Professor Watchlist

William (Liam) O’Mara is a History professor at Chapman University. In 2020, O’Mara ran for the House of Representatives in California’s 42nd congressional district. O’Mara was briefly a candidate in the 2022 midterm election.  Upon the release of a letter of condemnation signed by current and former campaign staff, O’Mara announced that he would no longer seek higher office.

O’Mara describes himself as a scholar on the fascist movement. In a lecture hosted on his Youtube page titled Neofascist Dogwhistles, O’Mara accuses prominent conservative figures of racist overtures–stating that mainstream conservatives are increasingly embracing white nationalist positions and Nazi-style symbolism.

O’Mara alleges that conservatives utilize “racist dog whistles” to appeal to racist voters–which he defines as “grievance culture.” O’Mara claims the argument that Americans are equal is a tactic used by neo-fascists and demagogues.  O’Mara also states that the “Trumpist” movement is “neofascist.”

The full lecture may be viewed below.

 

In a separate video, titled Fascism and Neofascism: Nine Core Characteristics, O’Mara can be seen wearing a shirt emblazoned with a yellow star of David with the word “JUDE” written across it.

 

In the video, O’Mara lectures his students about “the key traits of a fascist movement,” including social conservatism, the embrace of traditional values and gender roles, right-wing populism, and nationalism. He specifically alleges President Donald Trump’s verbal embrace of the latter is an example of fascism.

At one point, O’Mara discusses his belief that populism is an element of fascism–while displaying a picture of President Donald Trump. He states that most “right-populist movements”–like Donald Trump’s–are usually fascist.

 

 

The full lecture may be viewed below.

 

 

O’Mara has accused other prominent conservatives of being white supremacists. In an exchange on Twitter, he replied to a post by conservative commentator Candace Owens with a picture of a Klu Klux Klan hood, stating, “Oops, you may have dropped this.”

 

In an op-ed posted on the site Down With Tyranny, he further accused Owens of parroting talking points from the Klan and using neo-Nazi dog whistles. Despite acknowledging his tweet’s insensitivity, O’Mara claims that Candace Owens is a white supremacist.

He applies this characterization to other conservative commentators, including Charlie Kirk, Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson, and Jordan Peterson–accusing many of antisemitism. O’Mara promises to fight back against these “fascists” and encourages the Left to become bolder in their confrontation tactics.

The Professor Watchlist team reached out to O’Mara for comment but has not received a reply by the time of publication.

 

Chapman University may be contacted at (714) 997-6815

Updated – Spring, 2021