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Fast Forward

Maine Town Manager Fired After Calling For White Ethnostate

A town manager in Maine was fired from his job this week after it emerged that he is the founder and leader of New Albion, a group that calls for racial separatism and opposes people “from different cultures” coming to northern New England.

Jackman town manager Tom Kawczynski hoped to turn large sections of of New England into “a preserve for western culture first and foremost, and a nation where white identity will not just be tolerated but welcomed explicitly as such,” according to a social media post.

Kawczynski’s views on race brought national attention to the otherwise quiet community near the Canadian border, the Bangor Daily News reported.

Kawczynski’s dream of creating a white ethnostate is a long-held and cherished goal among American white supremacists, the Anti-Defamation League wrote in a recent post. Members of today’s “alt-right,” like white nationalist Richard Spencer, also call for the creation of a white-only ethnostate. Kawczynski was active on Gab, an alternative social media platform popular with the “alt-right.”

Kawczynski moved to the town from New Hampshire in June to take the job as town manager. In exchange for $30,000 in severance pay, Kawczynski agreed not to sue the town after his dismissal.

“I reject categorically the suggestion that I am a racist, a bigot, a Nazi or any of the other foul names which have been attributed to me or my wife,” Kawczynski told the Bangor Daily News. “I lost a job today, but I have gained a cause. And I am not going to stop this fight.”

On his New Albion website, Kawczynski thanked supporters and provided links where money could be sent.

“As this story develops and my side emerges where I get to share my beliefs about the positive culturally driven vision of #NewAlbion, I also welcome all those — of all ethnicities — who find themselves curious or inspired to find out what we’re doing up here in New England, and why we are so passionate that at least one person is willing to pay everything to defend this dream,” he wrote.

Email Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum

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