The Ku Klux Klan.

The Ku Klux Klan is an organization that stands for hatred and oppression. Its goal is to reinforce white supremacy, with Black people and political opponents as its primary targets. And anyone who thinks this is all a thing of the past is mistaken. The KKK still exists today.

A little history

Shortly after Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States in 1861, eleven states seceded from the United States of America. These southern states were colloquially known as the “slave states.” The resulting entity was calledthe “Confederate States of America”and was not recognized by any country in the world. Four years later, in 1865, when slavery was abolished in the U.S., it no longer existed.

Just one year after the end of the “Confederate States,” the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee, in 1866. It began as a simple association of Confederate veterans. J. Calvin Jones, Frank O. McCord, John B. Kennedy, James R. Crowe, Richard R. Reed, and John C. Lester were deeply dissatisfied with the situation at the time and wanted to fight for the supremacy of the white race.

In addition, the members of the KKK sought to undermine the newly acquired rights of the Black community. The right to vote, in particular, was a thorn in their side. To achieve their goals, they resorted to intimidation and did not shy away from using violence against the freed former slaves.

There wasn't just one KKK

Due to widespread discontent, the Klan’s popularity grew rapidly. More than forty different chapters were established, each with its own headquarters. So there was not just “one” Ku Klux Klan. In total, there were about 5,000 members in the organization at that time.

In addition, a similar, though less well-known, organization emerged in the former slave-holding states. The“Knights of the White Camellia”pursued the same goals and was founded in New Orleans in 1867. The group quickly expanded across several Southern states. The organization was less high-profile and not as prone to violence as the Ku Klux Klan. This may be one of the reasons why the Knights of the White Camellia ceased to exist just three years later.

To prevent themselves from being identified during their violent acts, KKK members wore masks. The organization did not begin using its well-known white robes and pointed masks until later.

Under the cover of this anonymity, they committed atrocities against freed slaves, but also against their white supporters. They whipped their victims, tortured them, and killed many of them. The group reached its peak between 1868 and 1870. It was during this time that an incident occurred which is well documented, as it was presented to the congressional committee in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1871.

Death or mutilation?

Henry Lowther, a Black farmer, was kidnapped by members of the Ku Klux Klan and forced to make a choice in a remote swamp: castration or death. He chose castration. After his tormentors mutilated him with a knife, the man dragged himself more than two kilometers to a house. He was rescued there just before he bled to death.

By 1869, even the group’s leader, General Forrest, had had enough of its excessive violence and ordered it disbanded. However, some offshoots persisted for a while longer, until Congress drove in the proverbial final nail with the “Ku Klux Klan Act” in 1871. By the time the Supreme Court ruled the KKK unconstitutional in 1882, it had all but disappeared.

The Resurgence of the KKK

But where there is discontent, there is always fertile ground for extremists. This was also the case in 1915 in Atlanta, Georgia. The founder of the “New” Ku Klux Klan, Colonel William J. Simmons, initially had little success with his organization. However, when two public relations professionals, Edward Y. Clarke and Elisabeth Tyler, took on the project and appealed to the population’s sense of patriotism, the KKK regained popularity.

The romanticized nostalgia for the “Old South” likely played a role in this as well. Another factor was the perceived threat to the white population posed by the mass immigration that had taken place in previous decades.

Thus, Preacher Simmons’ ideology of fear and hatred fell on fertile ground. For ten dollars a year (which would be about 100 euros today), one could become a member and voice one’s discontent. And often enough, words were followed by deeds. By the 1920s, the KKK’s membership had reached more than four million. During this period, the burning cross also became the organization’s symbol. The masked members took part in marches and parades during the day—and burned crosses at night.

Women in the KKK

There was even a branch of the KKK that catered exclusively to women. The“Women of the Ku Klux Klan”was founded in 1923 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and soon had a presence in every state. The organization, composed of white Protestant women, also called itself “The Queens of the Golden Mask.” With few exceptions, however, the group’s members did not participate in violent rampages or lynchings.

Secret Code

With the Kloran, the founder also created the first official reference work for KKK members. It includes several of the organization’s code words, which were used to facilitate communication and interaction.

By asking“AYAK?”, they could determine whether the person they were talking to was also a member of the organization (Are You A Klansman?).
If the reply was“KIGY,” everything was clear. (Klansman, I greet you.)
Warnings were also conveyed using codes.“SANBOG!” was used to signal that a stranger was nearby. (Strangers are near, be on guard – Strangers are nearby, be careful).

Headwind

Another reason for the caution among KKK members was the emergence of a counter-movement. In August 1923,“The Knights of the Flaming Circle”was founded by an Italian dentist in Ohio. Anyone could join, regardless of ethnicity or religion. They also wore white clothing, though adorned with a red circle and an image of the Statue of Liberty. The “Knights” did not wear masks and marked KKK members by burning a tire in their yard.

Mississippi Burning

While the 19th-century KKK viewed the Black population as its almost exclusive enemy, the new organization also regarded Jews, immigrants, homosexuals, and Catholics as threats. The Klan’s popularity fluctuated over the following decades. While membership numbers dropped sharply during the Great Depression, they rose again in the 1960s. During this period, activists had been trying to enforce compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This led to lynchings, bombings, and even gun violence in communities across the southern United States.

These historic riots were the subject of the film *Mississippi Burning*, which was nominated for an Oscar in seven categories. The feature film is based on the kidnapping and subsequent murder of three Americans by Ku Klux Klan members. The civil rights activists had been trying to persuade Black citizens to register to vote. Two were subsequently shot by Klan members; one had been whipped with an iron chain beforehand and then executed.

Of the seven people charged with the crime, only six were sent to prison. Edgar Ray Killen, one of the defendants, walked out of the courthouse a free man. The Baptist minister was able to avoid punishment because the jury did not want to send a man of God to prison. Thus, the man, who also recruited new members for the KKK, lived in freedom for forty years. Until a grand jury in Philadelphia, under pressure from a citizens’ coalition, brought charges against him again in 2009. The 80-year-old was convicted and died at age 92 behind bars. He was buried less than a kilometer from the spot where the gruesome murder had taken place.

They're still around

The KKK still wields considerable influence in the United States. In 1991, for example, David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader, ran for governor of Louisiana. However, his campaign lost momentum when the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) threatened to launch an economic boycott against the state should he win. His opponent defeated him. Nevertheless, Duke received more than 50% of the vote among the white population.

Today, the number of members in the United States is down to just a few thousand. The Ku Klux Klan has fragmented into many smaller, sometimes rival groups. Some of these have also joined forces with neo-Nazis or other extremist organizations.

The ideology of the KKK is also present in Europe. The offshoot of the Ku Klux Klan, the“European White Knights of the Burning Cross,”has regional chapters in Austria, Germany, Sweden, France, Switzerland, and Italy.

This group was founded in 2007 by a Berliner who had been active in the U.S. KKK for many years and was known there as the“Honorable Reverend Imperial Wizard.”Within the organization’s hierarchy, this is the highest possible position. Since the founder was charged in April 2011 with incitement of the people and distribution of propaganda materials from unconstitutional organizations, there have been no known Klan activities, at least in Germany.

In Austria, there have recently been KKK-related incidents at several Carnival events. In January, a group of young men dressed in traditional Klan attire (robes and hoods) mingled with the other attendees. Whether this was an actual statement by the KKK or simply a bad joke remains to be seen.