ByDan Friedman, Dan Friedman
In a twist worthy of a comedy sketch, the leader of a Ku Klux Klan group in the Rocky Mountains has suggested that the notoriously racist group should be more accepting of black people, gays and even Jews - to the extent that they could even become members.
The KKK is best known for wearing white robes and hoods, burning crosses and lynching black people, but it emerged earlier this month that one of Montana's leading white supremacists, John Abarr, has set up a new, more inclusive Klan group.
"The KKK is for a strong America," Abarr told the Great Falls Tribune. "White supremacy is the old Klan. This is the new Klan."
In 2013, Abarr met members of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) in Casper, Wyoming, and the meeting "inspired him to organise a peace summit with the NAACP" at a later date.
Abarr's new group, the Rocky Mountain Knights, has been given a mixed reception. While some, including Jimmy Simmons - one of the NAACP representatives Abarr met - are keeping an open mind, others worry that by remaining under the 'KKK' banner the Klan leader proves he has not changed.
According to Mark Pitcavage of the ADL, Abarr is probably the Knights' only member. The only element this farcical story lacks is Abarr finding out that he is black, Jewish or gay - or all three.