RantCrush Top 5: February 24, 2017

A big name in the alt-right movement, Richard Spencer, was kicked out of CPAC yesterday after Dan Schneider, the executive director of the American Conservative Union, criticized the alt-right movement from the stage. “There is a sinister organization that is trying to worm its way into our ranks. We must not be deceived by [a] hateful, left-wing fascist group,” Schneider said. He argued that the alt-right is actually politically left-wing since it doesn’t correspond with Schneider’s definition of conservative beliefs. Following the speech, some people, including Spencer, got up and walked out. Outside, Spencer started giving interviews to reporters and the crowd grew so large that security guards escorted him off the property.

There are other white people calling Richard Spencer out for being a white supremacist at #CPAC17 . And Spencer just got kicked out of CPAC pic.twitter.com/8QZ04LXu1m

— Tariq Nasheed (@tariqnasheed) February 23, 2017

“His views are repugnant and have absolutely nothing to do with conservatism or what we do here,” CPAC spokesman Ian Walters said later. Many conservatives say they’re trying to distance themselves from people associated with the alt-right, but former Breitbart CEO Steve Bannon is still in the White House and spoke at CPAC later in the afternoon.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.