A ‘whites-only’ community founded by a far-right group is reportedly planning to expand to an area near Springfield, Missouri.
Return to the Land (RTTL) describes itself as a private member association (PMA) where applicants are vetted based on “traditional views and European ancestry.” Non-white, Jews and members of the LGBTQ+ community are not welcome.
RTTL opened its first community in northern Arkansas in 2023. The community is home to 40 inhabitants and sits on approximately 160 acres of land. The site has it own community center and school. Another community opened nearby in January this year.
Now Eric Orwoll, a co-founder of the group, said they plan to expand to Missouri in the near future. He hopes to establish ‘whites-only’ communities in all 50 states to one day build a “white nation.”
“We want to ensure that White Americans who value their ancestry will have the ability to live among like-minded people in the future if they choose to do so, regardless of demographic changes,” Orwoll told a local outlet in Missouri. “We’d like for a network of communities, community centers and recreational areas to be available to our members that affords them opportunities to celebrate their heritage with their folk.”
“Whites should have the ability to live among their own people if that’s what they want to do, and mass immigration is quickly making that nearly impossible in many Western nations,” he continued. “If individuals decide to live in multi-racial communities, then they should be allowed to do so, but we don’t want racial forced on us in every aspect of life.”
Critics slam the group as racist and antisemitic. Missouri Democratic officials say they are not welcome in the state.
“Missouri families are fed up with the fringe extremism Missouri Republicans keep inviting into their communities. If this hate group tries to relocate to Springfield, they shouldn’t expect to be embraced,” Chelsea Rodriguez, communications director for the state Democratic Party said in a statement, according to The Hill.
“Missouri Democrats have a clear message for any hate group eyeing our state: This is our home. We were raised here, and we share the same respect for the Constitution and Second Amendment as our neighbors. Your hate has no place in our home,” she continued.
The Anti-Defamation League accused RTTL of trying to revive “discredited and reprehensible forms of segregation,” and should be illegal under federal and state civil rights laws, as well as the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Meanwhile, the Arkansas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said in a statement, “we don’t need to get back to the Jim Crow era. We’ve been through that before. I think no one should be discriminated against because of their skin color.”
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin (R) also condemned the group in a statement saying, “racial discrimination has no place in Arkansas or anywhere in a free society. These allegations raise all sorts of legal issues, including constitutional concerns. My office is reviewing the matter.”
Orwoll dismissed his critics, arguing that the PMA status exempts RTTL communities from legislation like the Civil Rights Act or the Fair Housing Act.
“The attorneys we’ve consulted believe what we’re doing is legal,” he said. “Americans have the right to freely associate and form intentional communities on whatever basis they choose.”
As for the racist and anti-semitic aspects of his group, Orwoll told Sky News reporter Tom Cheshire that conventional opinion on Nazi leader Adolf Hitler is “one-sided” due to “World War II propaganda.”
“I think the mainstream view is one-sided. It’s informed by World War II propaganda, but also the contrary position that Hitler did nothing wrong, that many people online say: that’s also a one-sided view,” Orwoll said.
“I think all historical figures are complex, multi-dimensional, but when I say, ‘you’re gonna have to wait for that new Hitler to arise’, I’m not saying you’re going to have to wait for a new person to start a new Holocaust. I am saying you are going to wait for a charismatic leader who is going to advocate for your interests because that’s how a lot of people see Hitler,” he added.
[Featured Image: Eric Orwoll via The Independent]
