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Nick Fuentes

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Nick Fuentes
Born
Nicholas Joseph Fuentes

(1998-08-18) August 18, 1998 (age 27)
Illinois, United States[1]
EducationLyons Township High School
Occupation(s)Podcaster
Activist
Years active2016–present
Known forFormer YouTuber
Groypers
Political partyRepublican
MovementFar-right politics[2][3][4][5]
White nationalism[6][7]
Paleoconservatism

Nicholas Joseph Fuentes (born August 18, 1998[8][9]) is an American far-right[2][3][4][5][10][11] political commentator and podcaster. He was a YouTuber before his channel was permanently suspended in February 2020 for violating YouTube's hate speech policy.[7] He describes himself as an American nationalist and paleoconservative.[11][12][13]

Fuentes has feuded with Turning Point USA and its founder, Charlie Kirk, for supporting views that Fuentes believes to be insufficiently conservative.[14] On October 29, 2019, his followers, known as Groypers, began heckling Turning Point's Culture War Tour, including a speaking event for Donald Trump Jr.[15]

Career and views

Fuentes hosts the podcast America First with Nicholas J. Fuentes.[4][15] On the show, Fuentes strongly opposes immigration, which he believes is a demographic threat to the United States.[4] He has spoken out against the "LGBT agenda",[16] and describes transgender people and same-sex marriage as "deviancy".[2]

Fuentes attended the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, and spoke positively of a "tidal wave of white identity" afterwards.[17][18]

On his show in April 2017, Fuentes said "Who runs the media? Globalists. Time to kill the globalists" and "I want the people that run CNN to be arrested and deported because this is deliberate." Fuentes also said that "The First Amendment was not written for the Saudi Royal Family". The publisher of the show at the time, RSBN issued an apology, calling the comments "unacceptable" and "inappropriate".[19] Following these and other comments, as well as publicity over his attendance of the Unite the Right rally, he left RSBN in August 2017.[20][21]

He co-hosted the Nationalist Review podcast with James Allsup until January 2018. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, "the two had a public falling out with each host accusing the other of laziness, impropriety and a variety of petty slights."[22]

In January 2019, Fuentes aired a monologue in which he compared the Holocaust to a cookie-baking operation, which led to accusations of Holocaust denial. Fuentes later disputed that he had ever denied the Holocaust, calling his monologue a "lampoon".[2]

Fuentes has repeatedly criticized Turning Point USA and its founder Charlie Kirk, accusing them of betraying Donald Trump by advocating in favor of mass legal immigration, support in foreign aid for Israel and LGBT issues.[6] Throughout October and November 2019, his supporters were present at many of Kirk's public speaking events, which featured guest speakers including Donald Trump Jr., Lara Trump, and Kimberly Guilfoyle.[6]

During this period, Fuentes' supporters utilized the question and answer segment of TPUSA events to pose questions to speakers, challenging the organization's stance on topics such as immigration, foreign policy, and social issues. Some questions prompted audience members to research historical events that call into question the nature of US-Israel relations.[23][24][25][26]

Fuentes has characterized the campaign as a grassroots effort to expose TPUSA as ideologically inconsistent with the ideology espoused by Donald Trump and other conservative populists. As a result of this campaign, some right-wing mainstream politicians and pundits disavowed Fuentes, characterizing his beliefs as extreme and out-of-touch with mainstream conservatism.[27][28][29]

In December 2019, Fuentes confronted conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro, who was with his family at the time, outside a TPUSA event in West Palm Beach, Florida. Fuentes had confronted Shapiro to ask why he had given a speech at Stanford University bashing Fuentes.[2] The encounter was filmed and led to criticism of Fuentes.[30]

In January 2020, Fuentes' YouTube channel was demonetized and one of his videos was removed by YouTube as a violation of their hate speech policies. Fuentes had previously been banned from Twitch and from Reddit.[31][32] On February 14, 2020, his YouTube channel was terminated for violating policies on hate speech.[7]

He has received support from conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, who agreed to speak at Fuentes' "America First Political Action Conference" in February 2020.[2][33] As a result of supporting him, in November 2019 Malkin was promptly fired by the Young America's Foundation where she had been employed for 28 years.[34][35][8]

In January 2020, Time magazine reported that Fuentes was the most-viewed live-streamer on the DLive platform. DLive has been criticized for allowing Fuentes to use their platform.[36][10]

In June 2020, Fuentes attended a George Floyd protest in Queen Creek, Arizona alongside Unite the Right attendee and meme creator Matthew Colligan, as well as far-right student activist Jaden NcNeil. After initiating an altercation that led to a black protester taking away Colligan's sign (which read "I can't read") and glasses, Fuentes told the protesters that police would "kneel on that guy's neck for taking my friend's glasses".[37]

At a pro-Trump protest in Washington, D.C. in December 2020, Fuentes led a crowd to chant "Destroy the GOP", and encouraged them to sit-out the United States Senate special runoff election in Georgia.[38][39]

Fuentes was among the far-right individuals and groups who participated in the rallies that led up to storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.[40] His DLive channel was subsequently suspended permanently for "inciting violent and illegal activities."[41] Some journalists have alleged that Fuentes himself entered the Capitol, pointing to photos taken at the event.[42][43][44] However, he has denied these allegations on Twitter.[45]

Personal life

Fuentes attended Lyons Township High School, where he was president of the Student Council.[46] In August 2017, he left Boston University after attending the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.[18] He applied for transfer admission to Auburn University in fall 2017, but he did not confirm his enrollment on time.[20] Fuentes is Catholic and partially of Hispanic descent.[2][47]

References

  1. ^ Arnett, Dugan (March 22, 2017). "The kids are far right". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 11, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020. Nicholas Fuentes, a Boston University freshman from Illinois
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Nick, Anderson. "Far-right agitators roil the conservative movement on college campuses in battle to define Trumpism". The Washington Post. No. November 16, 2019. Archived from the original on November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Calicchio, Dom (December 22, 2019). "Nick Fuentes fires back at Nikki Haley, Meghan McCain, others over Ben Shapiro confrontation". Fox News. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d Green, Dominic. "The groypers are American fascists". The Spectator. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Collins, Ben (November 12, 2019). "Pro-Trump conservatives are getting trolled in real life by a far-right group". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Coaston, Jane (November 11, 2019). "Why alt-right trolls shouted down Donald Trump Jr". Vox. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Thalen, Mikael (February 14, 2020). "YouTube deplatforms white nationalist Nick Fuentes". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Mali, Meghashyam (November 18, 2019). "Conservative group cuts ties with Michelle Malkin". TheHill. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  9. ^ Fuentes, Nicholas J. (August 18, 2020). "Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes!". Twitter. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "How Far-Right Personalities And Conspiracy Theorists Are Cashing In On The Pandemic Online". Time. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Kidder, Jeffrey L.; Binder, Amy J. "Analysis | In the Trump era, campus conservative groups are fighting one another". Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020. Over the past several months, however, Turning Point and YAF have been attacked for failing to espouse the more extreme "America First" populism advocated by figures like conservative columnist Michelle Malkin and conservative podcaster Nick Fuentes.
  12. ^ Holt, Jared (May 8, 2018). "Nick Fuentes Denies Being A White Nationalist By Explaining That He's A White Nationalist". Right Wing Watch. People for the American Way. Archived from the original on May 7, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  13. ^ Newman, Kalina. "Citing threats, student withdraws from BU after attending Charlottesville rally". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  14. ^ "How the groypers gave the 'debate guys' a rough time". Spectator USA. November 6, 2019. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Gumbel, Andrew (November 11, 2019). "Donald Trump Jr walks out of Triggered book launch after heckling – from supporters". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on January 5, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  16. ^ "Don Jr. storms out over far-right hecklers at event for his book about liberals "silencing" speech". Salon. November 11, 2019. Archived from the original on February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  17. ^ Sommer, Will (December 11, 2019). "Racist 'Groypers' Step up Attacks on Campus Conservative Groups". Daily Beast. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  18. ^ a b Toussaint, Kristin (August 16, 2017). "Right-wing BU teen won't return to Boston after attending Charlottesville rally". www.metro.us. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  19. ^ "Right Side Broadcasting, The "Unofficial Version Of Trump TV," Forced To Apologize For Contributor's Call To "Kill The Globalists" At CNN". Media Matters for America. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  20. ^ a b Johnson, Roy S. (August 30, 2017). "Alt-right's Fuentes no longer with Right Side Broadcasting". Al.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  21. ^ Hananoki, Eric (August 22, 2017). "Right Side Broadcasting and Nicholas Fuentes, host who participated in white supremacist rally, part ways". Media Matters for America. Archived from the original on January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  22. ^ "James Orien Allsup". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  23. ^ Cowan, Tamar Lewin With Alison Leigh (November 21, 2001). "A NATION CHALLENGED: THE DETAINEES; Dozens of Israeli Jews Are Being Kept in Federal Detention (Published 2001)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  24. ^ Breland, Ali (November 21, 2019). "How Twitter and YouTube are helping a white nationalist build a community fueled by hate". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  25. ^ "The Lavon Affair". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  26. ^ "History & Overview of the USS Liberty Incident". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  27. ^ November 8, John SextonPosted at 4:43 pm on; 2019 (November 8, 2019). "Ben Shapiro bashes the alt-right- gets protested by the far-left". HotAir. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020. {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ http://www.washingtontimes.com, The Washington Times. "No- Nick Fuentes and his 'Groypers' are not conservatives". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2020. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
  29. ^ "Charlie Kirk has finally had it with these white nationalists in his movement". The Daily Dot. November 5, 2019. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  30. ^ Petrizzo, Zachary (December 21, 2019). "Nick Fuentes Trying to Bicker with Ben Shapiro Riles Up the Internet (updated)." Archived May 22, 2020, at the Wayback Machine The Daily Dot. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  31. ^ Thalen, Mikael (January 10, 2020). "It looks like white nationalist Nick Fuentes just had his YouTube channel demonetized". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  32. ^ Petrizzo, Zachary (November 8, 2019). "White nationalist Nick Fuentes tossed off Reddit". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  33. ^ "Young America's Foundation Excommunicates Michelle Malkin for Defending Nick Fuentes". Reason.com. November 18, 2019. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  34. ^ Sommer, Will (November 18, 2019). "Conservative Group Fires Michelle Malkin Over Support for Holocaust Denier". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  35. ^ "Young America's Foundation Excommunicates Michelle Malkin for Defending Nick Fuentes". Reason.com. November 18, 2019. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  36. ^ "What is DLive? It's White Nationalists Favorite Streaming Platform". The Daily Dot. January 1, 2020. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  37. ^ Petrizzo, Zachary (June 11, 2020). "Nick Fuentes attends BLM protest, tells demonstrators cops will kneel on their neck". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  38. ^ Wade, Peter (December 12, 2020). "MAGA Protesters Chant 'Destroy the GOP' at Pro-Trump Rally". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  39. ^ Politi, Daniel (December 12, 2020). "Pro-Trump Protesters Chant "Destroy the GOP," Boo Georgia Senate Candidates at Rally". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  40. ^ Barrett, Malachi (January 7, 2021). "Far-right activist who encouraged U.S. Capitol occupation also organized 'stop the steal' rally in Michigan". MLive. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  41. ^ "Nick Fuentes, 'Baked Alaska' banned from DLive following Capitol riots". The Daily Dot. January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  42. ^ https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/white-supremacists-among-those-who-stormed-the-u-s-capitol-live-streamed-inside-1.9431649
  43. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/08/technology/dlive-capitol-mob.html
  44. ^ https://www.propublica.org/article/several-well-known-hate-groups-identified-at-capitol-riot
  45. ^ https://twitter.com/NickJFuentes/status/1346978532837056515. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  46. ^ Mannion, Annemarie. "Area teen rallied in Charlottesville, got death threats, now planning move to 'solidly red' Alabama". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  47. ^ Cortellessa, Eric; Sheffield, Matthew (November 22, 2019). "The Conservative Establishment's Nightmare Is Only Just Beginning". Washington Monthly - Politics. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
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