Organization Says Local Extremist Activity Brewing


A national group warns extremist activity is brewing right in East Lansing. The "Young Americans for Freedom" at Michigan State University have officially been listed as a hate group by a well-known civil rights watchdog.

The Southern Poverty Law Center monitors hate groups and extremist activity around the country. In their current map of Michigan, they list 25 active hate groups across the state, including Neo Nazi organizations and Ku Klux Klan chapters, but they're about to add another one, and it's right here in mid-Michigan.

They are the "Young Americans for Freedom" at Michigan State University, and they call themselves a "conservative youth organization," but a prominent civil rights group is calling them something very different- a hate group. Group President Kyle Bristow says he was shocked to hear his organization listed alongside Neo Nazis and Skinheads.

Kyle Bristow, MSU Young Americans for Freedom: "It's untrue, it's not true at all."

But the Southern Poverty Law Center says Young Americans for Freedom at MSU have a history of engaging in hateful behavior, including embracing white supremist views, using anti-gay slurs and frequent insults toward immigrants, allegations the group strongly denies.

Kyle Bristow: "We're not a violent group at all, we don't attack individuals, we're not violent, we just focus on political issues we feel important."

Issues that are highly controversial, like the group's plan for a campus game called "catch an illegal immigrant," and their stance against ethnic groups on student government.

Kyle Bristow: "It's wrong to have exclusive groups for people based on race."

The hate group list doesn't carry any legal penalty, but it will be distributed to more than 50,000 law enforcement agencies, but Bristow says, despite the disturbing new label, Young Americans for Freedom will continue its campus activities as planned.

University officials say the Young Americans for Freedom have not violated any campus rules or regulations, and that the university will not let external organizations influence its policies.

Terry Denbow, Vice President University Relations: "We cannot allow any group from the right, from the left or from the center to say that our values must be the ones that you accept and endorse for a student group at Michigan State University."

The Young Americans for Freedom say they are considering filing a character defamation lawsuit.

http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=6233040