Ku Klux Klan faction offers membership to Jews and other minorities
“White supremacy is the old Klan. This is the new Klan," KKK member John Albarr says.
By ARIEL COHENKu Klux Klan members approach the Walls Unit in Huntsville, Texas.(photo credit: REUTERS)
A faction of the Christian-terrorist group the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), will now open its membership to Jews, African Americans, Hispanics and gay people.The notoriously racist white-supremacist group has decided to undergo a re-branding to expand its reach and mission. They will leave behind their legacy of burning crosses, lynching African Americans and committing other horrific racist attacks.The new, more expansive group, known as “The Rocky Mountain Knights,” is meant to be a subsection of the KKK, based in Montana in the United States.John Albarr, a KKK member from Great Falls, Montana, spearheaded the re-branding effort after reportedly having discussions with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). His goal is that the new group will help to create a stronger and better America.“White supremacy is the old Klan. This is the new Klan," Albarr said, adding: "It thought it was a really good organization. I don't feel we need to be separate."Despite this supposed re-branding, all members of Albarr’s “Rocky Mountain Knights” will have to wear the KKK’s traditional white robes, masks, and pointed hats-- a uniform that historically conjured images of hate, persecution and terror.It is unclear how many members this new sect of the KKK has.In 2011, Abarr attempted to run for the Montana seat in the US House of Representatives as a Republican, with the goal of “saving the White race” on his manifesto. As a result, Albarr was denounced by other mainstream Republicans for his racist attitudes and political views.The KKK is a protestant Christian organization considered to have an extreme right-wing political stance. It is classified as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League.When the KKK was first founded in 1865, after the American Civil War, they called for the purification of society and the elimination of non-white races.
Today the Klan doesn’t have as much influence in American society as it used to, but is estimated that more than 5,000 Americans claim membership to about 150 different Klan groups in the United States.
