FARGO, ND - As a self-described pro-white activist, who attended the march in Charlottesville, Peter Tefft has been making headlines -- not just for his political beliefs but for how those beliefs have divided his own family.
Tefft, a Fargo man, was recently the subject of his father's op-ed that appeared in the Fargo Forum -- a piece where he calls his youngest son's actions "vile, hateful and racist."
He goes on to say his son, "is not welcome at our family gatherings any longer. I pray my prodigal son will renounce his hateful beliefs and return home."
Tefft called the response "harassment" in an interview with KVLY and said he has a lawyer looking into the Twitter user, @YesYoureRacist, who identified him as being at that rally, prompting his father's letter to the editor. He said followers of that twitter handle have been threatening his 13-year-old niece.
Knowing the response received by many pro-white organizations, Tefft said he tried to prepare his family for what his involvement could entail.
However, Tefft didn't deny he was at the rally and said it's a cause he still actively supports.
"We feel this is the beginning of a new civil rights era, and this time it's going to be a pro-white one," he said.
Labels being thrown out about the group he was with -- white supremacists, Nazis, etc. -- don't tell the whole story, he said.
"As far as the term white supremacist goes, in my view anybody that thinks white people don't need advocacy, they're the white supremacists," Tefft said.
Addressing the violence of the weekend, Tefft said it was all in self-defense.
"We were there lawfully assembled," he said. "The counter-protesters were not lawfully assembled and they were allowed by the police to attack us."
Tefft acknowledged there is anger on both sides but said it is possible for both sides to come together -- "if cooler heads prevail."