In right-wing internet message boards, users are encouraging one another to print and hang posters that state simply “It’s OK to be white” with the goal of exposing what they claim is anti-white racism in liberal communities and on college campuses.
Creators of the signs were first inspired by a news report that police were investigating fliers hung at Boston College that depicted Uncle Sam and the text, “I want you to love who you are” and “Don’t apologize for being white.” Reporters noted that the signs were posted near the planned location of an anti-racism rally on campus.
Earlier this week, 4chan users called on one another to hang fliers in their own communities with a more succinct spin on the Boston signs, making the statement “It’s Okay To Be White” in large easy-to-read font with no other context. One post detailing the plan explained the goal was to make liberals go “completely berserk” and ruin their credibility, marking a “massive victory for the right in the culture war.”
The campaign also urges participants to use adhesives that are non-permanent in order to avoid violating any laws and to conceal the signs’ connections to “racists or the alt-right.” One campaign graphic reads: “The simplicity is the point. It’s working.”
The campaign has spread its reach across the web, inspiring numerous posts on a popular Reddit board dedicated to all but worshiping President Trump that has hosted a Q&A sessions with heavy-hitters on the Right such as Fox News host Tucker Carlson, right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos, and even Trump himself. The campaign has also earned the endorsement of far-right and alt-right influencers on Twitter:
/pol/ launches nationwide “It’s Okay To Be White” campaign and its absolutely TRIGGERING liberals everywhere. pic.twitter.com/TgPkULwIpl
— Mike Tokes (@MikeTokes) November 2, 2017
It’s Okay To Be White. #Happiest5WordSentence pic.twitter.com/of0IbNc9St
— Tara McCarthy (@TaraMcCarthy444) November 2, 2017
it’s okay to be white
— Baked Alaska™ (@bakedalaska) November 1, 2017
Saying “it’s okay to be white” now warrants investigations. Clown world. https://t.co/IXdSE6zu9V
— James☝️Allsup (@realJamesAllsup) November 3, 2017
Right-wing YouTube creators have also taken notice, including Infowars editor-in-chief Paul Joseph Watson and white nationalist Paul Ramsey. Alt-right video bloggers James Allsup and Nick Fuentes even launched their own spin-off of the signs that read “Make your ancestors proud. Never feel guilty for who you are,” and solicited donations to produce and distribute their posters.
Offline, reporters have documented the signs at campuses across North America. The signs have appeared everywhere from California to Canada, and even at a Maryland high school. Online, 4chan users have shared hundreds of images of the signs hung on statues, wrapped around telephone poles, and even carved into a pumpkin.
Alt-right and far-right fever swamps of the internet are encouraging increased participation ahead of anti-fascism protests scheduled for the weekend across the United States, where users believe they can further embarrass liberals by proving their claims that white people are currently the subject of more racism and hate than any other group in America.
