Masaryk university in brno faculty of education

4. The Ku Klux Klan in present days

4.1 The Klan presenting itself

The official sources, web sites and other publications produced by the Klan itself try to change the image of KKK and they proclaim that the information given by media (television, newspaper, internet, etc.) is false. Furthermore they protest that they are the victim of those who want the Klan to look like a racist organization which hates African- Americans, immigrants, homosexuals, Catholics and all people, who do not have a pure white origin.

As Free Knights of Ku Klux Klan, one fraction of the original Ku Klux Klan say, they absolutely follow the idea of Christianity and honor and worship the Holy Cross as a symbol of sacrifice and services. They proclaimed themselves as the protectors of the true values, which Jesus died for. It naturally means white people and white race. “So by the Fire of the Cross of Calvary we cleanse and purify our virtues by burning out our vices with the Fire of His Word.”⁴⁹

Another organization that developed from the original Ku Klux Klan, the White Camellia Knights, proclaims that it is a Christian organization, because the most important value for them is love.⁵⁰ But it is love only for the white race and its culture, as it is shown on the introduction to the official web page of similar organization, Imperial Klans of America:
If you disagree with our beliefs then this site is not for you. Our site is for our own likeminded people and not meant to be read by anyone but the white race. Not only is all of our material for our own people, it is never intended to threaten others in any way, shape or form.⁵¹
It means that modern Ku Klux Klan says it takes its ideas, values and beliefs from the Bible and Christianity. About the media and Hollywood describing them as racist and intolerant groups, they say that they are only defending their beliefs, they are fighting for white Christian beliefs and they call themselves sufferers.⁵² They also believe that “the sole purpose of the Klan is to serve and save the country.”⁵³

But on the contrary to this, one leader of a local part of KKK from one small town on the South (the exact place is not published) declared that Catholics and Jews together are the greatest evil. That Jews kidnap young girls and sell them as white slaves.⁵⁴ That could mean that they use Christian faith in the way which suits them.

Free Knights of the Ku Klux Klan emphasize some points, how media influence and create a picture and conception about them. Members usually have their own explanation to show that they do not hate other people, other races and other cultures but they just like and revere their own race.

This is, according to Free Knights explanation, a false picture, media created:

1. 
   Klan hates Black people- members of the Klan deny this statement and declare that they are just proud of their race and culture and are not afraid of showing it. They admit that everyone can do that and everyone has his rights to show his belonging to a particular race or culture.
   
2. 
   Klan hates Catholics- According to the Klan, this is not true, because they are also Catholics and have the same ideals. Although Klan understand it a little different, it proclaims that all Catholics should live together in harmony.
   
3. 
   Klan members are criminals- Klan asserts that it respects law, government and President and media spread this slander to keep new and probable members away. And new members have to take an oath, when joining KKK that they will not commit any crimes.
   
4. 
   A member can not leave the Klan after joining it- it is also a lie according to the Klan explanation. They respect each member as an individual and do not force him to anything. Everyone has the right to do everything, he wants including leaving Klan.
   
5. 
   Klan is a cult- as said before, each member is handled as an individual person and headquarter does not force anyone to do anything. It is just a gathering of white men and women with same beliefs and ideals. ⁵⁵
   

The Klan denies being a criminal organization, it avows that it disapproves criminal and terrorist behavior protects law and support government and President. According to KKK criminals should be banished. They blame media for creating such a picture and propaganda and ruining their reputation.⁵⁶

As the Klan believes, Constitution and Bill of Rights was written by white people for white people and integration with other races leads to destruction of pure white race. If people mix races and support interracial marriages, white race is going to extinct and it is against God. On the official web site of White Camelia Knights, there are posted some extracts out of context and Klan understands it as pointing out the superiority of the white race. “Here in America, because of the acceptance of some of our people to intermarry with non-whites we see a future in which Whites will be a minority.”⁵⁷

A certain member declares about the racial mixing in the interview for an American Journal of Sociology: “When a mixture of races occurred, Providence intervenes. The children of mixed parentage, after a number of generations, were born sterile.”⁵⁸ It is an attitude of KKK to mixing races.

They also disapprove homosexuality as something abnormal and evil in order to protect healthy race, white American culture and Christian values from the evil. A White Camelia Knights alleges:
“Homosexuality is a perversion of nature and a filthy, diseased and perverted lifestyle. Homosexuals cannot reproduce, so it is only logical that they recruit others into their perverted lifestyle. One of the ways in which they do this is in shopping malls and other public gathering locations. Police officers will tell you that homosexual predators will hang out in shopping malls and similar type locations looking for young teenagers that are in a partying mood and supply the finances for the party to get close to the youth. They hang around youth centers and music concerts and one of the newest and sickest ways of recruiting is now through adoption. When two men or two women adopt a child it only stands to reason that the child will be raised as a homosexual or lesbian. Homosexuals will deny these allegations of perverted recruitment but they have been proven to be true time and time again. This perverted practice of adoption is all too clear, common sense tells us that when a man or woman raises a child, they raise that child to the standard both moral and sexual that their lifestyle mirrors.”⁵⁹
As decided above, the Klan tries to create a picture of Christian organization, protecting God’s law and true and only values of America. It proclaims that it does not feel hostility or hatred to any other race or culture. It just wants to protect the origin of the white race and have the right to worship it. Klan uses various quotes from the Bible and other religious texts to prove its statements. They only acknowledge the rights to the white race because they believe that God gave them superior position.