Fuck. We are in desperate need of genocide studies in the US. Because people are genuinely arguing that Nazism— and thus the white supremacy which inspired it— is an aberration of European philosophical tradition, rather than the end conclusion of “Western” ideologies.

“Nazism is uniquely evil” implies it cannot happen here and that it originally happened by freak happenstance. If you singularize the actions of the Nazis, you lose critical analysis of what ideas inspired them (see: US genocide of First Nations People) and how the Germans developed their tactics of oppression and murder (see: German genocide of the Herero and the Nama people between 1904-1908).

I believe it’s time we call this kind of rhetoric what it is: genocide denialism and Holocaust revisionism. It denies the European-created genocides before and after the Holocaust, and it rewrites the history leading up to the Holocaust to purposefully cover up the fact that it can and will happen here. Over and over and over. Such rhetoric also (purposefully) denies victims of genocides the world over solidarity with each other. To justify the destruction of Poland, Hitler asked, “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” Would you deny the son of a Shoah survivor the right to march with Armenians? Or would you, like the German state, accuse him of de-singularizing and relativizing the Holocaust and report him to the local antisemitism commissioner?

If you treat Nazism as unlike anything else that’s ever happened or will happen, then you don’t need to worry about it and the tragedies it created happening ever again. “Never again” becomes an empty promise. This type of rhetoric gives people the opportunity to wipe their hands of any culpability in the rise and reproduction of similar systems or other genocides, and they can use this singularity rhetoric to position themselves into a moral category despite supporting similar ideas. That Nazism and the Shoah happened means it was possible and still is possible, among any people.

The “massive, systematic, and efficient nature of” Nazi oppression, brutality, atrocity and its genocidal tactics and policies is a function of modernity and “Western” Enlightenment rationality. It is not an aberration.

My friend’s firsthand Charlottesville experience

One of my friends who wished to remain nameless posted this on facebook today and because they doesn’t have a tumblr I got their permission to post it here. All names of people associated with them personally are fake.

So begins their post:

Content and trigger warning: Charlottesville, Nazism, severe violence, terrorism, white supremacy.

**** So here's my very lengthy piece (roughly 6 pages) of writing describing what I experienced in Charlottesville. This piece was tough for me to write at times but I feel like it's necessary both for my own mental health and for others to get at least a glimpse at what I experienced. I am sharing this with everyone as a way to try and dispel some of the myths and unknowns about what happened as well as allow myself to fully process what happened. Please note I used the term Nazis sparingly but keep in mind that the right wing protesters, whether they openly support Nazis and/or National Socialism, they were standing with those who openly do call themselves Nazis, wave Nazi flags, wear Swastikas, and give the Nazi salute. Included with this post I've added some images to help give people an idea of how and where things happened. The first is a google earth look at where the main protest/counter protest occurred. For reference, the terrorist attack occurred past point A, away from the park by about 4-5 blocks. I would really appreciate it if everyone was respectful of this post as sharing this experience and getting it all out means a lot to me. Thanks.****

At about 8:30am Frank and I arrived in Charlottesville to the sight of police on nearly every street corner. Traffic was being rerouted, streets were shut down and there were hundreds of people everywhere. We drove around a bit, trying to get our bearings in the city as well as get an idea of where counter protesters were meeting. We parked a few blocks away, napped for a short amount of time as we had driven through the night, loaded up our backpacks with water and medical supplies and left to join the counter protesters. We arrived in the park to the welcome of the Socialist Gun Club and Redneck Revolt. Despite whatever your preconceived notions of these groups I assure you these men and women are heroes. Not even 20 minutes after we arrived about 30-40 men dressed in khakis and white polos (later Identified at Identity Europa) were marching down the street in our direction. They were carrying long metal flag poles, pipes, and picket signs. They clearly looked like they were ready to stir up trouble but after seeing the SGC and RR guarding each entrance to the park, they quickly turned around and left. Inside the park there was a lot going on. There were about three tents set up with people passing out free water, snacks, basic medical supplies, and giving medics red tape crosses to designate them to others. My friend and I began to mingle with the various groups, asking where they were from, what their beliefs were on various issues facing the world, and generally getting to know the other people that had gathered here for the same cause. During this mingling time, Frank and I talked with members of IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) and shook hands with a few of the members, not knowing we would be attending the vigil of one of them before the day was over.

At about 10am shouts were heard to gather up into a group and begin moving towards Emancipation Park (formally Lee park, where the statue of General E Lee was being stood up for). When our group of counter protester approached the park where protesters were camped out, we peacefully (but certainly not quietly) gathered around the block. The protesters standing in the park had formed a line of people with homemade and DIY shields (this can be seen by the red line on the map). Protesters were only allowed into about half of the park as the rest of the park and surrounding areas were blocked off and guarded by Virginia State Police (marked as the green on the map).

Our shouts and chants were returned with mostly equal shouting. This went on for about 20 to 30 minutes with both sides shouting obscenities and chants towards the other. “Go home f*******” was responded with “We're here. We're gay. We fight the KKK”. Other popular chants were “Follow your leader, kill yourselves!” and “No Trump. No Pence. No KKK. No fascist USA”. All the while the right-wing protesters attempted to stir up violence by pushing, and pepper spraying or blowing airhorns into the faces of those who got too close to their lines. Cheap plastic water bottles, tomatoes, and water balloons filled with bright paint (mostly pink, light blue-green, and other colors typically regarded as “girly” colors) were thrown from the counter protesters, but nothing that would be able to cause any real harm. The aim was to humiliate.

After a while of this going on I heard shouts from throughout the crowd that TWP (Traditionalist Workers Party) was arriving. There began to be calls and shouts to form a line to block off the street. Rushing over, we quickly formed 3-4 rows of people, locked arms, and refused to move (marked as point A on the map). We did this to show that we were, first and foremost, standing in a non-violent way. Local clergy men and women joined in our show on non-violence but unfortunately our attempt at non-violence was quickly met with violence. Approximately 10-12 members of the TWP and Southern Nationalists armed with "civilian" riot shields grouped together, charged their way through our lines of locked arms, and in the instants following, sprayed mace, knocked people to the ground and grouped up on them to beat them, broke flag poles, and in general pushed their way through the lines of counter protesters with complete disregard for the fact we stood non-violently. I, along with others, responded to this quickly escalating violence by jabbing flag poles and picket signs into the gaps of their shields towards the individuals who were actively assaulting other counter protesters. Other protesters used pepper spray, threw loose objects, and used other personal defense items. The riot shield wielding demonstrators spread out, pushing people to the ground and beat our people with their shields attempting to scatter us. This tactic proved successful in allowing their group to pass into the park where the rest of the right-wing demonstrators were. While this went on, large unarmed men filled in their gaps pushing people to the ground, kicking and punching their way through the crowd. Meanwhile, during all of this violence, VSP stood behind nearby metal barricades and watched, already armed with their own riot gear, without even reacting to the violence unfolding in front of them. I believe VSP's failure to act here set the precedent for the rest of this rally. Seeing that they could get away with this initial level of violence, the demonstrators kept pushing their limits on what would be allowed by law enforcement, eventually leading to the violence of Alex Field's attack.

In the following hour, the now unified right wingers would gather up behind a line of both DYI shields and "civilian" riot shields, throw water bottles, broken cups and mugs, glass bottles, and eventually rocks, broken pieces of pavement, and tear gas canisters. All of the above, except for the rocks and broken pavement, were thrown back by counter protesters. I was given and handful of water balloons by a counter protester and was told they had "Mostly paint but also a little bit of a Jewish Comrade's piss in them". Meanwhile, again, VSP stands idly by. Small exchanges of pepper spray from both sides were present throughout all of this.

After dozens of counter protesters had to fall back to get help from medics and 2 having to be carried back by groups, one of which I helped to drag back to medics, counter protesters started to call for moving into the park. As we did Nazis began ripping up newspaper stands and trashcans from the ground and pushing them down the steps at us. One counter protester responded by picking up the nearest newspaper stand and hurling it back. This didn't deter most, as counter protesters advanced. But here's the best part; as soon as our front line made it actually into the park, the VSP began firing blanks into the air and announced that it was no longer a legal assembly and that everyone had to vacate the park. “This has now been deemed an unlawful assembly by the state of Virginia. Please leave the park and surrounding streets immediately or you will be arrested” was blasted from a megaphone from behind the line of riot police. As soon as this announcement was made, without a moment of hesitation or a moment to clear out, VSP fired cannisters of tear gas into the surrounding streets. While counter protesters were being tear gassed, KKK and TSP leaders, David Duke Grand Wizard included, along with a handful of others who were not on the front lines, were safely escorted out by VSP officers in riot gear using streets that police had shut down.

The right wingers that chose to stay in the park we're eventually pushed to a back corner of the park by undeterred counter protester. This was when I witnessed a man in a suit coat embroidered with a Trump Pepe and crying Bernie Wojack meme as well as a MAGA colonial style hat get in the face of counter protesters by shouting and pushing. One counter protester attempted to steal his hat but was pushed back. This gave an opportunity to a counter protester with pepper spray to spray him from less than 2 feet away. With one of the more prominent protesters having to be helped out of the park to receive medical attention, most of the other right wing demonstrators left the park. The remaining demonstrators formed lines to push back on the now advancing riot police. After about ten minutes of attempted push back and scattered attempts at reasoning and bargaining with riot police, the remaining right wingers let loose onto the streets. I, along with a handful of other counter protesters, followed the last handful of demonstrators as the left the park and followed them up until they entered a street that was guarded by BOTH a group of armed right wing protesters and police (marked as point B on the map). This is where the cooperation between demonstrators and police became absolutely obvious.

It was about this time that the officer manning the loud speaker announced that a state of emergency had been declared. I left the area surrounding the park and headed into the downtown area to join the main crowd of counter protesters. Roughly 40 local police officers had begun lining up in front of a nearby Wells Fargo leaving VSP and riot police to hold down Emancipation Park (the park where the demonstrators were defending the statue of General E. Lee). With all of law enforcement preoccupied, and the Wells Fargo secure, the angry right wingers who just had their rally broken up flooded onto the streets, forming small groups harassing and assaulting lone counter protesters. This was when I witnessed a black man being beaten on the ground by two twenty-something white males in khakis, white polos, and white construction hats. A fellow counter protester rushed up, wielding a black collapsible baton and shouted “Get out of here!” They stopped attacking the man on the ground but didn't leave. At this time 2 officers entered the alleyway from behind the men in white. They rushed over, got in between the two grounds and ushered the two now cooperative men in white into a nearby business. As witnesses to the crime we stayed around waiting to see the men be arrested (it's all about small victories). About 5 minutes later the doors of the business were opened and the two men were walking out, without handcuffs, and without police. They were very obviously let to go free. With this lack of oversight by law enforcement and counter protesters leaving, this allowed the crowd of counter protesters to be an easy target while crossing the street. Not only did this chaos in the streets give way to the attack by James Fields, about 3-4 blocks from where I was at the time, but there was also a pick up truck driving dangerously close to counter protesters on the sidewalk with 5 right wingers wearing white construction helmets, swinging metal poles and a board of plywood at anyone who got too close. Since then I have seen that 2 people were eventually hospitalized by these individuals.

The majority of counter protesters at this point regrouped at our original meeting place to seek medical attention for those who needed it and warn everyone that people had been struck by the vehicle. Everyone was asked to leave the main gathering only in groups and not to loiter on sidewalks.

From there I heard a rumor that they had gathered at a different park across town. I walked roughly 2 ½ miles to where they were with a small group for safety, realized there was no counter protest presence and immediately left as I did not want to be in a place where we were severely outnumbered. There I met up with a group of locals also checking out their gathering and headed back.

A few hours later we were attending the vigil service for the woman killed. This was an extremely moving experience knowing that any one of us could have been targeted. Dozens of people brought flowers, lit candles and laid them on a picture of Heather Heyer. While this emotional service was going on and individuals were speaking, 3 Nazis made their way into the crowd trying to stir up issues at a vigil service for a woman their side had killed. If I haven't made my disdain for these groups clear enough already, FUCK NAZIS! I knew that these people clearly had no conscience from their use of extreme violence on protesters that clearly were not acting aggressively, but to show up at a vigil service for someone not even 3 hours dead was a new level of low that I've never experienced from another human being. I typically regard myself as someone who has faith in other humans, that at our core we are all good people and if given the choice, the majority will do the right thing, but this experience really and truly has truly shaken this part of my world view. I will not say fully broken or truly made me loose hope that people can and will do the right thing. I say this solely because in the face of true fascists organizing and killing people in our position, I heard words like “I didn't come all the way from New York to be safe!” and “As a member of this community I have to stand up and show these people these people are not welcome here”.

Through my time on the internet I thought I knew how despicable and hateful humans could be, from the pictures and videos of the worst of the worst of humanity, the praising of such despicable figures like Hitler, and the insensitive attacks based solely on someone's race or background; but to have this level of outright inhuman disrespect stare me straight in the eyes and not falter, was a completely new experience to me. I will never be able to fully convey what it felt like to stand up against the extermination of races and sexual orientations and have someone so violently oppose you to the point of literal murder. Part of me hopes that most of you never have to go through something like this, but the other half of me thinks that if you never have had this experience, you will never understand why I would absolutely go back to another rally like this. We tried non-violence, but in order for non-violence to work, your enemy must have a conscience. These people do not.

As for who is to blame and how do we handle things going forward? Firstly I will absolutely point the finger for Heather Heyer's death at VSP. Their unwillingness or choosing not to step in to control the violence from the right wing protesters, that they knew would be coming, allowed the violence to keep escalating which eventually led to the death of Heather. I have heard claims that they choose not to step in because they were not armed well enough, to which I call BS. Not only were they equipped with riot gear but there were people without any form of self defense in the middle trying to stop it. Cops are trained to handle these kinds of situations but normal citizens were acting more bravely than cops if that statement is true. As for moving forward, I hope that this violence is not repeated but my gut tells me that this is only the beginning. Multiple nazis have been recorded on camera saying that this is not the end of the violence and that they are just getting started. Intolerance can not be fought with tolerance as much as I wish it was true. I think we need a variety of tactics from civilians to both publicly humiliate, shame, and out these people. However, if you believe that these forms of non-violence alone will work, try using your glitter or paint to stop nazis with riot shields from charging at you. We need individuals who are prepared to stand up to violence AND we need people who are there to help identify and shame these people. Through this combination, I feel like we can both stand up to their violence and also make sure these people don't have jobs.

In all, to fully sum up my experience in Charlottesville, I feel like the most appropriate summation is something that a speaker and activist said at Heather Heyer's vigil.

"The police are paid for with our tax dollars. They are here to serve and protect the public and the only thing they've done today for the public was to knock on someone's door and tell them that their child isn't coming home tonight. I know that you and I are on the right side of history and I ask you to stand proud for being here and standing up for what you believe is right. As many have said before me: 'Mourn for the dead, and fight like hell for the living.'"