Saturday, February 25th was supposed to be a day that would live in infamy
According to the press, citing reports from law enforcement and the Anti-Defamation League, a national “day of hate” was being planned by neo-nazi groups to promote antisemitism. The headlines blared warnings as “white supremacy” once again was shouted from the rooftops as the preeminent threat in the United States.
Soon enough, Democrat politicians joined the chorus, painting themselves as stoic fighters against the evils of bigotry. Here’s just a small sampling of that.
There was just one problem: It appears that the national “day of hate” was completely made-up out of whole cloth. A quick search reveals not a single report or photograph of a single neo-nazi gathering to protest (or worse) on Saturday.
Think about it. This was supposedly a major, organized event, to the level of making national news, and quite literally no one showed up for it. Could that be because it was never planned in the first place? That’s my suspicion given this isn’t the first such panic set off by vague “reports” that ultimately had no evidence behind them.
Ironically, the left-leaning ADL is now claiming victory, with Jonathan Greenblatt saying that the press coverage of the “day of hate” somehow forced all the white supremacists to stay home. CBS News also pushed that narrative, triumphantly contrasting the “day of hate” with a “day of resolve.”
How can you counter a “day of hate” that obviously didn’t exist? And since when has press coverage scared away neo-nazis? Isn’t the entire point of public demonstrations to garner press coverage? Nothing that is being said in the aftermath of this “day of hate” makes sense. Instead, it feels like a weak attempt to save face.
That leaves the question of how this even got started. Various articles on the matter provide little clarity. Some cite the ADL as the original source. Others say local law enforcement put out the warnings first. What was any of that based on? Given the amount of hysteria that was spread, those of us on the sidelines deserve answers.
Meanwhile, some on the left are going after Republicans for not condemning something that didn’t exist. It’s just incredible.
The demand for white supremacy in the United States far outstrips the supply. It feels like every few months, these silly left-wing moral panics begin based on vague, mostly unsubstantiated reports pushed by organizations that have a vested interest in promoting the supposed threat. “This time is going to be the big one,” they promise, and then nothing happens. How many times do the ADL and others get to cry wolf before their credibility is shot?
The lesson here is obvious. American Jews should stop listening to these organizations that largely function as political organs. There was never any grand threat, and certainly not one that warranted national warnings. Rather, this was emotional manipulation carried out so the press could scream about white supremacy for a day, and it needs to stop.