“My Lawyer & Doctor Are Jewish, Best Friend Filipino” - RI Radio Host on “White Nationalist” Remarks
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
WNRI radio host and former Woonsocket City Council President John Dionne is saying that when he called himself a "white nationalist" on-air on Monday, that he didn't know what the "actual definition" was -- and that upon learning, he was "horrified."
"Well, I would consider myself a white nationalist," Dionne said on air on his show on Monday. "I consider white nationalist as somebody that’s proud of being American, proud of our country’s heritage. That’s what a nationalist is. Proud of America.”
On Wednesday, Dionne said he is "not racist" -- and that he is "not a reflection of what the left are now saying."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTDionne on the Record
"For anyone who thinks I'm a racist or a bigot -- my life is a glass bubble, anyone can go on my page and see what I'm about," said Dionne. "I'm a supporter of Israel. I belong to the Freedom Center in California, under David Horowitz."
The David Horowitz Freedom Center describes itself as "unique among conservative think tanks whose emphasis is on public policy and institutional reform in that it sees its role as that of a battle tank, geared to fight a war that many still don’t recognize. For 27 years, since its founding in 1988, the Center has been warning that the political left has declared war on America and its constitutional system, and is willing to collaborate with America’s enemies abroad and criminals at home to bring America down."
The organization has come under criticism for being a launching pad for ultraconservative messaging including anti-Islamic speak, including its website Jihad watch.
"My lawyer's Jewish, my doctor's Jewish. My best friend is Filipino. My grandson's dating a girl who's Filipino, I tell them I can't wait for my grandbabies. My secretary in Woonsocket was black," said Dionne.
"People are sending emails to my sponsors, and my sponsors are laughing like crazy. They know me and who I'm about," said Dionne.
"I have no objection to how the [initial] article was written -- that is what I said on Monday," said Dionne. "I thought I made it very clear that by saying that, it was based on what [President] Donald Trump had been saying -- that nationalists are patriots of the country, and love America. I just happen to also be white."
"Once I looked up the definition, however, I was horrified," said Dionne. "I never used the word nationalist in my life, I was just agreeing with what the President said."
Miriam Webster defines white nationalist as "one of a group of militant whites who espouse white supremacy and advocate enforced racial segregation."
