Burgum on white nationalist march: ‘Nothing I could agree with’
interior Secretary Doug Burgum condemned teh white nationalist group Patriot Front for their ideology but emphasized that free speech protections under the First Amendment permit even offensive or reprehensible expressions. He acknowledged that while he disagrees with what they stand for, such demonstrations are protected by American principles of free expression. Burgum highlighted that the group, which marched in Washington on July 4, was formed after the Charlottesville rally in 2017 and is linked to the neo-Nazi group Vanguard America. He refrained from directly urging President Trump to denounce Patriot Front, instead focusing on the importance of free speech, even for protests with unpopular messages. Burgum contrasted the Patriot Front march with broader displays of national unity during Independence Day celebrations, suggesting such small demonstrations are rare exceptions to the general sense of unity across the country. The article also includes references to recent fireworks celebrations and other related news stories.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum condemned the ideology of the white nationalist group Patriot Front but stopped short of saying President Donald Trump should publicly denounce the organization, instead emphasizing that the First Amendment protects even offensive speech.
“I think certainly what they stand for is nothing I could possibly agree with,” Burgum said on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday. “But one of the foundational principles of the United States, which makes democracy messy, is free speech.”
Recommended Stories
The group seen marching in Washington on the Fourth of July has been identified as Patriot Front, a Texas-based white supremacist group founded in 2017, led by Thomas Ryan Rousseau. Members of the group believe that their ancestors conquered America and bestowed it to them, and no one else, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The group was also formed in the aftermath of the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12, 2017. The organization then broke from Vanguard America (VA), a neo-Nazi group that participated in the chaotic demonstration, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Pressed repeatedly by CNN’s Dana Bash on whether he would recommend Trump condemn Patriot Front, Burgum did not answer directly. Instead, he argued that the First Amendment protects even speech and demonstrations many Americans find offensive or “irreprehensible.”
Burgum contrasted the demonstration with what he described as broader displays of national unity during Independence day. “The good news is these small things, I think, are the rare example,” he said. “What we’ve seen this week is people unifying around our country, unifying around the flag.”
Burgum argued that the constitutional protection of free speech extends to all demonstrations and protests even ones we may find objectionable, noting anti-Trump rallies and protesters chanting anti-American or anti-Israel slogans. “They can say it, we can object to it, but it is something that comes with free speech in America,” he said.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
