Several suspected white supremacists have been outed recently in what could become a growing trend after a white nationalist killed at least 50 people Friday in a mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques. It set off alarm bells worldwide about the threat posed by right-wing extremism.
Chesterfield County Police Chief Jeffrey Katz in Virginia announced Monday that he recommended the firing of a police officer who was accused of membership in a white supremacist organization, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.
The announcement came as elected officials and foreign policy experts continued to criticize President Donald Trump for denying that white supremacy ideology poses a serious threat globally. He had downplayed far-right extremism in comments on Friday about the New Zealand attack.
Chesterfield Officer Daniel Morley, a school resource officer, was publicly outed after a member of a Colorado-based branch of Antifa, the anti-fascist movement, contacted the Times-Dispatch. The newspaper received an email alleging that Morley is a member of Identity Evropa, has been a neo-Nazi since 2006 and has posted comments on such websites as Stormfront, a white nationalist and white supremacist organization.
The Times-Dispatch sent the email to the police department.
“We are aware of the alleged affiliation and online activities of one of our officers and our Office of Professional Standards is actively investigating these claims,” Katz said earlier Monday, before sending a second email that said the officer was being suspended and recommended for termination. “We are concerned and committed to determining if there is any truth to these allegations. There is absolutely no place for intolerance or prejudicial behavior in public service, and we will not tolerate affiliations which even remotely lend themselves to predispositions of bias.”
Before the officer can be fired, the department must follow a series of statutory procedures.
In a separate case of outing alleged white supremacists, the Huffington Post on Sunday reported that it identified seven active U.S. military service members as part of Identity Evropa, the same extremist group associated with Morley. The news outlet said the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, and Texas National Guard confirmed that the men were all active members in their services.
This comes after federal investigators arrested Christopher Paul Hasson, a Coast Guard officer, in February. He allegedly wanted to create a white homeland. Hasson collected a stockpile of illegal drugs and weapons in his home that was part of his plot to commit acts of mass terrorism.
Members of the police and military comprise part of Trump’s “tough” supporters that he boasted about last week. As concern about violent domestic terrorism grows, hopefully, those hiding in police forces and the military get outed.
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The GOP’s Midterm Strategy: White Supremacy
Cop’s Relationship With Racist Group Fuels Concerns About White Supremacists In Police Departments
