Birmingham billboard promotes racist ‘mantra’ created by white supremacist
Reported by Andrew Scot Bolsinger
A billboard within the city limits of Birmingham — a city known for its front-line battles between Blacks and whites during the civil rights era of the 1950s and 60s — has drawn the outrage of the mayor of a neighboring city.
The billboard, which is positioned along Interstate 20 headed into Leeds, Ala., reads, “Anti-racist is a code word for anti-white.”
Leeds mayor expressed his outrage earlier this week. “While this billboard is actually in Birmingham, the impression to passersby is that it is within our city limits,” Leeds Mayor David Miller said in a statement issued to local media. “The City of Leeds is a community with a long history of racial harmony, and wants to make it clear to all that it has no connection with this sign and categorically and unequivocally denounces the racist message portrayed on this billboard.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center, a leading civil rights legal organization, said the message originated in a 221-word statement written by white supremacist Robert Whitaker. Whitaker’s “Mantra” has inspired racial slayings, including the 2011 mass slaying of 77 people in Norway.
The Mantra’s message, and now the billboard that promotes it, have been heavily promoted by Timothy Gallaher Murdock, who runs an online community for racists called White Rabbit Radio, according to raw-story.com
“The point of the message is when white people are called racist to give them something to say, something to say to defend themselves so they don’t just sit silently keep getting beaten over the head over and over again,” Murdock told WBRC on Monday. “You know everyone has come to the conclusion that racism is only in white countries, only in white people’s churches, houses and businesses, and white people are generally the only ones who face this charge generally on behalf of white anti-whites as well.”
Over the past year, similar billboards have also appeared in Knoxville, Tenn. and in Arkansas, according to published reports.
Mayor Miller said he was seeking more information about who put up the billboard.
