Ku Klux Klan Leader Warns Of More Violence In US

Harrison, in Boone County, Arkansas has
had to deal with an unenviable
association - being home to the head of
the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.



In reality, Thomas Robb is living 15 or so
miles away on the outskirts of the city.

But as you approach Harrison, there are
clear signs of the challenges created by
their neighbour.




A billboard reads: "Diversity is a code word
for white genocide."


Mr Robb has tried to rebrand the Klan as a
gentler, more tempered group - one that's
driven by Christian values and is family
focused.



He took over leadership of the group in
the 1980s after the departure of David
Duke. Rather than the traditional title of
"Imperial Wizarder he opted for "National
Director".



He's employed Duke's strategy of using the
internet to reach a wider audience,broadcasting radio and TV shows.



The KKK's official newspaper, The
Crusader, endorsed Donald Trump and the
then Republican presidential candidate
clearly disavowed the group - saying he
didn't want to energise them.
Yet Mr Robb claims the group found a
voice in the 2016 election. In an effort to
remarket America's oldest hate group, he
now says it was the first "alt-right"
organisation, a term coined in 2010.



The headquarters is located on an uneven,
winding road. As I walk up to the
driveway, it's lined with flags. Mr Robb is
wearing a suit and tie.



He tells me: "This is where we do clerical
work, membership applications, reports
and we produce DVDs."



He has an almost polished facade, a far cry
from the hooded imagery that haunts
America.




Mr Robb tells me black people have a right
to be black and he just wants to protect
white identity.
Gay people, he says, are an "abomination".



They say this city is no different from
anywhere else, but they felt they had to
publicly confront the man living near them,
trying to create a "white paradise".




They tell me people were coming here for
25 years in the hope they could live
alongside other white supremacists.



But Kevin Cherie, an African-American man
in the group, says Mr Robb "gets his mail
here.


He uses this geographic location to
help people find him. That's the most
significant impact this man has. And I'm
speaking as a black man living here, who
with his family has been happy and
successful and productive".


They seem to represent the prevailing
attitude of this community.


Thomas Robb seems like an isolated
ideologue, but one they know they have to
acknowledge, an extremist who feels his
movement has new momentum.




The reality is his group is fractured - and
in many ways, is at war with itself.