Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) was invited to join an HRCARI event in NYC on 9/11 to remember those who have been killed by Islamic supremacists. We decided not to attend when we learned that one of the organizations that was going to be at this event is the “9/11 Families for a Secure America” (9/11 FSA) led by Mr. Peter Gadiel.
We are sad to learn that Peter Gadiel writes for and has defended the racist hate group VDARE, stating that its focus is on immigration. R.E.A.L. has protested VDARE in the past and we know better. R.E.A.L.’s Jeffrey Imm has received an email from Peter Gadiel stating that he is not a racist. But in the same email to Jeffrey Imm, Mr. Gadiel has also defended VDARE and rationalized VDARE’s promotion of “white nationalist” Jared Taylor (who leads another hate group “American Renaissance” whose past meetings have included David Duke) as equivalent to the promoting the NAACP.
While we extend our sympathies with Mr. Gadiel over his loss on 9/11, we reject the idea that association with groups with a history of hate will ever be productive in gaining security for America. The 9/11 attacks were based on hate. Two wrongs don’t make a right. We urge Mr. Gadiel to rethink his defense of VDARE and his promotion of VDARE on the 9/11 FSA website.
The 9/11 FSA group is no longer listed as a HRCARI partner organization on the HRCARI web site. The HRCARI mission statement indicates that it “will not ever support any form of supremacism.”
R.E.A.L. will be also leaving the HRCARI coalition. We need to focus our limited resources on ensuring the effectiveness of our own organization and membership.
R.E.A.L.’s leadership apologizes for not having discovered this sooner, and promises that we will be more cautious in joining coalition organizations in the future.