A chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina said it will hold a victory parade to celebrate Donald Trump’s election as president this week, a move that was condemned by the state’s Republican Party and Trump’s campaign.
The Loyal White Knights are planning the parade for Dec. 3, according to a post on the Pelham, North Carolina, group's website advertising a "Victory Klavalkade Klan Parade." An exact time and place was not specified by the group, which numbers between 150 and 200 members, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
"We are disgusted and condemn this extremist ideology and associated actions in the strongest possible terms," North Carolina GOP Chairman Robin Hayes said in a statement that was reported by CNN. "These acts and thought processes are no reflection of the heartbeat of this great country and are counter to the efforts to make America great again. We stand with the Democratic Party in calling these out-of-state troublemakers to go home."
Trump's campaign quickly condemned the parade.
"Mr. Trump and his team continue to disavow these groups and individuals and strongly condemn their message of hate," according to Trump's spokeswoman, Hope Hicks.
This isn't the first show of support Trump has received from the group. Earlier this month, the official newspaper of the Ku Klux Klan expressed its support for Trump on the front page of its current issue, a move the Trump campaign also quickly denounced.
Earlier this year, Trump also received an endorsement from the Imperial Wizard of the Rebel Brigade of the Ku Klux Klan. He also has been endorsed by David Duke, the former leader of the KKK, who celebrated Trump’s win on Twitter.
