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Visitors to the small Arkansas town of Harrison quickly learn its reputation is far bigger than its size.

As they pass the huge welcome sign on Route 65 they are reassured of their safety in one of the most heavily armed US states.

Alongside a picture of a beaming all-white family the damaged billboard reads: Beautiful Town, Beautiful People. No Wrong Exits. No Bad Neighborhoods.

Below it a second slogan says: Diversity is a code word for white genocide.

Welcome to America’s most racist town where, after his presidential victory, they credit Donald Trump with sparking fresh interest in the rise of the new bigots on the block – the “alt-right”.

The organisation, whose name derives from “the alternative right”, is a set of ex­­­treme groups and individuals whose core belief is that white identity is under attack by political correctness, the same political correctness Trump fought so hard against.

(Image: Breeden Media) (Image: Breeden Media)

White supremacy has been a way of life in Harrison ever since African-Americans were run out of town during race riots in 1905 and 1909.

Today it remains a Ku Klux Klan stronghold but, increasingly, they are being joined by often younger racists who identify themselves with the alt-right.

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With a racial makeup of 96.2% white, 2.2% Hispanic and only 0.3 % black among its 13,000 residents, there are no signs racial inequality will end here anytime soon.

Last Saturday alt-right members took their National Policy Institute Conference to Washington to toast Trump.

They were led by Richard Spencer who galvanised followers by saying the president elect “loves white people”.

(Image: Breeden Media)

At the lectern he laid out his vision for the future. “America was, until this past generation, a white country designed for ourselves and our posterity,” he said.

“It is our creation, it is our inheritance and it belongs to us.” His dream was “a new society, an ethno-state that would be a gathering point for all Europeans”.

As he finished he drew huge applause by shouting “Hail Trump. Hail our people. Hail victory.” People gave Nazi salutes.

First alarm bells of the uprising began ringing in June last year when Trump said he would run for President and promised a wall to keep out Mexican “criminals and rapists”.

The move won immediate support from Andrew Anglin, publisher of neo-Nazi site Daily Stormer,who wrote: “Jews, blacks and lesbians will be leaving America if Trump gets elected – and he’s happy about it.

(Image: Breeden Media)

“This alone is enough reason to put your entire heart and soul into supporting this man.” The 32-year-old skinhead, who has an Aryan “Black Sun” tattoo, hailed the billionaire as “the only candidate even talk­ing about anything that matters”.

Eight weeks later, when Trump unveiled his immigration policy, far-right extremists saw it as a clear sign he understood their fear about foreigners taking over.

White nationalist Kevin Mac­­Donald hailed as “a revolution” his plans to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants and end birthright citizenship.

The 70-year-old editor of the Occidental Observer, which the US Anti-Defamation League calls “online anti-Semitism’s new voice”, said: “Trump is saying what white Americans have been thinking for a long time.”

Trump’s vision, including a ban on Muslims entering the country, was seized on by not only the alt-right but also by other extremists.

Rocky Suhayda, boss of the American Nazi Party, Don Black, a former grand dragon of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and Rachel Pendergraft, a national organiser for the Knights Party, were just some of those who believed Trump spoke directly to their members.

(Image: Getty)

One other notable was the national director of the Knights of the KKK, Thomas Robb, whose office is right outside Harrison.

Just before the election Robb, suspected of owning several racist billboards in the town, took the entire front page of the Klan’s Crusader newspaper to endorse Trump.

Under the banner “Make America Great Again!” he laid out a lengthy defence of Trump’s anti-immigration message. The racist pastor wrote: “America was great not because of what our forefathers did but because of who our fore­­­fathers were.

“America was founded as a white Christian republic. And as a white Christian republic, it became great.”

During the election Trump was routinely criticised over his reluctance to condemn his racist supporters. It took until Tuesday for him to distance himself from the alt-right, denying he did anything to “energise” it.

But it seems his words may have come a little too late for those in Harrison who gave him 76 per cent of their votes.

(Image: Breeden Media)

Local Joe Pavelsek said he voted for Trump because he agreed with his plans to build a wall and ban Muslims.

The retired truck driver added: “He is a businessman who will get things done.

“He’ll make sure American jobs are for American people, not foreign labour.

“This town has a long history of racism. The Klan were once very strong and remain to this day. But it is the alt-right that is now in the ascendency.”

The 62-year-old denied being a racist, describing himself instead as a “discriminist”. He said: “I discriminate against things I don’t like, like Muslims.

“Trump is right to ban them. They cannot live in harmony with others.”

(Image: Breeden Media)

Despite having little more than 250 Hispanic and Latinos in Harrison, Caleb Huskey, 17, and retired builder David Seng, 69, both agreed Trump should follow through on this threat to deport millions while strengthening borders.

When quizzed by the Mirror, locals questioned whether Harrison had any African-Americans despite the official figure of 0.3% in the 2010 census. And the Mirror struggled to find any of the 39 individuals supposedly living there.

One checkout operator said: “I cannot recall serving any African-American family. The only black folk we see are lorry drivers passing through or delivering goods.”

Harrison’s racists regularly put out flyers to reinforce their message.

The most recent, referring to race riots in Missouri, reads: “Ferguson was once 95% Caucasian. Ferguson was safe. Then came diversity. Diversity destroyed Ferguson.” It then adds: “Harrison is 95% Caucasian. Harrison is safe. Discourage diversity. White lives matter”.

The town motto is “Adventure awaits you.”

It seems though, if you’re black, Asian or Hispanic, it’s probably not an adventure you’d be interested in.