A recent event in Washington, DC, where 3,000 white crosses were erected to represent victims of farm attacks in South Africa, has garnered limited attention from US media outlets. The campaign, spearheaded by Ernst Roets' Lex Libertas movement, aimed to create a visual representation of the human cost of the crisis and raise international awareness. However, with the US midterm elections approaching, American media appeared to have little appetite for platforming Roets and his allies.
The event received minimal coverage from major US media outlets, with only One America News (OAN) and right-wing news website The Daily Caller providing airtime. OAN's audience has significantly decreased after being dropped by major US television providers due to controversy over disinformation. The Daily Caller, notorious for its coverage of debunked conspiracy theories, was the most prominent US outlet to cover the event.
Outside the US, the UK's right-wing GB News provided sympathetic coverage, while the majority of media attention came from South African outlets. Many South African media outlets generated coverage by pushing back against the campaign, with Afrikaners for South Africa accusing Lex Libertas of exploiting the suffering of farm victims to advance a narrow political agenda.
The event also highlighted the growing global network between right-wing movements. Italian influencer Lorenzo Caccialupi, who has been identified as a key figure in the international "remigration" movement, attended the vigil. Caccialupi's presence is significant, as he belongs to a transnational right-wing network that supports European parties like Germany's far-right AfD and similar movements in Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia.
The Lex Libertas event was partnered with the New York Young Republican Club (NYYRC), which has hosted events promoting far-right ideologies. NYYRC president Stefano Forte has become a key ally for Roets in the US, and Forte has spoken at a Lex Libertas conference in Pretoria, alongside far-right European politicians.
A State Department official, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Samuel Samson, unexpectedly appeared at the conference, stating that white persecution in South Africa is a "definitive fact" and a cautionary tale for the US. Samson has been driving a new project to award international US Department of State grants to right-wing movements.
The Lex Libertas event and its connections to global right-wing movements have raised concerns about the growing network of far-right alliances. The event's limited media coverage belies the significance of the connections between Roets, Forte, and other far-right figures, which could have implications for the global spread of extremist ideologies.
Key points
- The Lex Libertas event highlighted the growing global network between right-wing movements, with connections between Roets, Forte, and far-right European politicians.
- The event received limited media coverage in the US, with only One America News and The Daily Caller providing airtime.
- The State Department's involvement in the event, through Samuel Samson's appearance, has raised questions about the US government's relationship with right-wing movements.
