Alt-right groups are growing in the US and Canada, and social media outlets help to act as a platform for promoting ideologies. These people claim their movement is based on liberty and the right to free speech. However, in today’s apparently civilized society, what they’re promoting should be called what it rightfully is: racism, misogyny and anti-Semitism. The KKK, Neo-Nazi groups, and others are experiencing a revival or resurgence in sympathizers, and it would be shortsighted to exclude the Rise of Trump as partly responsible for this.

Far-right groups and individuals are associated with hate speech as they preach something that encourages divide, exclusion, and blame based on gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. The alt-right is gaining power in both America and Canada, and media presences are giving more credence to these harmful beliefs.

Recently, I read about a far-right political activist from Canada named Lauren Southern. She’s a blonde 22-year-old who made news in my country when the Southern Poverty Law Center condemned her for hate speech and blatant white nationalism.

In the aftermath, I’ve seen people calling her the “Canadian Tomi Lahren.” Lahren is a 25-year-old conservative political commentator and TV host who is quickly becoming one of the most recognized faces in American right-wing media. While humorous to note that they resemble each other in looks, age, and political leanings, to me, it seems dangerous to muddle the two.

Who are they?

Lahren’s ascension to media fame — or infamy — is born from her willingness to make “a rightwing criticism of pop culture”, as explained by political scientist Dan Cassino. She has identified a niche market gap in the political media landscape and has remained a consistent conservative voice.

Southern, on the other hand, is recognized more for her actions — specifically, her antagonistic rally stunts. While neither women are unbiased, Southern is keener to be the creator of events in politics, as opposed to Lahren, who commentates on them.

They are both self-confessed anti-feminists. However, Lahren has been far more supportive and vocal about her belief in women empowerment and is perhaps more transparently using this argument as a convoy for garnering support within her party. She is well-known for her pro-choice abortion position as well.

In contrast, Southern’s vitriolic provocation of LGBTQ initiatives and feminist-based movements such as International Women’s Day is rapidly approaching plain misogyny.

Southern has actively campaigned against LGBTQ movements, insisting that “there are only two genders,” and in 2016 in Vancouver was attacked by a protestor at one of these rallies. Southern has made a name for herself through attending protests with counter-messages, such as in June 2015 where she brandished a sign at the Vancouver SlutWalk saying “There Is No Rape Culture in the West.”

Decidedly anti-feminist given her actions in the public realm, she also initiated “The Triggering”, which fell the day after International Women’s Day and involved Twitter users posting controversial and unthinkable remarks and content to promote free speech.

More recently, Southern incorrectly accused Syrian refugees of the Quebec City mosque shooting in January 2017. She is unapologetically anti-immigration, even going so far as organizing an identitarian group, Generation Identitaire to try and obstruct the passageway of the Aquarius, an NGO ship searching for ship-wrecked migrants. What sums her views up quite nicely is her book, Barbarians: How Baby Boomers, Immigrants and Islam Screwed My Generation.

So . . . the point?

So why does any of this matter? Here’s the thing: on a political spectrum that is growing increasingly hyper partisan and hostile, we need to be able to correctly identify who the real enemy is. I don’t like Lahren and never have. Her rhetoric spreads a rightest message that I generally disagree with. However, she is arguably not the same as someone as extremist as Southern.

To me, people like Lahren present more of an opportunity for us to try to reach some kind of center approach together. Her pro-choice stance and her noted interest in women empowerment is something that those on the left can try to work with when dealing with people who are merely conservative.

Conservative politics is not the real enemy. The alt-right movement is. It is hostile and angry, and goes far beyond discussion about fiscal policy and the way our government operates. People like Southern do not hold reasonable views. They need to be met with a wall of opposition, and it will be easier to oppose them if those of us who still have a sane and rational understanding of how a democracy works can band together — both left and right.

America’s news media has spent the last six months captivated by a rash of white nationalist activity. It’s easy to point a finger at the surreal result of the USA’s democratic process — the election of President Donald Trump — as the cause for all this hateful activity. The truth is, though, that nationalist sentiment has been swirling around the global geopolitical conversation for quite some time now.

In Your Own Back Yard

Mississauga is Canada’s sixth largest city, and home to a diverse population that includes many Muslim Canadians. Unbeknownst to many who live in Mississauga and other parts of the country, a recent Peel District School Board meeting became a forum for nationalistic ideas when one man suggested that Muslim students weren’t Canadian.

The parent in question was a member of the group Rise Canada, which could be compared to the white nationalist groups in America like the American Freedom Party. At a separate school board meeting, another man ripped pages from the Quran and declared the religion evil.

These sorts of mindless outcries have been shown to incite extremism by giving impressionable young minds something to fear, instead of allowing them to feel comfortable.

The Global Nationalism Movement

Largely overshadowed by the election of Donald Trump in the western media, Great Britain’s decision to exit the European Union is an obvious act of nationalistic feelings, and one that the UK won’t be able to undo quickly.

Groups like the English Defense League and Britain First rallied to win the Brexit vote that Nigel Farage eventually received recognition for. It is essential to recognize the movements behind these people and understand their motives, rather than assume one person is responsible.

Even smaller EU countries like Slovakia have exhibited noticeable signs of increasing nationalist sentiment. For many Slovaks, the 2016 election of a Neo-Nazi party member to the nation’s parliament was a shocking setback for the advance of democratic ideas.

While it was only a single seat, not a controlling share of parliament, the presence of nationalistic groups operating at a global level is further exemplified with similar happenings in places like Croatia, Hungary, and Poland.

What we can do

So, how does one take action to ensure that their country doesn’t go down the same path, or at least take the side of inclusivism instead of promoting divisive ideas?

Fighting back against discriminatory legislation is one way. Canadian parliament recently suggested a law that prohibits face coverings for public workers. Anyone with a basic understanding of the importance that headscarves and niqabs for Muslim women can see how such a bill would immediately hinder Canadian women from observing their religion while on the job.

It would be irresponsible to wait for Charlottesville-type acts to take place in Canada and other countries when we know the problems exist. Canada's history is not without its dark times on the topic of race relations. Aboriginal Canadians may not have the media spotlight the way that groups in the US do, but the hardships they’ve endured are no different from other oppressed minorities.

Rather than make the mistakes of America and deny the problem, the right thing to do is take ownership. Understanding why nationalistic groups exist, accepting it, and then working to educate those who fear diversity are important first steps. We may have our differences, but the answer is in treating people like humans, not enemies.