Southern Poverty Law Center Releases Report on YAF

Philip Rodney Moon

The Southern Poverty Law Center published the Winter 2007 edition of the Intelligence Report, its quarterly publication that tracks the activities of hate groups across the country.  The MSU Chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) was the subject of one of the articles.

The article “Black Hats on Campus” delves into the history of YAF on campus since Kyle Bristow became the chairman of the organization. The SPLC listed YAF as a hate group in March 2007.

The story opened with YAF’s ties to Neo-Nazi Preston Wiginton, who organized and served as MC for the speech by British National Party leader and Holocaust denier Nick Griffin.  Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center said that Preston Wiginton has been traced to Hammerfest, a regular gathering of skinheads.

“He’s some sort of skinhead. That is a serious event,” Potok said. “You can’t be an interloper and go in with your life secure.”

In a post on YAF’s blog, Bristow claimed Preston Wiginton was only a bodyguard to Nick Griffin and that he wasn’t the master of ceremonies. He also said similarities between a black cowboy hat Wiginton was pictured wearing and the kind worn by YAF was coincidental.

Potok said the SPLC became aware of YAF last September when they announced they would be hosting a “Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day.” The SPLC soon began to get information from various sources about the Young Americans for Freedom.

Other events YAF hosted convinced the SPLC that YAF was a hate group. In November 2006 YAF protested outside Lansing City Hall when the City Council was voting on a human rights ordinance that would give employment and housing protections to homosexual and transgendered people. The City Pulse reported that YAF members held signs that said “End Faggotry” and “Straight Power.”  YAF also hosted a series of controversial speakers. In December YAF took part in the Tom Tancredo speech and in April they brought Chris Simcox to campus.

In the last semester YAF hosted anti-gay speaker Ryan Sorba, Director of the Center for Immigration Studies Mark Krikorian, and Holocaust denier and Chair man of the British National Party Nick Griffin.

“He’s actually managing to give venues to the worst people we follow,” Potok said. “He’s helping to empower the BNP and racist right wing white supremacists.”

Mark Potok said that the current MSU YAF group was different from the old YAF group of the 1960’s and 1970’s.

“[The old YAF] was a highly conservative organization that occasionally made statements or positions that were considered bigoted. But what it was not what Kyle Bristow has made it. It wasn’t walking arm-in-arm and openly promoting Nazis,” Potok said. “He’s the Fred Phelps of conservatism.”

Potok praised the work of students that have organized to oppose YAF. He said that it has helped highlight the true hateful message that was hidden underneath the mainstream image YAF tried to maintain. He said that since the article was published the SPLC has been contacted by several conservative students that have offered to give information about Young Americans for Freedom.

Potok’s view was echoed by Mike Epstein, Vice President for Spartans for Israel. Epstein said that YAF abused its position as a registered student organization by bringing in such groups.

“We felt as an organization YAF crossed the line in bringing Griffin and Wiginton to campus,” Epstein said. “The Southern Poverty Law Center is correct in naming YAF a hate group.”

Epstein said that YAF galvanized the campus against them and that the student body recognized the Nick Griffin event as hate speech.

“People recognized the speech as being garbage,” Epstein said,. “Muslim groups and Jewish groups came together against it.”

Potok believes that when Bristow leaves MSU the group will either collapse or morph into something completely different. What concerned him most was that mainstream Republican leaders were giving YAF legitimacy.

“It’s shameful mainstream Republicans in Michigan consider Kyle a legitimate conservative,”  Potok said.

Potok referred to two people in particular. He mentioned Jennifer Gratz, one of the promoters of Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, who thanked YAF by name during her victory speech.  The other person was Saul Anuzis, the Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, who in an interview with Michigan Talk Radio’s Michael Patrick Shiles said, “This is exactly the type of young kid we want out there.”

Saul Anuzis also said, “I’ve known Kyle for years, and I can tell you I have never heard him say a racist or bigoted or sexist thing ever.”

Attempts to speak with the MSU administration were not successful. University spokesman Terry Denbow confirmed that copies of the report had been sent out to several administrators and the MSU police. MSU police spokesperson Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor was unable to give a reaction and had not read the article. Paulette Granberry Russell , Director of the Office for Inclusion & Intercultural Initiatives and Senior Advisor to the President for Diversity, said she had not yet read the information and couldn’t comment due to an ongoing investigation involving YAF.

Questions or Comments? Email Philip Rodney Moon at moonphil@msu.edu