American Renaissance (magazine)

Southern Poverty Law Center

American Renaissance and the New Century Foundation appear on a list of 115 "white nationalist hate groups" published in the Intelligence Report of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).^[18]

Mark Potok, editor-in-chief of the Intelligence Report, has said: "Jared Taylor is the cultivated, cosmopolitan face of white supremacy. He is the guy who is providing the intellectual heft, in effect, to modern-day Klansmen." Taylor stated in a radio interview: "I've never been a member of the Klan. I've never known a person who is a member of the Klan." An article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Taylor had at least met former Klansman David Duke at an American Renaissance conference, and sat with Don Black, a former Grand Wizard of the Klan, at Taylor's kitchen table.^[6]

An article in the Intelligence Report by Potok and Heidi Beirich, head of the SPLC's Intelligence Project stated: "American Renaissance has become increasingly important over the years, bringing a measure of intellectualism and seriousness to the typically thug-dominated world of white supremacy. Today, it may be the closest thing the extreme right has to a real think tank. Whether or not it survives, and in what form, genuinely matters."^[19]

Anti-Defamation League

The American non-governmental organization Anti-Defamation League (ADL) describes American Renaissance as a "white supremacist journal".^[20] The ADL also writes: "Taylor eschews anti-Semitism. Seeing Jews as white, greatly influential and the 'conscience of society', Taylor rather seeks to partner with Jews who share his views on race and racial diversity" and "Jews have been speakers and/or participants at all eight American Renaissance conferences" although controversy followed accusations by David Duke, who was not a scheduled presenter, at the 2006 conference.^[20]

Conferences

American Renaissance has held conferences since 1994. Anti-racist activists were sometimes successful in persuading private hotels to cancel their reservations with American Renaissance.^[21] In 2011, the publication planned to hold a three-day conference at a Sheraton Airport hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. The hotel canceled the group's booking amid plans by anti-racism activists and the Jewish Defense Organization (JDO) to protest at the conference site. The mayor pro tem of the city also reportedly contacted the hotel.^[22]

Since 2012, the American Renaissance has held its conference held at Montgomery Bell State Park Inn in Burns, Tennessee, a state-owned site. Protests have often taken place outside the conference facilities.^[21]

Alleged DHS memo regarding 2011 Tucson shooting

A document—initially claimed to be a leaked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo—alleged that Jared Lee Loughner, the accused gunman in the 2011 Tucson shooting that wounded Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and killed six bystanders, may have had ties to American Renaissance, which it called an "anti-ZOG (Zionist Occupational [sic] Government) and anti-semitic" group.^[23][24] In an interview with Fox News, Jared Taylor denied the organization ever used the term "ZOG" and said Loughner had no connection to them.^[23]

DHS officials the following day reported: "the department has not established any such possibility, undercutting what appears to be the primary basis for this claim". Furthermore, no such memo had been issued.^[25]

Major David Denlinger, commander of the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center acknowledged that the document came from his agency, but contained errors. He said that he has no reason to believe that Loughner had any direct connection with or was being directed by American Renaissance.^[26]