controversial college posters that surfaced mid February continues to maintain a presence both in Denton and on the UNT campus.
Aside from the posters (portraying a white man and woman above the words “We have a right to exist”) the group has also been alleged of “doxxing” certain left leaning students at Texas Woman’s University and UNT, as well as allegedly being connected to the appearance of YouTuber Steven Crowder as he impersonated a transgender woman at Denton’s Women’s Day Strike in March.
Doxxing, defined as “to publicly identify or publish private information about (someone) especially as a form of punishment or revenge” is a form of cyber harassment that both conservative and liberal students have been accused of using against each other since the Presidential Election in November. Though none of the students wished to be named, both sides expressed a desire for more open communication.
“As far as my personal experience, I have had pictures of me taken and posted online without my consent,” One student, who will remain anonymous for their safety, said about her experiences with the far right organization. “At tailings on campuses we have been spat on, and I have been filmed at almost every event I have helped to organize.”
Other alleged harassment includes being spat on, and stalked.
"The people who we pointed out as white nationalists not only follow people like me around, but they have proven that they have no intention of having conversations with us."
Crowder, the conservative host of what he calls “the most politically incorrect comedy channel on the web” where he runs his talk show, Louder With Crowder, was allegedly invited by local members of VA to “crash” the Day Without a Woman Strike on the Square, where he and a friend impersonated trans women while filming local protesters.
Antifa DFW, an anti fascist group tweeted the day of the event, warning individuals to “be on the lookout” for Crowder, members of VA, and political science freshman Joseph Kane, who denies any involvement with the group. Antifa is a strong opponent to VA, who cites American Fascism as being a key pillar of their beliefs.
“The damage done to this nation and its people will not be fixed if every issue requires a vote, if every point must be debated, discussed, or deliberated upon,” reads VA’s manifesto. “Democracy has failed in this once great nation, now the time for a new Caesar to revive the American spirit has dawned.”
Other key points include A Nation For Our People (which states that “a multicultural nation is no nation at all”), A Nation of Values (which states that “it is vital now more than ever to create a society based on preserving and upholding the natural order that binds us”), and An Independent, United Nation (which states that America should strive for “an economy that is self-contained and free from the influence of international corporations, led by a rootless group of international jews, which place profit beyond the interests of our people, or any people”).
Although it clearly states at the bottom of the manifesto on their website that the organization does not support any criminal activity, and that all members must support and uphold the law, there have been concerns expressed with the nature of a white nationalist group on campus.