White supremacist and other far-right hate groups are becoming a “transnational threat” that requires “global coordinated action,” the U.N.’s secretary-general said Monday.
“White supremacy and neo-Nazi movements are more than domestic terror threats. They are becoming a transnational threat,” Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Human Rights Council, Reuters reported. “Today, these extremist movements represent the number one internal security threat in several countries.”
“Far too often, these hate groups are cheered on by people in positions of responsibility in ways that were considered unimaginable not long ago,” he continued. “We need global coordinated action to defeat this grave and growing danger.”
The news service noted that Guterres did not name any specific incidents or nations in his remarks.
Former President Trump’s support from members of extremist groups was a heated issue during the 2020 presidential debates. In early October, he condemned white supremacists during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
“I’ve said it many times, and let me be clear again: I condemn the [Ku Klux Klan]. I condemn all white supremacists. I condemn the Proud Boys,” Trump said at the time.
At least five members of the Proud Boys, a right-wing organization that brands itself as a “western chauvinist” group, have been indicted on charges related to the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, when supporters of the former president stormed Congress in an attempt to stop the certification of President Biden’s election victory.