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White supremacist group Patriot Front is claiming that it's aiding in "disaster relief" following the deadly Texas floods, but the self-proclaimed "activists" are prioritizing helping "European peoples" in the operation.
According to The Guardian, Patriot Front announced on its Telegram app channel that the group is responding to areas near Camp Mystic, where 27 children lost their lives in the devastating floods that hit central Texas. The total death toll from the flooding has climbed to 120, and many others remain missing.
“Patriot Front is here in central Texas responding to the flooding, which has destroyed communities and taken the lives of scores of Americans," Thomas Rousseau, Patriot Front's founder, said in a video statement.
Rousseau, who was charged for his involvement in the group's deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, said his so-called "activists" are distributing supplies to survivors. However, the Patriot Front leader made it known that his group is prioritizing their "people" and "European peoples."
The move is an apparent example of hate groups disguising racist actions as humanitarian acts. In 2024, Patriot Front also exploited the moment hurricanes struck the Carolinas and Florida amid the contentious presidential campaign season.
“It’s not surprising to see Patriot Front inserting itself into disaster relief in Texas,” Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said in a statement. “The group was founded there, and like other extremist groups, they want to take advantage of relief efforts to mainstream their ideas, present themselves as non-threatening and helping the community, and ultimately use what they hope will be positive PR to recruit and grow."
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