The chairman of a white nationalist group in the United States has invoked German Nazi propaganda in a speech in Washington, DC as onlookers made the Nazi salute.

“Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!” cried Richard B Spencer to a convention of the National Policy Institute on November 9, filmed by The Atlantic.

Mr Spencer described white people as “children of the sun” while attendees performed the Nazi salute – made famous by Adolf Hitler – and cheered loudly.

He told the room America was a “white country” designed for white people and belonging to white people.

Watch Richard Spencer’s speech below:

To enthusiastic applause, Mr Spencer declared that white Americans did not “exploit” minority groups – they simply did not “gain anything” from their presence.

“They need us and not the other way around,” he said.

Mr Spencer questioned whether members of the media were “really people at all”, and referred to them using the German word “Lügenpresse” – used by Nazis to criticise anti-Nazi media.

Mr Spencer has headed up the NPI since 2011, and is described by the Southern Poverty Law Centre as a “professional racist” who has previously called for “peaceful ethnic cleansing” in the US.

Following the conference, a number of NPI attendees gathered for dinner at local Washington restaurant, Maggiano’s Little Italy.

After images of guests performing the Nazi salute were published online, the restaurant responded to criticism by denying it knew the booking was for the NPI.

“The reservation was made under a different name, therefore we were not aware that NPI was dining with us or what the group represents,” the restaurant said in a statement on Facebook, before pledging to donate $US10,000 ($A13,500) to Jewish civil rights group the Anti-Defamation League.

“This expression of support of Hitler is extremely offensive to us, as our restaurant is home to Teammates and Guests of every race, religion and cultural background,” the statement read.

Attendees at the after party, including reality TV star Tila Tequila, peform the Nazi salute. Photo: Twitter

What is the National Policy Institute?

The National Policy Institute is a white nationalist think tank based in the southern state of Virginia.

It propagates the ‘alt-right’ ideology loosely defined by anti-immigration, anti-political correctness and often pro-Donald Trump sentiments.

Mr Spencer’s Twitter account had been suspended on Tuesday. Photo: Twitter

Breitbart News, formerly run by Mr Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon, has strong links to the alt-right movement, as does the anonymous message board 4chan.

But while the US election provided a platform for the alt-right to come to the fore, the president-elect has notably veered away from inflammatory remarks about race since his win.

Following the NPI conference, Mr Trump’s spokesman Bryan Lanza released a statement saying: “President-elect Trump has continued to denounce racism of any kind and he was elected because he will be a leader for every American.”

Holocaust Memorial Museum pleads for action

As the content of Mr Spencer’s speech hit news outlets, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum released an emotional statement warning that the Holocaust had begun with “words, not killings”.

“The museum calls on all American citizens, our religious and civic leaders and the leadership of all branches of the Government to confront racist thinking and divisive hateful speech,” it said.

“His statement that white people face a choice of ‘conquer or die’ closely echoes Adolf Hitler’s view of Jews and that history is a racial struggle for survival.”