KKK attempts ‘Knights Party’ rebrand while maintaining white nationalist beliefs
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The group’s leadership says its focus on faith, family and white nationalism is part of an effort to attract new members.
A Ku Klux Klan organization in the United States is promoting a message centered on faith and family as it seeks to attract new members under the name “Knights Party.”
The group, formerly known as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, is led by Thomas Robb, who has headed the organization since 1989. In a report from Arkansas, Al Jazeera examines the group’s rebranding efforts and its continued adherence to white nationalist beliefs.
Robb has changed some of the organization’s public presentation over the years, including replacing the title “grand wizard” with “national director.” The organization also promotes Christianity and describes itself as a group focused on family and faith.
However, Robb continues to identify the organization as white nationalist.
When Al Jazeera correspondent Phil Lavelle asked Robb whether a Black person would be welcome at the group’s church, Robb responded, “No. Because this is a white nationalist church.”
The group’s views also extend to its definition of who qualifies as American.
During the interview, Robb discussed politicians including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Michigan gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed. When Lavelle noted that El-Sayed was born in Michigan, Robb said, “That doesn’t make you an American.”
Robb later said that children of white immigrants could be considered American because “they’re white.”
The Knights Party’s efforts come against the backdrop of a broader network of white supremacist organizations operating in the United States. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, at least 152 white supremacist groups are active across the country.
The Klan has a long history in the United States dating to its founding after the Civil War. The organization became associated with racial terror and violence against Black Americans, as well as opposition to civil rights and racial integration.
Robb told Al Jazeera that the organization is attempting to reach people who may be interested in its message but are hesitant to formally associate themselves with the Klan.
The group’s membership numbers were not independently verified in the report.
“Maybe we’re wrong,” Robb told Lavelle. “Maybe everybody hates us. I don’t know.”