Alyssa Milano: 'I won't apologize' for comparing MAGA hat to KKK hood

Actress Alyssa Milano says she won't apologize for comparing the "Make America Great Again" hat worn by Trump supporters to the hood worn by members of the Ku Klux Klan.

"The red MAGA hat is the new white hood," she tweeted last weekend in response to a confrontation between Native American elder Nathan Phillips and a group of Catholic school students in Washington, D.C., that went viral. She added, "Without white boys being able to empathize with other people, humanity will continue to destroy itself."

In a commentary piece published by The Wrap on Wednesday, Milano explained her tweet and why she still stands behind it despite calls for her to apologize and death threats.

"Here's the thing: I was right," she wrote.

"Some things in that video cannot be disputed – no matter what angle or how extended the cut is," she argued. "These boys, who attend a religious school, were there on a school trip protesting against a woman’s right to reproductive freedom. Several of these boys were wearing red MAGA hats, a hat that has become synonymous with white nationalism and racism. Several were doing a 'tomahawk chop.' Several were laughing."

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Milano added, "When I saw that video, I saw boys flaunting their entitlement and displaying toxic masculinity. It seemed to me like they were reflecting the white nationalism and racism that the hats on their heads have come to represent."

After sending her tweet, she said, "Right-wing pundits and anonymous trolls alike screamed for my head–literally and figuratively. My husband received death threats on his cell phone. Many demanded an apology."

But they won't be getting one.

"I won’t apologize to these boys. Or anyone who wears that hat," Milano continued. "But I will thank them. I will thank them for lighting a fire underneath the conversation about systemic racism and misogyny in this country and the role President Donald Trump has had in cultivating it and making it acceptable."

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U.S. students, Native American confront each other after rally A diocese in Kentucky apologized on Saturday after videos emerged showing students from a Catholic boys' high school mocking Native Americans outside the Lincoln Memorial after a rally in Washington, D.C.

The three-minute, 44-second clip showed the teenagers – several of them wearing "Make America Great Again" hats – laughing, hooting and hollering while surrounding Phillips. A longer version of the video showed the confrontation was more complex than it first appeared. After it surfaced Sunday, and cast more blame on a group of four or five Black Hebrew Israelites, commenters who rushed to judge the teenagers came under attack themselves.

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Milano was criticized for her words by Twitter commenters, with one user writing, "You should be sued for that statement. Or better yet, banned from Twitter!"

"Please get the whole story," urged another. "These kids did not start this."

Others pointed to themselves or other people of color as Trump supporters.

"I am Mexican and I am proud of wearing my MAGA hat Haaaaaaterrrrrrrrr!!" a user exclaimed.

"Who told you that? Fake news CNN?" a person inquired, sharing a photo of what appeared to be black people donning MAGA caps.

People also condemned Milano for sharing her "#FirstThoughtsWhenIWakeUp".

"Maybe don't tweet the first thought that comes to you when you wake up if this is an example of them," a person tweeted. "This is not insightful, true, pithy or intelligent. Here's an idea get off of social media, think about this for another decade or two then tell us your thoughts."

"Go back to bed," encouraged another.

Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz

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