Words as well as actions must be accounted for

Well yes and no.

Yes, because being told to "show more sympathy" for Alt Right Nazi voters is the right's version of political "correctness". We're forever being told to call a spade a spade, but start hating the extremists instead of the minorities and suddenly we have to be sympathetic. We're supposed to call a spade a spade, until we're told not to.

The quote makes that first point well enough : justice would suggest we defend those who need defending, not those who choose the path of hate. But then it shoots itself in the foot and uncovers a potential paradox : we should care about motivations if we're to prevent the spread of extremism of any form; historians certainly do care a great deal. So should we respond to hatred with entirely justified counter-hate, or with a sympathy the extremists by far and away do not deserve ? I'm on the fence, personally.

[Later - much later - I attempted to solve this paradox by generalising the conditions under which persuasion and/or intolerance would succeed. This is not an easy topic and you can read the lengthy exposition here. At some point I will try and condense this.]

Found on the internet.