Less than two months after calling for insurrectionists to “break down the barriers and disregard the police” outside the U.S. Capitol building, white nationalists and other far-right extremists gathered in Florida for a conference featuring current and former U.S. congressmen. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., and former congressman Steve King, R-Iowa, addressed a crowd of far-right extremists on Feb. 26 as part of the second annual installment of the America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC) at a hotel in Orlando, Florida. The event, organized by white nationalist streamer Nicholas Fuentes, took place amid increased scrutiny from law enforcement as a result of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, as well as allegations from one of Fuentes’ former allies that he is currently under federal investigation. Speakers, including Fuentes, drew heavily on extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric while hyping up tropes and conspiracy theories associated with the white nationalist movement. Despite the presence of Gosar and King – both longtime Republican lawmakers – attendees also chanted, “Destroy the GOP.” Rep. Paul Gosar, a Republican from Arizona, listens during a panel discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 27. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“White people founded this country. This country wouldn’t exist without white people. And white people are done being bullied,” Fuentes said in his speech, which took place immediately after Gosar’s. “We can restore this country. We can do it with our babies, and we can do it with our values,” former Rep. King told a cheering crowd Friday evening. His statement was an apparent nod to his 2017 comments that were widely interpreted as an endorsement of white nationalist ideology. The event was held alongside the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where Gosar also spoke on Saturday, Feb. 27. Though the lawmaker tried to put some distance between himself and Fuentes, telling the audience during his scheduled CPAC panel the next day that he denounced “white racism,” his presence represents an ongoing effort on Fuentes’ part to push his wing of the white nationalist movement further into the mainstream. Fuentes and supporters of his racist “America First” movement were present at numerous Stop the Steal events throughout late 2020, as well as at the Capitol insurrection. As Hatewatch previously reported, Fuentes was spotted outside of the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection, where he told insurrectionists to “break down the barriers and disregard the police.” He later said that Trump supporters should feel “inspired” by the events of Jan. 6 – a sentiment that Fuentes echoed again Friday evening.
via splcenter: Far-Right Extremists Gather in Florida for CPAC Spinoff Alongside Sitting Congressman