'Nazis Not Welcome': Steve Bannon Greeted by Angry Protests in Hong Kong

Protesters decried Bannon's racist and xenophobic views outside the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Hong Kong on Tuesday. (Photo: @TheBFRoom/Twitter)

'Nazis Not Welcome': Steve Bannon Greeted by Angry Protests in Hong Kong

Amid demonstrations, former Trump advisor's speech is closed to the media

A crowd of anti-racism protesters greeted former Trump strategist Steve Bannon Tuesday when he arrived at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Hong Kong to speak at an investors' forum. The demonstrators carried signs and chanted, "Nazis are not welcome here!" and "No Bannon, no racism!"

Following his tenure on the Trump campaign and at the White House, Bannon is the executive chairman of Breitbart News, the far-right website that he has called "the platform for the alt-right." Bannon led the website before working for President Donald Trump as well.

Bannon oversaw the website when it included a section of articles titled "Black Crime" and published an article heralding white supremacists including Richard Spencer, an organizer of last month's deadly neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. He has openly admired other racist and xenophobic works including the French anti-immigration novel The Camp of the Saints, and has denouncedthe left's attention to "identity politics" focused on acknowledging the disparate struggles of minorities--while promoting a xenophobic and white nationalist worldview that has now found a comfortable home in the Republican Party.

Bannon's extremist views are said to have influenced the nationalistic tone of Trump's 2016 campaign and his executive order banning travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

CLSA, the state-backed financial institution that hosted the forum, announced this week that Bannon's speech would be closed to media, reversing an earlier decision. As of Tuesday, Bannon's name was also not included in the online schedule of events for the forum.

In addition to the protesters, journalists and critics denounced the inclusion of Bannon's talk at the forum, and the last-minute secrecy surrounding his appearance.

Alt-Right/Nazi Steve Bannon speech leaflet at CLSA Investors Forum in Hong Kong.

Why did CLSA just provide a platform for an actual Nazi?! pic.twitter.com/Sz4GRWwu0t

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.