The National Libertarian Party says it stands for freedom for all, but it won't stand for white nationalists.
- Libertarians denounce white nationalists, racism
- Says any members who are white nationalists need to resign
- 2016 Florida candidate was headliner at Charlottesville rally
The party, considered the fastest growing third party in the country, issued a statement Tuesday asking any white nationalists who belong to the party to leave.
"There is no room for racists and bigots in the Libertarian Party," said Libertarian National Committee executive director Wes Benedict. "If there are white nationalists who — inappropriately — are members of the Libertarian Party, I ask them to submit their resignations today. We don’t want them to associate with the Libertarian Party, and we don’t want their money. I’m not expecting many resignations, because our membership already knows this well."
Benedict says the Libertarian Party supports civil liberties, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. The party also believes in open borders, racial diversity and free trade -- things he says white nationalists abhor.
The statement comes in the wake of a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that turned violent as protesters engaged with some counterprotesters and one suspected white nationalist drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing one and injuring 19.
Among the headliners of that "Unite the Right" Rally was Augustus Invictus, who ran for U.S. Senate as a Libertarian in 2016.
At the time his candidacy caused a stir. Florida Libertarian Party Chairman Adrian Wyllie resigned his post because he believed Invictus was a white nationalist who believed in eugenics wanted to start a civil war. Invictus denied the charge.
On Invictus' Twitter account, he describes himself as "the Most Dangerous Libertarian in America."
Invictus announced he was leaving the Libertarians in July for the Republican Party. He announced Tuesday he is running as a Republican candidate for Senate in Florida in 2018, though his name does not yet show up in the listing on the Florida Division of Elections website.