Charlottesville: Man 'outing Nazis' on Twitter says he will continue despite receiving death threats

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The man gaining international attention for outing alleged white supremacists on Twitter has said he will continue his campaign despite receiving death threats in the wake of the Charlottesville violence.

Logan Smith runs the Yes, You’re Racist Twitter account, which has shared a number of posts since the weekend calling for users to publicly identify members of the Virginia rally.

But Mr Smith, who works as communications director for Progress NC, has also sparked controversy after incorrectly naming a number of innocent people who were not involved in the white nationalist demonstrations.

University of Arkansas biomedical engineering professor Kyle Quinn, who runs a laboratory dedicated to wound-healing research, was incorrectly named by the account and was hit with a barrage of online abuse.

Mr Smith's controversial posts have provoked a mixed reaction. While some support his efforts, others have warned of the dangers of doxxing - the act of sharing someone's personal information, usually a phone number or address, online.

Mr Smith said he would continue to do what he believes is right despite the furious backlash that has seen death threats lobbied at his family.

“They are saying they are going to kill me, insulting my wife, insulting my family,” Mr Smith told WRAL.

“One thing I did was to ask people if they recognised any of these people to just send me the names and public profiles and I will make them famous.

“These aren’t just random faces in a crowd, these are real people. A lot of times, they are in our communities. They could be your neighbours, your co workers, people you pass in the grocery store and I think it’s really important to put a spotlight on these people.”

It comes after white nationalist Cole White was dismissed from his job at a Berkeley hot dog restaurant after being identified by Mr Smith's account.

University of Nevada student Peter Cvjetanovic was also named on the Twitter page. A petition calling for the university to expel him has since reached 22,250 signatures.

But many from the "alt-right" have also accused Mr Smith of taking images out of context.

A photo of Joey Salads, a prominent figure of the movement, wearing a nazi armband was widely circulated following the violent protests.

Mr Smith named him as being in attendance but Mr Salads denied he was at the rally, instead insisting he was on holiday in Jamaica and that the picture had been taken from an "ironic" video filmed five months before.

Mr Smith started the account during the 2012 presidential election campaign. It has now amassed over 350,000 followers.