Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Anti-abortion group distances itself from former leader after she embraces white nationalism

Kristen Walker Hatten admits she is 'racist by today’s standards'

Tom Embury-Dennis
Wednesday 18 April 2018 13:20 BST
Comments
Kristen Walker Hatten has embraced white nationalism in recent years
Kristen Walker Hatten has embraced white nationalism in recent years (Kristen Walker Hatten/Medium)

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 prominent anti-abortion group is distancing itself from one of its former leaders after it emerged that she embraced white nationalism.

Kristen Walker Hatten has spoken at universities across the US to promote the idea mainstream feminism should oppose abortion rights.

Until recently, she was vice-president of New Wave Feminists, a group which brands itself as a progressive organisation supporting the foetus as “the most vulnerable member of the human family”, and a contributor for the Dallas Morning News.

But NWF said it threw Ms Hatten out shortly after Donald Trump became president, when it was clear she was becoming a vocal supporter of the alt-right.

Ms Hatten began to identify as an “ethnonationalist” on Twitter and shared a number of white supremacist messages, including one praising Russia for its “white identity”.

She told the Huffington Post website, which originally reported the story, that she was “racist by today’s standards” but denied being a white supremacist.

Clinton: Trump's inauguration speech was 'a cry from the white nationalist gut'

“I do see that Europe and the US are becoming... well, not European,” she said. “This concerns me not because I hate anyone, but for the same reason Japan would be concerned if the Japanese were becoming a minority in Japan.

“No people should be excited to become a minority in their homeland. It is contrary to human nature. I wouldn’t expect it of any race and I don’t think it should be expected of whites.”

Founder and president of New Wave Feminists, Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa, told the website that she expelled Ms Hatten as she “didn’t want to give this toxic garbage any more of a platform”.

Her former friend's views appeared to be directly influenced by Mr Trump’s election win, Ms Herndon-De La Rosa said, despite the fact she had once described the billionaire as “creepy, gross and tacky”.

The Dallas Morning News has said it will no longer publish anything written by Ms Hatten.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in