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'F*** black lives!': Trump supporters scream 'white power' in parade

Academic recorded rally in support of president, featuring profanities 

Gino Spocchia
Monday 21 September 2020 16:59 BST
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Trump supporters shout 'white power' while driving through Elon University
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Donald Trump supporters were seen during a car parade in which “neo-Confederate” members shouted “white power” and other obscienties at bystanders.

About 200 cars took part in the convoy that passed through Elon, North Carolina, on Saturday, the Elon News Network reported.

Members of a neo-Confederate organisation called Alamance County Taking Back Alamance County (ACTBAC) were said to have set-up the pro-Trump parade. 

Founded by Gary Williamson, ACTBAC has been designated as a neo-Confederate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Elon News reported.

Megan Squire, an academic and researcher on right-wing extremism, videoed the procession as it passed through the campus at Elon University.  

Some members of the parade shouted the phrase "white power”, as another commented on Ms Squire’s Black Lives Matter sign, saying: “no they f****** don’t, b***h! Go back home c***.”

Another driver, whose vehicle was adorned with at least two American flags, was said to have yelled “f*** black lives!”.

Ms Squire, recording the procession as it passed in downtown Elon, was told that “maybe you’ll be hit by a train next”, as a second ACTBAC member shouted “choo, choo, Trump train”.

The same vehicle accused the academic of being a member of Antifa – a far-left organisation president Trump has baselessly blamed wildfires and property damage on in recent months – as they shouted “four more years b****”.

“The constant references to ‘Antifa’ as a slur are pretty common here,” Ms Squire wrote on Twitter. “Local racists use it as an all-purpose insult”.

In an email to Elon students and staff on Sunday, Jon Dooley, vice president for student life, condemned the parade and called on no-trespass orders to be issued against those caught on campus security campus.

"No trespass orders also allow us to keep a record should we encounter issues in the future," he wrote. "This is our standard procedure when individuals exhibit this kind of behavior."

In a statement to The Hill, the Trump campaign also condemned the parade, with spokesman Tim Murtaugh saying: "The President has repeatedly condemned racism and white supremacy. This has no place in our campaign".

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