Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton said Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is the “godfather” of the alt right movement, a claim without any evidence.
The alt right is a primarily online movement opposed to multiculturalism and political correctness. (RELATED: What Is The Alt Right?)
Clinton said, “This is part of a broader story — the rising tide of hardline, right-wing nationalism around the world.”
“The godfather of this global brand of extreme nationalism is Russian President Vladimir Putin,” Clinton continued to say. Her evidence for this is that British political leader and Brexit support Nigel Farage has appeared on Russian owned television channels.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) welcomes US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Russia’s far eastern port city Vladivostok on September 8, 2012. Australian AFP PHOTO / POOL (Photo credit should read MIKHAIL METZEL/AFP/GettyImages)
While Farage and Trump have both praised Putin at times, there is no proof Putin supports nationalism worldwide. In fact, the Russian nationalist party Movement Against Illegal Immigrants is banned in the country. The leader of the group was found guilty in Russian court Wednesday for forming an “extremist” group, inciting hatred on the basis of ethnicity, and financial crimes.
