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As much as the “alt-right” (and their apologists) would like to paint this picture as to deflect attention from their actions, there is no such thing as the “alt-left”. Whatever nomenclature you use the result is the same. The opposite of a neo-Nazi is not a neo-Nazi. The opposite of a fascist is not a fascist. The opposite of a racist is not a racist. We really don’t need to develop any new terminology for this. The old ones work just fine.

“Alt-right”, a term which Richard Spencer takes credit for inventing, is an umbrella phrase for those who believe in far-right ideologies and who reject conventional conservatism in favour of white nationalism. Like Spencer’s slick suits, it has been used as a ruse to hide what was always underneath – the idea that white people are better and that their history, culture, and “race” should be preserved above all else, to the detriment of others.

No one on the other side of the political spectrum ever took on the mantle of the “alt-left”. They didn’t coin the term to hide their anti-racist agenda while they lurked in sub-Reddits discussing whether the general public was ready for their multi-cultural revolution.

Aside from a few confused racists with a proclivity for distributive economics who took a liking to the phrase, the name was one thrown onto those of a more radical left-wing persuasion.

It was coined by the centre-ground in US politics to draw parallels between the anti-establishment sentiments expressed by the left with those on the right. The term originally encompassed those who supported Bernie Sanders and opposed the liberal candidate Hillary Clinton. It was later adopted by the far right when discussing any radical elements of the left.

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