NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The hate-filled xenophobic manifesto published online earlier today by a gun-toting lunatic who murdered 49 innocent men, women and children in New Zealand will sound familiar to readers of a hate-filled xenophobic Facebook post and the ensuing comments starting a week ago today.
Peter Parente, the Commander of VFW Post 495 in New Rochelle and President of the United Veterans Memorial and Patriotic Association, was thrown off the New Rochelle Veterans Advisory Committee at the request of the person who appointed Parente when the VAC was formed, Council Member Louis Trangucci, Parente’s brother-in-law. The City Council also agreed to rescind a pledge of $10,000 to support a UVMPA Memorial Day event at the City’s Hudson Park. It appears a permit to use the park in May will not be granted.
It is worth noting the similarities between Parente’s Facebook post and the follow on comments from his followers and the 74-page manifesto titled “The Great Replacement” published by a self-professed White Nationalist from Australia.
The manifesto uses the word “invaders” over and over.
Parente and/or his followers use the word “invaders” over and over.
The manifesto praises Donald Trump as a symbol of white identity.
Parente and/or his followers praise Donald Trump as a symbol of white identity.
The manifesto seeks to exploit divisions in the United States over the Second Amendment.
Parente and/or his followers seeks to exploit divisions in the United States over the Second Amendment.
The manifesto repeatedly refers to immigrants and refugees.
Parente and/or his followers repeatedly refer to immigrants and refugees.
The manifesto aims to spark a civil war in the U.S. along divisions relating to gun rights and race.
Parente and/or his followers aims to spark a civil war in the U.S. along divisions relating to gun rights and race.
The manifesto contains a sprawling array of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and white-supremacist references, repeating common far-right talking points
Parente’s post contains a sprawling array of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim and white-supremacist references, repeating common far-right talking points.
Parente subsequently issued a non-apology apology in where he felt it necessary to declare, “I’m not a racist”.
It seems fair to say if you feel the need to issue a public statement about views you expressed publicly where you are claiming you are not a racist you are almost certainly a racist. Based on his past writings, Parente certainly comes off as a homophobe, an Islamophobe and anti-Hispanic.
Parente is either lying or ignorant but either case casts himself as a victim, unaware that his rhetoric gives permission for people who may be attracted to his narrative to undertake further acts of vilification against Muslims, Hispanics, Immigrants, Refugees and Democrats which can, and has, resulted in extreme violence.
This woman is talking about “something big” is going to happen and gives a date. She was off by 4 days.
In fact, Parente’s followers have all but begged him to organize them, lead them and tell them what to do in the context of a pro-gun fantasy of revolution and genocide.
Among his followers are current and former City employees including one former police officer and a firefighter as well as past school board candidates.
Vincent Mirabile is a retired New Rochelle Police Detective.
Greg Rigos is a New Rochelle firefighter:
Vince Malfetano is a past school board candidate:
Parente and his followers have previously railed against New York elected officials. At the suggestion he move to Connecticut where he operates a gas station and automobile repair shop, Parente dismisses the idea.
“Ct sucks too!!,” says Parente. “Montanna is the place!!
Now why would Montana be so attractive to Parente?
The racial diversity of Montana is 89.1% White. The remaining population is 6.6% Native Americans, 2.6% mixed races, .7% Asian, .5% other races, and .4% African American. The religious diversity of Montana is 95% Christian or no religious affiliation. So basically, Montana is: No blacks. No Hispanics. No Jews. No Muslims.
RELATED:
Former New Rochelle Veterans Advisor Peter Parente : “I am not a racist”
Mr Parente’s speech is protected by the Supreme Law of The U.S., even if offensive. Those who died on some of our wars did so to protect offensive speech. Plz remember that when reciting The Pledge.
Mr Cox, your speech is also protected, even if inaccurate.
May The Lord Guide Mr Parente & Mr Cox To Betterment.
Norm,
You are deeply confused about “free speech”.
First, there is no “free speech” on Facebook. They are a private company. They have policies about what is or is not permitted on their web site.
Second, no one prevented Peter Parente from expressing his views on Facebook or anywhere else.
Third, the right to “free speech” does not include freedom from consequences for that speech.
In Peter Parente’s case, the consequences were that his brother-in-law denounced his remarks and asked that he be removed from a government advisory board, that the City of New Rochelle not support an event he was organizing for Memorial Day.
Note, the City of New Rochelle has not prevented Peter Parente from organizing a Memorial Day event only that they are not going to provide municipal resources for that event. He is free to raise money, secure a location and hold an event.
I did not write the words he published on Facebook nor did I make them publicly available on Facebook. Peter Parente did both.
I did not remove him from the Veterans Advisory Council, rescind funding or deny a park permit. The City Council did that after Lou Trangucci met with the Mayor and City Manager and made that request.
“What I did do was to compare the words used by Peter Parente and his Facebook friends to those found in the murder’s manifesto.”
To what end? If not to compare Peter Parente to the ChristChurch shooter, then why even write this?
Finally, there could be one hundred reasons why Mr. Parent wants to move to Montana, but he only needs one, and the racial demographics need not be part of that reason!
Do they have mountains in Montana? Maybe he wants to climb one of them!
Do they have snow in Montana? Maybe he wants to ski!
Do they lack Virtue Signalling, race baiting, McCarthy – like instigators?
That might be enough for even me to move to Montana!
You, Mr Cox, are an awful, miserable wretch of a person
Frank,
You ask: “If not to compare Peter Parente to the ChristChurch shooter, then why even write this?”
I explained this already but let me try it again.
My article begins with the observation that there are similarities between Parente’s Facebook post and the follow on comments from his followers and the 74-page manifesto titled “The Great Replacement” published by a self-professed White Nationalist from Australia.
And there are.
I did not simply quote these words but documented them with screenshots from Peter Parente’s Facebook page. It is inarguable that the same language used on Parente’s Facebook page is used in “The Great Replacement”; to your credit, you are not disputing that.
The examples I provide demonstrate people posting these comments on Parente’s Facebook page are drawing rhetorical water from the same rhetorical well as the Christchurch shooter; intertwining the rhetoric of “invaders” and “immigrants” and “refugees” and “Muslims” to create a sense of “other”, to de-humanize human beings, then to mix that with talk of “revolution” and “guns” and threats of violence topped off with a dose of white-supremacist idealization of Donald Trump mixed in with white-supremacist references and far-right talking points; having thus de-humanized these people as an “enemy” that is attacking America and the American way of life, taking up arms to kill them is no longer murder but justified self-defense or as Parente says, all the rationale needed to exterminate the cockroaches.
Without a hint of irony, these same people who are so charged up to point guns at the “invaders” and pull the trigger are also lumping in Democrats who support abortion by labeling them baby-killers. So killing babies is evil unless the baby is in the arms of a Guatemalan women wading across the Rio Grande at which point its OK.
If the shoe fits, right?
So, to answer your question, I wrote my article to hold up a mirror to Parente’s Facebook page so those posting there can see that what is reflected in their words is the same as reflected in the manifesto of a white nationalist who murdered 50 men, women and children.
My hope is it might give at least some of those people pause to realize where their words have taken them and they might re-think things and dial the rhetoric way back. And for those who do not see the need, that the community can consider that before appointing them to government committees or electing them to office or employing/promoting them.
Quite a few people were angry with me, expressing their view that it was unfair to associate Peter Parente and his followers on Facebook with the killer’s manifesto and by extension, in their mind, his hyper-violent act. I did not do that.
What I did do is lay out the words in the manifesto side by side with Parente’s Facebook page. It is their own words which associate Peter Parente and his followers on Facebook with the killer’s manifesto. If those people are upset with their own words they might want to reflect on that.
I think it is worth mentioning that in all of the whining from Peter Parente and his Facebook followers, I have yet to see any of them (including you) express any sympathy for the victims in Christchurch or denounce the mass murderer. Why is that?
Like I said, I give you credit for not disputing that analysis.
It seems the only real area of disagreement between us is why Peter Parente wants to move to Montana.
I did not give a reason but rather asked a question as to whether the fact that Montana has so few Blacks, Hispanics, Jews or Muslims might not explain Parente’s interest to move to “Montanna”.
But you are right: “there could be one hundred reasons why Mr. Parent (sic) wants to move to Montana” and his real reason could be that he wants to go mountain climbing.
This is low, even for you. To compare Peter to a guy that killed 49 people is outrageous.
John,
I did not compare Peter Parente to the murderer in New Zealand so your complaint is a red herring.
What I did do was to compare the words used by Peter Parente and his Facebook friends to those found in the murder’s manifesto.
Having pulled direct quotes from Peter Parente’s Facebook page and placed them in the context of the manifesto you whine about it.
Why are you whining?
Simple, the words in the manifesto are the exact same as those found on Peter Parente’s Facebook page.
I notice you do not address the facts contained in my article just that you do not like my doing so. Why is that?
Truth hurts.
You really need to get a life Mr. Cox. You’ve never seen a day of any kind a war action you probably hear from going into the services cause you’re all mouth and no back bone you’re a piece of garbage when he’s days you’re going to mess with the wrong person and let the chips fall where they fall fall you’re an asshole
So in your world only those who served in combat can express their views and those who have served in combat have a blank check to say and do what they want.