简体中文
The United States
is reeling after one woman died and several people were injured during
the weekend's clashes between white power protesters and counter
demonstrators. Experts fear such incidents could increase amid a recent
jump in the number of white supremacy groups.
On Saturday, in the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, reports
depicted a violent scene, in which white supremacists - and those
demonstrating against them - threw fists, wielded sticks and shields and
left each other bruised, bloodied and battered.
Suddenly and without warning, in the middle of the chaos, a driver
plowed his car through a group of counter demonstrators, sending bodies
flying into mid-air, killing one 32 year-old woman and wounding nearly
two dozen more.
The weekend's violence underscores a growing white supremacy movement
in the United States. While such groups remain on the fringe, some
experts fear their numbers could grow.
"What happened in Charlottesville is the toxic outcome of a growing
neo-Nazi, white nationalist movement that has felt emboldened partially
by some of President Trump' s statements," Dan Mahaffee, senior vice
president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of Congress
and the Presidency, told Xinhua.
"And more significantly (the groups have been spurred on) by the
growth of right wing movements that have found an echo chamber in which
to grow and flourish on the Internet," Mahaffee said.
Indeed, media reports said police failed to form a barricade between
the two groups, which is standard police procedure in such cases, and
seemed to be overwhelmed by the chaos.
"What is most concerning about Charlottesville is that at least one
member appears to have adopted the car attack tactics that were utilized
by ISIS, and the concern is that this will inspire copycats who want to
carry out further acts of domestic terrorism," Mahaffee said, referring
to a common method attack used by an Islamist terror group.
MORE VIOLENCE TO COME
Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that,
going forward, the United States may see more such violence if the lives
of Trump supporters - many of whom voted for him because they were
struggling financially -- do not see their lives improve.
"Trump supporters expect the President to make their lives better. If
that does not happen, they will be deeply disillusioned and likely to
grow even more frustrated," West said.
That, West believes, could increase the number of those engaging in racism and political mayhem.
"There is the risk they will join other like-minded people and engage in racist behavior and political violence," he said.
"The coming years may be more volatile and tumultuous in the United States," he said.
WHITE, WORKING CLASS FRUSTRATION
The growth of such groups is a radical manifestation of myriad
changes impacting white, working class Americans, a demographic that has
felt the sting of joblessness in recent decades as factory jobs have
moved down to Mexico or overseas.
Indeed, while the official U.S. jobless rate hovers around 5 percent,
that figure only calculates those who are actively seeking full time
employment, and many believe the real number is dramatically higher.
Millions of Americans - many are whites in rural areas - have given
up seeking work on the utter lack of prospects. Moreover, critics say
the rate skews the real situation. For example, an out-of-work engineer,
who cuts his neighbor's lawn for one day and receives 20 U.S. dollars -
enough to buy a couple of meals - is counted as employed for that
entire week by the government bureau that compiles the U.S. jobless
reports.
Many others are finding only part time work, although that situation
differs sharply from the employment situation in major cities like
Washington DC and New York. In those and other large cities, wages are
high and jobs are abundant.
Moreover, many working class whites feel their lifestyle and belief
systems are being threatened by what they see as an elite government in
Washington that does not have their best interests in mind.
And at a time when there are 11 million illegal immigrants in the
country, many believe - rightly or wrongly - that wages in such
industries as construction are being driven down by illegal migrants.
This demographic has been angry for some time, and saw in Trump
someone who would put them back to work, deport illegal migrants they
believed were taking their jobs, and correct what they saw as unfair
trade practises they feel threatened their livelihood.
Many Trump supporters, however, are quick to point out that the
weekend's violence constitutes only a fringe group of Trump supporters.
Others point out that most Americans are not as focused on the nation's
political situation as are vocal minorities on both sides.
Some non-radical Trump supporters argue that it is not Trump's fault
that right-wing radicals follow him, and contend that many radical
whites have interpreted Trump's statements to mean whatever the radicals
want them to mean.
Others maintain that every word out of a U.S. president's mouth can
have consequences, and Trump must be much more careful with what he
says, as he is known for emotional outbursts and over-the-top
statements.
