Charlottesville: Student who attended neo-Nazi rally forced to leave university after backlash
Eighteen-year-old is a fervent supporter of President Donald Trump and believes multiculturalism is a cancer
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A student who took part in the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville has said he is leaving Boston University because of the violent threats he has received since the event.
“It’s becoming very dangerous,” Nicholas Fuentes told the Boston Globe.
Over the past week, the 18-year-old, who is originally from Illinois, said he had received 15 death threats over social media and also by email.
He blamed what he described as the socialist bias of US states for the animosity towards him.
“Massachusetts, and Boston in particular, are among the most left-wing states and cities,” he said. “Probably anywhere I would go would be safer than Boston.”
Mr Fuentes said his reason for attending the Charlottesville rally was to demonstrate against immigration, multiculturalism and post-modernism. At the protest, attended by neo-Nazis, there were chants of “Jews will not replace us.”
On the day of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, he posted on Facebook that “a tidal wave of white identity is coming.”
At the demonstration, 32-year-old civil rights activist Heather Heyer was killed when a car ploughed into a group of people protesting at the demonstration. Mr Fuentes has blamed her death on the “normalisation of violence on the left.”
In a Chicago Tribune report, the 18-year-old said he was not a racist and did not condone violence.
Boston University confirmed that Mr Fuentes was no longer a student there.
Mr Fuentes said he planned to enrol at Auburn University in Alabama.
"I really like the architecture and some of the programmes there," he said. "I think I will happy there and I will be safe. It's solidly red territory."
On a conservative Alabama talk radio, the previous US president was implicit in the violence that erupted in Charlottesville.
“I think Barack Obama is to blame. I think this country is more divided than it ever has been. I think almost all racism in world history can be tied back to liberalism, socialism, the idea everyone's supposed to have an equal outcome as opposed to equal opportunity,” said Kerrick Whisenant on 101.1 FM Yellowhammer News, cited by Vox.
On his Facebook page, Mr Fuentes proclaimed his fervent support of President Donald Trump and his belief that “multiculturalism is a cancer.”
He has also called for journalists to be kicked out of the United States or hanged for what he believes are fake news reports.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments