Hate makes a comeback in the Pacific Northwest

By Nicholas K. Geranios, The Associated Press

SPOKANE, Wash. — Nearly two decades after the Aryan Nations compound was demolished in northern Idaho, far-right extremists are again drawing attention in the Pacific Northwest.

While white nationalism has been on the rise across the U.S., it has particular resonance along the Idaho-Washington border, an area long home to a neo-Nazi compound.

Aryans Nations was bankrupted in a lawsuit brought by local activists and the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2000.

But a series of incidents in recent weeks show far-right sentiments never really left the conservative region and have started to re-emerge.

The Southern Poverty Law Center contends at least nine hate groups operated in the region of Spokane and northern Idaho in 2018, including Identity Evropa, Proud Boys, ACT for America, America’s Promise Ministries and others. The centre does not track how many members belong to each group.

Nicholas K. Geranios, The Associated Press




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