The City of Whitefish issued a proclamation announcing its support of a diverse and unified community Monday night. It comes on the heels of intense media coverage of a part-time Whitefish resident who is a leader in the so-called "alt-right" movement, which espouses white nationalism.
Mayor John Muhlfield read the resolution to a crowd of more than 100 that filled the City Council chamber at a regularly scheduled meeting.
"I proclaim that the city of Whitefish repudiates the ideas and ideology of the white nationalists and the so-called 'alt-right' as a direct affront to our community’s core values and principles," Muhlfield said.
Whitefish City Council unanimously signed a similar resolution two years ago and followed up with a non-discrimination ordinance passed by the council earlier this year.
This latest reiteration comes in response to national media’s recent attention to Richard Spencer, director of the National Policy Institute and an outspoken supporter of white-supremacist views.
Spencer lives in Whitefish part-time, and has said recently that he expects to spend less time in Montana.
Many Whitefish residents hope to distance the town from his views.