Phelim McAleer: ‘Nazi hunting’ since Republicans have started winning elections has damaged trust in US media and hit Democrats’ popularity
Ah, the American media and left-wing commentators: ever so vigilant in their pursuit of Nazis who are apparently everywhere, or at least that is what they tell us.
In recent years, as Republicans have started fighting back and actually winning elections, this ‘Nazi hunting’ has descended into farce and sometimes tragedy as innocent right-leaning individuals have been smeared with vile accusations that bore no relation to reality.
Consider the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) stage design from a few years ago. CPAC is an annual gathering of conservatives in Washington DC. It can be quite boring - with no cliche left behind by various establishment speakers who tended to dominate the speakers list.
In 2021 the organisers arranged a quite ordinary stage setting, yet reporters at the Washington Post claimed the design bore a resemblance to a very obscure Germanic rune that was slightly associated with the Nazis! Never mind that it bore more similarity to a crooked arrow or a poorly assembled flat-pack shelf, the Post pursued the story, suggesting conservatives were covertly signalling a revival of the Reich. The story was then reported as real by The Guardian, the BBC and Reuters. Because, of course, nothing screams ‘fascist conspiracy’ quite like event planning.
Then there’s Elon Musk, the eccentric multibillionaire. At a rally, he told the crowd he loved them so much that he gave them his heart. He then gestured from his heart to the crowd and his arm movement was labelled a Sieg Heil salute by almost every part of the mainstream media and the Democratic establishment. That's how it works - a technology tycoon gesturing clumsily, and suddenly – Nazi!
And what Nazi hunter could ignore the ‘OK’ hand sign? It originated as a hoax on 4chan – an anonymous online imageboard forum, popular among younger internet users for sharing memes, images and often provocative discussions. Trolls on the site concocted the idea to trick the press into believing this universal ‘all good’ gesture signified ‘white power’. Mission accomplished. The New York Times and CNN proclaimed it an “official hate symbol”, sparking absurd witch hunts. West Point cadets? Branded as supremacists.
Firefighters using it at work? Subject to investigations for extremism.
The absurdities continued. Even Hawaiian shirts were deemed the uniform of far-right ‘boogaloo’ groups.
Leftist pundit Frank Figliuzzi said Donald Trump’s decision in 2019 to have flags at half-mast until August 8 (or 8/8) was a secret nod to the words ‘Heil Hitler’, as H is the eighth letter in the alphabet. He said that on a serious American TV channel and no one called him out on it.
Then there was Pete Hegseth’s Jerusalem cross tattoo. Large sections of the media claimed the prospective defence secretary’s Christian emblem was covertly Nazi. It wasn't. It was a Christian cross.
Then, enter stage left a political figure with a genuine Nazi connection.
Graham Platner is the Democratic hopeful for Maine's US Senate seat, challenging longtime Republican Susan Collins. A self-styled progressive from the far-left wing, Platner positioned himself as a working-class hero; an oyster farmer speaking for the common folk. In truth, his background is Georgetown University educated, DC resident, with the ‘farmer’ a bit more symbolic than substantive.
Until just last week, Platner sported a prominent Totenkopf tattoo on his chest – the infamous skull-and-crossbones of the Nazi SS, those paramilitary architects of the Holocaust. Not some vague likeness; it's the exact emblem. You can also see it in every WWII film, from Indiana Jones to Schindler's List. Platner acquired it in 2007 while on shore leave with the US Marines in Croatia, a nation with a grim history of Nazi collaboration. Platner claims he was unaware of its associations and has since covered it with a new design, expressing regret.
But the media's response to a politician with an actual Nazi symbol on his body? A symphony of soft-pedalling. The Associated Press said it was a "tattoo linked to a Nazi symbol". The BBC wrongly stated it "resembles Nazi imagery". Similarly, Politico said it "resembles Nazi symbol". The New York Times noted he covered a tattoo with "Nazi associations".
No outrage, no deep dives – just gentle framing as a youthful mistake. This selective grace from the press and leftists reeks of cover-up, protecting their ideological ally after years of trying to destroy the lives of their ideological opponents.
And they wonder why support for Democrats and trust in the media are at an all time low.
l Phelim McAleer is a Co Tyrone-born journalist/producer working in LA