COLUMBIA, Mo. - This week, students and residents found recruiting flyers for a white nationalist group on the University of Missouri - Columbia campus.
The flyers were recruiting for The Midwestern Alliance, a group that calls themselves “identitarian” and believe all people have a right to an "ethnic homeland."
The group said its members do not see themselves as superior to other races.
41 Action News spoke to a member of the group through a series of emails looking for “young Midwestern patriots."
The group would only speak to us by email stating they wanted to protect the identity of its members.
The group said they want to create a white-only state in the Midwest without violence.
41 Action News spoke to Mizzou students about the flyers.
"It’s kind of outrageous to see that happening anywhere in the United States," said sophomore Nicohl Corretjer. "There is still a lot of growing that society needs to have.”
In an email a member of the group said it advocates for “the creation of a white homeland within the borders of the Midwestern United States.”
One MU senior said she thinks that’s not possible.
"A majority of our population is made up of different races, ethnicities and backgrounds so it would be very hard to do what they are saying without violence," said Faith Laster. "We need to let them know that that tone and those actions are no longer accepted here."
Corretjer said she thinks something like this would limit progress within a society.
"There are diverse cultures, people from all over the world, that know different things. That’s how we will improve as a society and innovate and move forward," she said.
MU tweeted a link to a statement in response to the discovery of the flyers and group.
It read, in part:
“One of the core values of the University of Missouri is respect. As such, we are committed to fostering a community of inclusion. We are aware that white supremacist groups are recruiting on college campuses across the U.S.”
The university asked anyone who knows anything about activity that violates university policies to contact them.
The Midwestern Alliance said recruiting is left up to the members in the region.
They said they vet potential members in Indianapolis.
