Chip Berlet, senior analyst at Political Research Associates, clarified the differences between the American Tea Party Movement and Neo-Nazism at a conference last Wednesday that generated controversy for allegedly linking the two political beliefs in its advertisements. Sponsored by the Center for European and German Studies, the "New Right-Wing Radicalism Conference" also featured six other panelists. Event attendees also had opportunities to pose questions to the panelists.

The event attracted attention from political commentator Michael Graham on his April 23 radio show because the poster advertising the event originally featured a swastika, and the online description of the event included a "related link" to the April 14 Tea Party Express rally. The event also received attention from Fox News.

Berlet stated at the event, "I have explicitly said before, and I will say it again, that the Tea Party is not an extremist group, nor is it a racist group. It is a legitimate political movement that deserves to be treated with respect."

"People have a tendency to lump the Tea Party and neo-Nazis together because Hitler manipulated the middle class fear to get them to vote for him and thus legitimize him," Berlet said. He added, however, that the Tea Party was not a racist movement.

Addressing the media coverage leading up to the conference, Berlet said, "For media demigods to exploit the agony of the Holocaust for political gains and for their personal aggrandizement is deeply offensive. It's offensive to everyone in this audience, to [the] Brandeis community, to Jews around the world and every decent person on this planet."

Berlet described the Tea Party as an "overwhelmingly conservative" mainstream demographic group that is "a little more white, . a little better off . [and] a little more educated than many Americans."

Berlet said that liberals ridicule the Tea Party for believing in the idea of euthanasia, which he called "unplugging grandma," and for believing that "Obama is a socialist and a fascist." He said that the concept of "unplugging grandma" dates back to the 1970s, when conservatives argued that abortion was the first step toward euthanasia. The labels given to Obama, on the other hand, originate from political scientists who saw the connection between Hitler and Stalin to be "big government" rather than totalitarianism.

"There is not one shred of social science evidence . that people who join right-wing social movements are any less intelligent or any more crazy than the rest of us," Berlet said. The other panelists who spoke prior to Berlet addressed right-wing extremism in Europe and in the United States.

Othmar Plickinger, Ph.D., discussed the historical and political aspects of Hitler's book Mein Kampf. Hans Jaschke, professor for Political Science, Police and Security Management at the Berlin School of Economics and Law, gave an overview of the history of right-wing extremism in Germany.

Jochen Kersten, professor at the German University for Police, compared right-wing extremism, anti-Semitism and hate crimes in countries such as Poland and Russia. Peter Niesen, professor of Political Theory and History of Ideas at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany spoke about the legal restrictions on right-wing extremism. David Art, assistant professor in Political Science at Tufts University, explained the success and failures of European right-wing radicalism.

The U.S. perspective on right-wing extremism was discussed by Kathleen Blee, chair of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh; Pete Simi, associate professor at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska, Omaha; and Berlet. Blee focused on the roots of racism while Simi spoke about right-wing terrorism.

Those in attendance, including Tea Partiers and University administrators, faced increased security upon arrival. Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said in an interview with the Justice that it was "a very quiet event" and that there were no public safety concerns.

Graham, who was also present for Berlet's talk, commented on the conference last Thursday on Fox News. Reflecting upon Berlet's lectures, Graham said on Fox News that it is still unclear why the Tea Party was a topic of discussion at the event at all.