Fighting Hate

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1 0 /2 9

1999

HARRY KIRSBAUM
StaffWriter

I

t is little wonder that Nick Lowles

doesn't want his picture taken.
Neo-Nazis severely injured a
colleague several months ago in
Sweden with a car bomb, and a far-right
group killed another journalist a few
weeks ago.
We know these groups are trying
to find out who we are and where we
live," said Lowles, co-editor of
Searchlight, a British magazine and
organization devoted to exposing
right-wing hate groups in Europe.
During a four-day speaking tour
sponsored by the Anti-Defamation
League, Lowles talked with Jewish
leaders, civil rights groups, law
enforcement and college students in
five Michigan cities about the rise of
white supremacy in Europe and the
United States.
Although the message of these
groups is the same, the styles are dif-
ferent, he said.
"Hate groups are more tied into
nationalism in Europe, identifying
with their home country rather than
the white race," he said. "It's more like
`Keep Britain for the Brits."
They cannot hide behind the U.S.
Constitution in Western Europe, so
the more extreme material is out-
lawed, he said. That material is print-
ed in the United States, then shipped
over.

The Turner Diaries — a fictional
account of a racist, anti-Semitic

Gift Card Message:

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British magazine
editor tours
Michigan in a
call for action.

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DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

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WHOME93

underground that gains power in the
U.S. and eventually the world — has
become the new Mein Kampf, and is
being translated into all European lan-
guages, he said.
But the level of violence in America
is "way beyond" what happens in
Europe, he added. "If I get caught by
one of these people in London, I

might get punched or kicked, but they
won't turn a gun on me."
The violence practiced by American
hate groups is "inspirational," he said.
"They look at [Oklahoma City
Murrah Federal Building bomber
Timothy] McVeigh — at extreme vio-
lence — and they want to copy him."
Lowles, 29, began working for
Searchlight in 1991, and worked as a
television journalist for a 60 Minutes-
type program in England before
becoming co-editor in 1996.
The magazine began as a London
organization in the mid-1960s to
combat racism and all forms of preju-
dice, but did not begin publishing
until 1975. Although the circulation is
just under 10,000, the organization
provides effective information and
assistance to media, students and gov-
ernments, and has caused the cancella-
tion of a number of Nazi events.

The answer to
hate groups is
not silence.

The answer to hate groups is not
silence, he told members of the
Dream Dialogue, an ADL program
that promotes meaningful dialogue
between students of diverse back-
grounds.
"Don't turn the other cheek. If you
do turn the other cheek and ignore
the problem, it doesn't go away," he
said. "Hate groups breed on fear and
silence. You've got to create a moral
barrier. Get more people to take a
stand."
As an example, he told of the Leeds
soccer team. In the 1980s, thousands
of people yelled racial epithets at its
black players. Some community
members asked the team to take a
stand against the racist abuse. All the
players wore anti-racist T-shirts and,
within three years, there were no more
incidents.
"It's not an outside body coming in
to tell people what to do, it's young
people themselves working side-by-
side with other people to make a pub-
lic stand," he said. "Hate groups
should be confronted." II