Using recent events in A Level Politics: The Charlottesville violence

Violence in Charlottesville, 11^th-12^th August 2017

What happened?

On 12^th August, a rally was planned in Charlottesville, Virginia by ‘Unite the Right’, an alliance of alt-right, white nationalist and white supremacist groups. These included the Ku Klux Klan and various openly neo-Nazi organisations. Violence began on the evening of Friday 11^th when marching white supremacists carrying flaming torches were intercepted by students of the University of Virginia. The students attempted to block the path of the marchers, who tried to force their way through. The next day, both white nationalists and anti-fascist counter-protesters gathered, and further violence erupted. Police moved in to separate the protesters and cancelled the rally initially planned. However, shortly after this announcement, a white nationalist drove a car at speed into a crowd of counter-demonstrators, killing a woman named Heather Heyer and injuring several others.

How is it relevant to the course?

Freedom/Liberty

AQA paper 3: Political ideas

• Core ideologies
• Liberalism

Edexcel component 1: UK politics and core political ideas

• Core political ideas
• Liberalism

Sample question: To what extent do liberals agree about the limits of freedom?

The white nationalists claimed that their rights and freedoms were being threatened. In the weeks before the white nationalist rally was due to take place, authorities had attempted to move the event to another site, where it would be less provocative. However, a judge ruled that this would contravene the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees the right to free speech. In Charlottesville, many white nationalists also carried firearms. This is permitted by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. The authors of the Constitution, produced in the 1780s, were strongly influenced by classical liberal values, and the works of John Locke. Recently, far-right groups like those who gathered in Charlottesville have often cited the liberal principle of free speech to assert that racist, anti-Semitic, or otherwise abusive rhetoric should be permitted. The white supremacists drew on this argument to defend their plans in Charlottesville. The counter-protesters, however, would also have claimed to be defenders of freedom. They could argue that the speakers at the rally would have glorified slavery and encouraged the unequal treatment of Jews, black Americans and other minority groups. This would have encouraged discrimination against these groups, limited their opportunity and ultimately undermined their liberty. The counter-demonstrators would be likely to agree with Will Kymlicka’s arguments in favour of special protections for minority groups. They would therefore have seen the Unite the Right rally as a threat to freedom and argued that action needed to be taken either to prevent it or to speak out against it. The differences between the two sides can be explained by defining ‘freedom’ in the different ways identified by Isaiah Berlin: the white supremacists wanted negative freedom, the absence of constraint or coercion; the counter-protesters believed in positive freedom, the opportunity to succeed, which requires prejudice to be overcome.

Tolerance, foundational equality, anti-discrimination and rights

AQA paper 3: Political ideas

• Core ideologies
• Liberalism/Multiculturalism

Edexcel component 1: UK politics and core political ideas

• Core political ideas
• Liberalism/Multiculturalism

Sample question: To what extent is liberalism the dominant ideology in the world today?

The actions of the white nationalists clearly show a lack of tolerance towards members of ethnic minorities and other faiths. Chants on the torchlit march included ‘Jews will not replace us!’ and ‘White power!’. Racist abuse was hurled at black counter-demonstrators. These slogans, the rally and the existence of the groups themselves, indicate that their members believe that the USA should belong only to white Americans. The white nationalists clearly do not tolerate the rights, freedoms, or in some cases even the existence of, other ethnic groups in the USA. The counter-demonstrators, on the other hand, wished to express their beliefs in tolerance towards ethnic-minority communities in the USA. They may agree with the arguments suggesting the positive value of cultural membership put forward by Charles Taylor, Tariq Modood, or Will Kymlicka. They may also be influenced by the ideas of foundational equality found in John Locke and JS Mill (although Locke’s works do include a justification of slavery). Many would argue that the prejudice and abuse minority groups face from the white supremacists has no basis in right.  The anti-fascist demonstrators aimed to defend these groups. It could also be argued that each group of protesters showed intolerance towards the other. In their eagerness to show support for cultural and ethnic pluralism, the counter-demonstrators may have attempted to silence those who disagreed with them, limiting political pluralism. The cancellation of the rally on the grounds that it would have spread unpleasant views would probably not have been supported by Voltaire, who supposedly wrote, ‘I disapprove of what you say, but I defend to the death your right to say it’ (it is doubtful whether Voltaire himself said these words, but they may be a reasonable summary of his attitude, and remain an important touchstone for liberals). The killing of Heather Heyer is clear evidence of a more egregious lack of tolerance. She suffered a breach not only of her right to protest and be heard, but of her fundamental right to life. This was due to intolerance of the counter-protesters defending minority rights. Her death shows that, whilst some alt-right protesters use the language of tolerance to argue that their views should be heard, others turn to violent methods completely incompatible with tolerance.

Nationalism

AQA paper 1: The government and politics of the UK

• Core ideologies/Other ideologies
• Nationalism

Edexcel component 2: UK government and non-core political ideas

• Non-core political ideas
• Nationalism

Sample questions: ‘Nationalism is intrinsically associated with violence and intolerance.’ Discuss.

The events in Charlottesville were produced by the gathering of various white nationalist groups, and thus are evidence for the impact of nationalism in modern America. Many of the attendees of the rally draped themselves in American flags. They evidently saw their movement as a defence of America, or of ‘true Americans’. This implies a strong belief in an American nation as a cohesive group that is threatened by outsiders – an extreme example of conservative nationalism. Not all conservative nationalists would advocate violence, but the tragic outcome of the events in Charlottesville shows the potential for such attitudes to encourage the use of extreme measures to defend the nation.

Racialism

AQA paper 1: The government and politics of the UK

• Core ideologies/Other ideologies
• Nationalism

Edexcel component 2: UK government and non-core political ideas

• Non-core political ideas
• Nationalism

Sample questions: ‘Racialism has little influence among nationalists today.’ Discuss.

The events in Charlottesville show the strength of a racialist form of nationalism. Whilst they bore American flags, many attendees of the rally in Charlottesville were ‘white nationalists’, or ‘white supremacists’. White supremacists believe in the natural superiority of white people, and hence that they have a right to greater status and political power. They often glorify the Nazi regime in 1930s Germany, which, influenced by the writings of Joseph Arthur Gobineau, asserted the superiority of the ‘Aryan’ race. Many protesters in Charlottesville carried flags and shields adorned with the swastika, the symbol of Nazism. The Nazis in Germany, and neo-Nazis today, have argued that national decline and a loss of national pride are the result of the nation having been weakened by the propagation of less favourable genetic characteristics; they see this as a result of racial impurity. It is unclear how many on the far right today actually adhere to the pseudo-science of racialist theory. It may be that the Swastika is simply a symbol of opposition to the liberal political mainstream, and those carrying it would actually advocate policies such as an end to immigration, rather than the more extreme goal of racial purity. However, the events in Charlottesville seem to suggest that there may be many who hold such ideas, or at least admire the Nazi regime under which they were espoused.

Reason and rationalism

AQA paper 3: Political ideas

• Core ideologies
• Liberalism

Edexcel component 1: UK politics and core political ideas

• Core political ideas
• Liberalism

Sample question: ‘Belief in the power of reason is central to liberal beliefs.’ Discuss.

The violence in Charlottesville would be strongly opposed by liberals, who believe in the use of reason to settle differences. There was little rational argument and debate between the two groups of protesters, and the event culminated in a tragic death. This would have horrified those who believe that the sharing of ideas, and the application to them of human intellect, can result in better decision-making, and better outcomes. In Charlottesville, emotion took over. Heyer was killed because some on the side of the white supremacists believed in to settling differences using force, not reason.