Friday, December 17, 2021

This Week in Fascism #124: Patriot Front Gets Infiltrated and Exposed; DA Pushing Far-Right Conspiracies Slaps Antifascists With Conspiracy Chargers

photo: @AlissaAzar

Welcome fellow antifascists!

This is an action packed column – with antifascists infiltrating Patriot Front, releasing their audio, and starting to doxx their members en massee – there sure is a lot to cover. We also have action reports, tons of news, and so much more!

Let’s not waste any time!

Action News

ASU Students in Tempe, Arizona Take the Streets Against Kyle Rittenhouse

In Tempe, Arizona, students rallied and marched against the far-Right killer Kyle Rittehouse, who stated in a recent interview that he has plans to re-enroll on the campus.

From a report:

Student protesters gathered at the “Killer Off Our Campus” protest in the Nelson Fine Arts Center courtyard Wednesday demanding ASU deny Kyle Rittenhouse further enrollment, make statements denouncing white supremacy and redirect funding from the ASU Police Department to support multicultural and sexual assault resource centers on campus.

Rittenhouse was acquitted on Nov. 19 of multiple homicide charges after killing two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, last year during a Black Lives Matter demonstration. While testifying at his trial, Rittenhouse said on Nov. 10 he was attending ASU as a nursing student; at the time, he was an online non-degree-seeking student not in the nursing program, according to the University.

On Monday, a University spokesperson said Rittenhouse was “not currently enrolled in classes at ASU,” and the University said it had taken no action regarding his enrollment. In a TV talk show last week, Rittenhouse told the host he had taken a “compassionate withdrawal” from two of his classes “because I got overwhelmed with the trial coming on.”

Protesters chanted phrases like “killer Kyle off our campus,” “no justice, no peace” and “lock him up,” while counter-protesters planted signs in the grass in support of Kari Lake, who is a Republican candidate for governor. The counter-protesters had their own signs and chanted “let’s go, Brandon,” “U-S-A,” “he did nothing wrong” and “we want Kyle.”

Patriot Front Unmasked by Antifascists

Atlanta Antifascists released a recording of a Patriot Front online meeting, where group leader Thomas Rousseau told those assembled on the call that actions such as vandalizing certain targets should be coordinated with leadership. The audio release was met by undercover antifascists within the group doxxing multiple Patriot Front members.

It’s Going Down was interviewed by Daily Dot in a recent article about the leaks and stated:

“Patriot Front actions, such as the recent targeting of a Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul; the George Floyd statue in New York; and Pride Centers, synagogues, and Black Lives Matter murals across the US, show that while the group presents itself as orderly and law abiding, its actions pull directly from the KKK playbook,” It’s Going Down told the Daily Dot via Twitter direct message.

When a Hmong center in Minnesota was defaced in September, local outlets report that the vandals had painted slogans associated with Patriot Front. Also in September, Essence reported that Patriot Front defaced Black Lives Matter murals in Michigan. Last June, the New York Timesreported that a statue of George Floyd was graffitied with a symbol associated with the group. And in 2019, the Burlington Free Press reported that a gay pride center and synagogue in Vermont were plastered with posters linked to Patriot Front, quoting sources who described it as a “white nationalist hate group.”

It’s Going Down said that the audio contradicts claims made by conservatives that the march was actually conducted by federal officials masquerading as extremists. People on the right, including powerful politicians, have falsely claimed that the feds were behind acts such as this and the Capitol riot.

“While a large section of the Right has attempted to paint Patriot Front as ‘feds,’ following their recent debacle of a rally in D.C., in reality they represent one of the largest white nationalist groups in the U.S.; that like the Groypers led by Nick Fuentes, who has been embraced by several Republicans, are keen to push and influence the MAGA movement into an increasingly fascist trajectory,” It’s Going Down said.

One of the first items on its 2022 agenda, according to the meeting, is the annual March for Life on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade next month. Patriot Front has purportedly been participating in these anti-choice events for several years. Its Odysee platform includes a video from one such event.

The individual who’s presumably Rousseau indicated that they’re welcome at the March for Life.

“These people at the March for Life events have really come to support us over the years and because of the last year’s cancellations of these events, we are expecting even larger crowds of supportive individuals,” he said.

It’s Going Down characterized an alliance between March for Life and Patriot Front as “concerning,” though not particularly surprising.

March for Life didn’t respond to a request for comment sent via direct message on Twitter Monday afternoon.

“With attacks on reproductive freedom and health ramping up across the U.S., this shows that not only is misogyny and patriarchy a core feature within fascism, but also that seemingly conservative forces are finding common cause with street-level white supremacist groups with long histories of violence and targeted attacks,” It’s Going Down told the Daily Dot.

In spite of Patriot Front’s efforts to disguise their beliefs and identities alike, the leaked audio offers clues about how the group operates and what it really believes.

“The best info to glean from this call is the hierarchy and discipline of Patriot Front members, the overt racism, and the willingness to work with more mainstream right-wing groups from which Patriot Front can recruit.”

Read the full article here.

Antifascists Destroy Patriot Front Trash

News

San Diego Antifascists Slapped with Conspiracy Charges by District Attorney who Ran Site Pushing Far-Right Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan is attempting to bring conspiracy charges against several anti-racist protesters, who are accused of taking part in a protest a few days after the attempted storming of the US capitol in DC. As evidence, the State is alleging that those accused “joined” the conspiracy simply by “liking” and sharing posts on social media and wearing black clothing.

According to antifascist researcher Chad Loder on Twitter:

There is already a civil rights lawsuit against the City of San Diego for their biased policing at this January 9th demonstration. San Diego PD were filmed laughing and back-slapping with known right-wing extremists freshly returned from attacking the US Capitol days earlier.

According to the Daily Beast:

A district attorney pressing an unusual slate of conspiracy charges against anti-fascist protesters previously had a campaign site accusing philanthropist George Soros of funding anti-fascists to increase crime.

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan has brought a sweeping new conspiracy case against left-wing protesters who counter-demonstrated at a pro-Trump rally in San Diego on Jan. 9. The result was a beachside brawl, during which rallygoers on the right flashed a knife and a BB gun and protesters on the left fired pepper spray. But rather than result in simple assault charges, Stephan is pressing conspiracy charges—and only against demonstrators on the left.

Stephan has a history of obsessing about the anti-fascist movement. In 2018, while running against progressive challenger Geneviéve Jones-Wright, Stephan’s campaign paid for a website that accused billionaire philanthropist Soros of supporting Jones-Wright because he “backs anti-law enforcement candidates over experienced prosecutors, trying to tip the balance to the criminals.”

The caption ran directly under a picture of black-clad anti-fascists—one of multiple such pictures that ran alongside photographs of Soros on the site. When the Times of San Diego questioned Stephan about the website and antisemitism in 2018, she walked away from the interview without comment. In September 2020, Stephan again appeared to suggest that leftist protests were secretly motivated by nefarious interests.

The case brings to mind other similar attempts by the State to direct conspiracy charges against anti-racist protesters. Speaking to The Daily Beast, former J20 defendant Dylan Petrohilos stated:

“It was a bit of deja vu for me, seeing those conspiracy to riot charges,” Petrohilos said of the San Diego case. Social movements, even loosely affiliated ones, can be sitting ducks for conspiracy charges, so long as participants are seen as communicating with each other, he said. “It’s very easy for prosecutors then to add those [conspiracy] charges to social movements … Even things like bringing signs, a protected free speech activity, can easily be criminalized because prosecutors think everyone got a memo.”

Michael Loadenthal, executive director of the Prosecution Project, a research program tracking felony prosecution of political violence, said that some of the case’s core conspiracy claims stemmed from simple acts, like defendants wearing black clothing.

“It has this equation of political organizing as akin to criminal conspiracy,” Loadenthal told The Daily Beast. “The ‘acts in furtherance of,’ which are always a big part of a charging document, in this case include things as mundane as clothing choices.”

“The object of the far right assembly is to sow fear and insecurity amongst marginalized communities and to mobilize xenophobic and racist and nativist energy,” Loadenthal said. “Antifascists and other anti-racist activists and community members respond.

“It’s a response to that threat and that’s very different than conspiring to initiate [violence].”

As always, we encourage people to donate to the International Antifascist Defense Fund.

New Twitter Policy Weaponized by Far-Right Against Antifascists and Journalists

Twitter took a step back after a week of bad press and a mass report campaign by neo-Nazis, Proud Boys and white nationalists that sought to take advantage of a new policy aimed at cracking down on the sharing of personal media.

According to the Washington Post:

Neo-Nazis and far-right activists are coaching followers on how to use a new Twitter rule to persuade the social media platform to remove photos of them posted by anti-extremism researchers and journalists who specialize in identifying episodes of real-world hate.

“Due to the new privacy policy at Twitter, things now unexpectedly work more in our favor as we can take down Antifa … doxing pages more easily,” a white nationalist and Nazi sympathizer wrote to followers on Telegram on Wednesday night, referring to the anti-fascist political movement whose members often clash with far-right protesters and to the practice of publishing people’s personal information online.

Condemnation of the new policy and the targeted silencing of grassroots researchers and organizers was broad and saw several prominent antifascist accounts and groups quoted at length in a variety of mainstream platforms, from CNN to VICE.

Following the blacklash:

Twitter said Friday that it had mistakenly suspended accounts under a new policy following a flood of “coordinated and malicious reports” targeting anti-extremism researchers and journalists first reported Thursday by The Washington Post.

The company said it had corrected the errors and launched an internal review to ensure that its new rule — which allows someone whose photo or video was tweeted without their consent to request its removal — was “used as intended.”

Racist Arson and Vandalism Targets Muslim Community

Attacks against the Muslim community took place across the Pacific Northwest and in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In Olympia, an explosive device was set off outside of an Islamic center, an attack that followed an arson attack in nearby Tacoma and vandalism in Seattle, both carried out against mosques.

In Albuquerque:

The Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations has called on federal and local law enforcement officials in Albuquerque to investigate recent fires set at the Islamic Center of New Mexico as possible hate crimes.

Security video of a Nov. 27 incident shows a lone woman setting a fire outside a wooden entry door. Officials at the mosque believe she is the same woman who, on Nov. 7, tried to start a fire inside the main prayer room, and, on Oct. 31, verbally threatened the Mosque’s imam, saying she was going to “burn this place down.”

No Jail Time for Pennsylvania Man Who Attempted to Bomb Black Lives Matter Protest in Downtown Pittsburgh

According to The Daily Beast:

A Pennsylvania man who admitted to leaving a bag of homemade bombs in downtown Pittsburgh during the 2020 protests against the death of George Floyd won’t spend a day behind bars. Matthew Michanowicz, 53, was sentenced to time served and three years of probation by a judge on Monday. The first six months of his sentence will be served under home detention.

Michanowicz was captured on surveillance footage biking to a protest site and planting a backpack there on May 31, 2020. A day later, officers summoned to respond to the suspicious bag found three explosive devices. Authorities later said the devices were spent pepper spray grenades with wicks held in place by foam spray insulation, filled with gasoline and capable of causing death. Investigators who later searched Michanowicz’s home found 10 more backpacks similar to the one he had planted.

Proud Boys Continue to Mobilize at Local Meetings; Members Face Heavy Charges

The far-Right and GOP allied street gang is pushing hard in the months leading up to midterms, reports The New York Times, appearing at city council and school board meetings in an effort to stop mask mandates and also ban certain books and ciriculum under opposition to ‘Critical Race Theory.’

In Miami-Dade County, Proud Boys clashed with left-wing protesters, leading to arrests. This reactionary backlash has led to increased tensions as some rural schools, often directed at queer and trans youth. In a Chicago suburb, a group of conservative parents pushed to ban:

…a graphic novel by a nonbinary author from the school libraries…

A Proud Boys contingent ultimately showed up for a board meeting in Downers Grove [including] Edgar “Remy Del Toro” Delatorre, a leader of the group’s northern Illinois chapter who was at the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C., said he was among roughly 10 Proud Boys in attendance. They were joined by Proud Boys associate Brian Kraemer, who has appeared at demonstrations with members of the group and who was charged with brandishing a knife at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Joliet last summer.

Their presence at the meeting — where students said the men jeered at them, even called them “pedophiles” for supporting keeping the book in the library — was “unnerving” and “intimidating,” they told the Sun-Times.

According to Idavox, a recent appearance by Proud Boys at a city council meeting in Woodbridge, New Jersey was:

…the second time in recent months that the neo-fascist group attended this particular City Council meeting, and they immediately were confronted by residents that were attending the meeting as they entered the building…Residents said they will continue to oppose Proud Boys should they continue to show up in Board of Education and City Council meetings in town.

Proud Boys across the US have also been hit with heavy charges recently. Three members of the Philly Proud Boys have been slapped with charges stemming from the January 6th attempted coup, Proud Boy Alan Swinney received a sentence of 10 years for firing projectiles and aiming a loaded pistol at counter-demonstrators in Portland and a man who applied to join the Proud Boys and made threats about killing elected officials was given a sentence of three years.

Meanwhile, the city of Washington DC:

…has filed a civil lawsuit seeking harsh financial penalties against far-right groups Proud Boys and Oath Keepers over their role in the 6 January insurrection at the Capitol by extremist supporters of then president Donald Trump, calling the attack “a coordinated act of domestic terrorism”.

The suit, filed on Tuesday in federal court in Washington, also names dozens of the groups’ senior members…Karl Racine, Washington DC’s attorney general, said the suit seeks compensation for damages to the District of Columbia and to inflict maximum financial damage on the groups responsible.

While this targeted repression against the Proud Boys will certainly have an impact on the group, antifascists would be smart to remember that such tactics will certainly be used against autonomous anti-capitalist and anti-colonial movements as well and most likely to a much higher degree.

New Emails Indicate that Trump Officials Had National Guard on Standby to “Protect Pro-Trump People” on J6

In a new report from Politico:

Mark Meadows indicated in a Jan. 5 email that the National Guard was on standby to “protect pro Trump people,” according to documents obtained by the House committee investigating the Capitol riot, which the panel described in a public filing Sunday night.

It’s unclear who Meadows, the former White House chief of staff to Donald Trump, relayed the information to or whether it was the result of any insight provided by the Defense Department. But the exchange is of high interest to congressional investigators probing whether Trump played a role in the three-hour delay between the Capitol Police’s urgent request for Guard support and their ultimate arrival at the Capitol, which had been overrun by pro-Trump rioters. The comment also aligns with testimony from former Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, who said that in a Jan. 3 conversation with Trump, the then-president told him to “do whatever was necessary to protect the demonstrators that were executing their constitutionally protected rights.”

Bay Area Cop Blames Online ‘Antifa’ Chatter for Killing of Unarmed Man in 2020

In recently released audio interviews, former Vallejo, California police officer Jarrett Tonn, who shot and killed unarmed Sean Monterrosa, who was on his knees with his hands up when he was killed in a Wal-Greens parking lot, claimed that he was on edge due to reports of ‘antifa’ during the George Floyd protests.

As the Vallejo Sun wrote:

Tonn said bulletins sent to police “focused on the fact that there was increasingly well-coordinated and good communication between suspects, who are trying to coordinate violent efforts against law enforcement” and “one of the groups that specifically came up was Antifa members in the Bay Area.”

“There had also been some online social media chatter about specifically those people and Antifa actually, coming into Vallejo to do violence and cause harm,” Tonn said.

There have been no other assertions that actions in Vallejo in early June 2020 were organized by people claiming to represent Antifa, or anti-fascist activists who have at times clashed with right-wing extremists and police during street protests. Investigators did not press Tonn further regarding his alleged knowledge about who was suspected to be coming into Vallejo during that time.

Tonn said the night’s events, such as reports of people attempting to break into local gun stores, had him “on edge.” He worried about his and other officers’ safety.

Several days before Tonn killed Monterrosa, a far-Right Boogaloo Boy shot and killed an Oakland federal security guard, an act that was widely falsely blamed on ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘ANTIFA.’

Neo-Nazi Rob Rundo Outted Again

Bellingcat released an article updating us on the whereabouts of neo-Nazi and Rise Against Movement founder Robert Rundo, who moved to Serbia in 2020 only to be expelled from the country in February of 2021. Until recently, his whereabouts were unknown, but researchers combing through his most recent content with a fine-toothed OSINT comb were able to locate Rundo thanks to a photo he posted for all of 7 minutes. The photo in question is of Rundo modeling his neo-Nazi streetwear brand clothing. He is posed in front of some distinct graffiti that was located in Belgrade, the capital and largest city of Serbia.

According to Bellingcat:

Although he was “on the run,” in the words of one of his international far-right comrades, Bellingcat observed Rundo walking openly in the neighbourhood around the apartment building, his face and recognisable tattoos on display.

Rundo has tightened up his OPSEC practices online to avoid being further located. Check out the article for all the details.

Crypto Currency is the Currency of the Far-Right

Hatewatch researchers with the SPLC tracked the exchange of cryptocurrency for a handful of prominent members of the far-Right. Their findings suggest that folks such as white nationalist Stefan Molyneux, notorious neo-Nazi hacker Andrew “Weev” Auernheimer, and Daily Stormer editor Andrew Anglin (to name just a few) all used Bitcoin to receive donations and essentially bankroll their organizing endeavors.

From the report:

Hatewatch identified and compiled over 600 cryptocurrency addresses associated with white supremacists and other prominent far-right extremists for this essay and then probed their transaction histories through blockchain analysis software. What we found is striking: White supremacists such as Greg Johnson of Counter-Currents, race pseudoscience pundit Stefan Molyneux, Andrew “Weev” Auernheimer and Andrew Anglin of the Daily Stormer, and Don Black of the racist forum Stormfront, all bought into Bitcoin early in its history and turned a substantial profit from it. The estimated tens of millions of dollars’ worth of value extreme far-right figures generated represents a sum that would almost certainly be unavailable to them without cryptocurrency, and it gave them a chance to live comfortable lives while promoting hate and authoritarianism.

Many of the people Hatewatch tracked had been kicked off of sites like Youtube, DLive, and Twitter. Investing in Bitcoin allowed them to continue to send and receive payments and to promote and espouse their fascist ideals in a way that was almost untraceable and unregulated. The article is a deep dive into the role of cryptocurrency in fascist infrastructure and can be read here.

Pro-Bannon Telegram Channel Promotes Patriot Front

Daily Kos reports that a unofficial Telegram channel in support of Steve Bannon recently posted content promoting neo-Nazi group Patriot Front. The pro-Bannon channel with 65,000 followers typically posts content in support of Steve Bannon’s podcast “The War Room,” along with memes and other far-Right content. This post in support of Patriot Front is particularly alarming as it shows Bannon’s undeniable support of neo-Nazi organizing to his 65,000 followers, making organizing and recruitment efforts for the hate group that much easier. This isn’t the first time Bannon has shown support for neo-Nazi organizing:

As IREHR points out, the channel promoted Patriot Front’s fascist-propaganda activities (which include draping banners and posting fliers with white-nationalist slogans) in October, as well as last February (with a post hailing the group: “Good job by Patriot Front, we need more groups like them.”)

That’s not the only explicitly white-nationalist content on the channel. As IREHR notes, the same “unofficial” channel promoted content from the neo-Nazi National Justice Party last January. It also promoted content from the NJP’s Joseph “Eric Stryker” Jordan, including on the same day it posted the Patriot Front material.

Bannon’s relationship to the “unofficial” site is unclear; he has never even acknowledged its existence, despite its substantial following, let alone disavowed it or distanced himself from it. What is clear, however, is that the channel reflects the worldview of his devoted and rabid following; its content is nothing but posts promoting Bannon, his talking points on the War Room podcast and his appearances on other programs, and other far-right figures like Mike “My Pillow” Lindell.

Far-Right News Roundup

Election workers in Georgia are suing far-Right conspiracy site The Gateway Pundit. Police in Southern California are in hot water after a slew of racist texts have come to light that showcase officers “joking” about racialized police violence and murder. According to the Los Angeles Times, “They joked about “gassing” Jewish people, assaulting members of the LGBTQ community, using violence against suspects and lying during an investigation into a police shooting…” Angry White Men reports that, “Michael Sisco — a congressional candidate running in West Virginia’s 2nd District — appeared on an explicitly white supremacist podcast.” Former KKK and neo-Nazi skinhead leader Chester Doles is running for office. On social media. Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers has doubled down on her support of white nationalist and anti-Semitic Nick Fuentes. Finally, in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a bill that would allow parents to sue schools for teaching ‘Critical Race Theory.’ As the Daily Dot reported, “Florida’s Republican governor reportedly introduced the legislation alongside a woman who believes the QAnon conspiracy theory and has promoted content from the Proud Boys.”

Doxxes

Casey James Knuteson, Former Portland Proud Boy and Current Patriot Front Neo-Nazi of Gaston, Oregon

Rose City Antifa has identified Gaston, Oregon Patriot Front member Casey James Knuteson. Knuteson’s neo-Nazi organizing spans multiple hate groups, including being a former member of the Portland Proud Boys, and over the last several months has been actively posting white nationalist propaganda across the city of Portland. According to RCA, Knuteson has “defaced Black Lives Matter murals and public art related to Black history.” In Telegram chats, his posts are full of anti-Semitism and racism. Check out to the post on RCA’s website for detail on Knuteson and calls to action.

Lawrence Alexander Norman, Patriot Front Member of Prospect, Oregon

From CVAntifa:

Lawrence Alexander Norman of Prospect, Oregon is a member of of the white nationalist organization Patriot Front. Norman has been photographed attending and participating in the group’s PNW meetings and trainings. Members of Patriot Front are assigned a two part call-sign with a generic name and their state. Lawrence Norman is known to the group as Frederick OR.

Lawrence has made appearances at Patriot Front’s events in the Pacific Northwest. He notably helped the group during their defacement of the aforementioned Black Lives Matter mural in Olympia, Washington. He (and his stupid fucking manbun) can be seen in the following stills taken from videos recorded during a practice session and  during the vandalism itself.

As one of just a few currently active Patriot Front members in Southern Oregon, it is almost certain that Lawrence has been responsible for several instances of racist propaganda claimed by the group through the region. It is worth noting that the symbol that appears in the graffiti below is a “Fasces”, a bundle of sticks wrapped around an ax, for which fascism is named.

On 12/4/2021, Patriot Front attempted to host a flash rally in Washington D.C.. The group marched for about an hour and a half, but were left shivering behind a line of cops in the center of a roundabout for nearly three hours as they waited to to illegally pile into the back of their rented U-Hauls. According to “journalists” on the ground, the U-Hauls got lost on their way to pick up their chilly “brothers”. Our sources within the org have informed us that Lawrence was in DC that night. We can only hope he had as bad of a time as the rest of the group.

Read the full report here.

Jacob Stephen Sundt, Patriot Front Member of Olympia, Washington and Son of a Judge

Washington Nazi Watch brings us another Patriot Front dox with ties to local government. From their blog:

Jacob Stephen Sundt is a member of the neo-Nazi, neo-fascist, white-supremacist group “Patriot Front.” He operates under the name “Clarke WA” and lives in Olympia, WA.

Sundt is responsible for planning the vandalism of the “Respect & Love Olympia” LGBTQ mural under the direct guidance of both his Network Director “John WA” and the leader of Patriot Front, Thomas Rousseau.

Jake Sundt is also the son of a judge for the Washington State Office of Administrative Hearings.

Click to the blog for all the information.

James Julius Johnson and Amelia Watts, Patriot Front Members from Seattle, Washington

Washington Nazi Watch has come through swinging with an incredible dox of Patriot Front member and neo-Nazi couple James Julius Johnson and Amelia Watts of Seattle, Washington. Johnson organizes both online and away from keyboard. In his apartment, he uses his 3D printer to produce stencils used by PF members across the country. In addition to stencils, Johnson also uses his 3D printer to produce, you guessed it, ghost firearms that have no serial number and are incredibly hard to track and trace.

In audio recordings produced by WANaziWatch, Johnson can be heard discussing how to evade “red flag laws” by owning weapons without serial numbers. Online, his posts contain anti-Semitic dog-whistles and overt support for a white ethno-state. His girlfriend, Amelia Watts, is as hateful and vile as Johnson himself, espousing queer – and transphobic beliefs as well as accompanying him on stickering ventures. Follow the link to the blog with the full story and calls to action.

Ian Michael Elliot, Neo-Nazi and Patriot Front Member of Harvest, Alabama

Atlanta Antifascists have identified neo-Nazi and Patriot Front member Ian Michael Elliot of Harvest, Alabama. On Saturday, December 4th, Patriot Front members from around the country rallied in Washington DC and marched to Virginia while being protected by law enforcement. Elliot, who trained at Triad Martial Arts in Huntsville, AL until the news of his affiliation to neo-Nazi organizing came to light, was front and center at the march, providing security and protection to Patriot Front leader Thomas Rousseau.

Elliot claims to spend the majority of his time training white nationalists, sharing his dangerous skills with people who want to commit acts of violence and share his genocidal worldview. Read the full story by clicking the link above.

Ryan Richard Sundberg, Patriot Front Member of Campbell, CA

NoCARA brings us the dox of Patriot Front member and neo-Nazi Ryan Richard Sundberg from Campbell, CA. Sundberg has a documented history of organizing with Patriot Front including banner drops, hikes in national forests, and using the social media accounts of his workplace, Archtype Corp., to “like” other white nationalist organizations such as VDARE. Check out the blog for the full dox, photos and calls to action.

From the report:

Ryan Sundberg is a member of Patriot Front that currently lives in Campbell, CA in a home owned by his wife Jennifer’s parents: Frank and Margaret Dixon. Photos provided to NoCARA document Ryan Sundberg attending a hike with other PF members at White Mountain Wilderness in Inyo National Forest earlier in 2021. Sundberg traveled to this PF gathering in a truck registered to his company Arctype Corporation.

Social media accounts tied to Ryan Sundberg and Arcytpe Corp. provide more context. For example, the public Twitter account for Arctype Corp. has a history of engaging with white nationalist politics on the platform. The Arctype Corp. account was used to “like” tweets published by VDARE, an alt-right website operated by Peter Brimelow that pushes racist and nationalist takes on immigration issues. Though Sundberg’s personal Twitter account is currently suspended, searches show Sundberg was using it at some point to discuss racist theories about genetics.

In November 2021, Sundberg joined other PF members to place a banner promoting PF on a highway overpass in Stockton, CA. Promotional images shared by PF show a masked Sundberg participating in hanging up the banner. Sundberg’s face, body shape, and watch on his left wrist all match the masked PF member in the images.

Caleb Petersen, 2017-2018 President of Auburn University’s “White Student Union,” University of Auburn, Alabama

Atlanta Antifascists were locked out of their account on December 1st, until they deleted a tweet of former president of University of Auburn’s “White Student Union,” Caleb Petersen. Petersen served as president of this hateful organization from 2017-2018 and decided that with through the use of Twitter’s new privacy policy, that he would try to wipe any record of his white pride from the internet. As stated by Atlanta Antifascists:

Petersen may be currently pretending to be respectable and not a white supremacist. He has made no amends for his racist and antisemitic agitation, but seems interested in burying the truth about it.

Check out Atlanta Antifascist’s full blog post for photos. The internet never forgets.

Michael “Tiny” Saenz, Proud Boy of Arizona

Pegasus AFA out of Sunny South Dallas brings us the dox of Michael “Tiny” Saenz, Proud Boy of Arizona. Saenz was with fellow Proud Boys Joe Biggs, Ethan Nordean, and Daniel “Milkshake” Scott at the January 6th White Riot at the US Capitol. According to Pegasus AFA, Saenz hasn’t even been questioned for his involvement.

Troy “TeeRoy” Garrett, Proud Boy of Stuart, Florida

The Miami Against Fascism crew bring us the identity of Stuart, Florida Proud Boy Troy “TeeRoy” Garrett. Garrett is the Martin County Proud Boys president and is believed to have participated in the January 6th attempted coup at the US Capitol. His Telegram activity is full of photos of him in Proud Boys uniform, as well as posing with fellow Proud Boy Joe Biggs, among others. His social media history is indicative of his racist views. He currently runs Unlimited USA, Inc., a house-painting company. Community members are asked to please reach out to Miami Against Fascism if they have more information on Garrett.

Sergio Ramirez, Proud Boy of Scottsdale, Arizona

Pegasus AFA introduces us to Sergio Ramirez, Proud Boy of Scottsdale, Arizona. Ramirez received his Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the Utah State University and is currently employed with Velawcity, a legal advertising company where he is Head of Sales Force Development. Ramirez can be seen in photos in Proud Boy uniform standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow members of the hate group. Check the thread for more info.

Jennifer Jones, QAnon Follower and Anti-Semite of Canton, Ohio

White Rose AFA has uncovered the identity of antisemite internet personality Jennifer Jones. Jones operates accounts under the aliases Bella Dashwood and Chani Evenstar. According to White Rose AFA, her Bella Dashwood profile from 2015-2017 hosts antisemitic and racist and genocidal content. Bella found her way into QAnon in 2019 and spent much of 2020 advocating for violence and repression against antiracist protesters during the George Floyd Uprising. The whole thread is loaded with documentation and all the details.

Dustin Barnes and Juliette Fretté, Anti-Vax, Pro-Hitler, White Lives Matter Organizer Couple from Blairsville, Georgia

From Atlanta Antifascists:

Dustin Lee Barnes and Juliette Rose Barnes (née Fretté) purchased a homestead in Blairsville, Georgia this year after moving across the country from Washington state. Dustin Lee Barnes is a neo-Nazi and Army Rangers veteran who leads the “White Lives Matter” (WLM) network in Georgia. He has placed WLM propaganda around Blairsville, forcing park employees to regularly clean up his racist stickers at Meeks Park. His wife, Juliette Rose Barnes (née Fretté), is a former feminist and Playboy model who now operates a far-Right conspiracy theory website. Before their relocation to north Georgia, the couple were active against Black Lives Matter and COVID-19 health measures in Washington last year.

On July 17, 2020, Dustin Lee Barnes attended a “Back the Blue” demonstration in Everett, Washington organized by local Republicans and featuring the local Sheriff as a speaker. A small group of anti-racist / Black Lives Matter protesters countered the rally. As captured on video (video 1, video 2), one of the “Back the Blue” crowd shoved a counter-protester into Dustin Barnes, who then placed the counter-protester in a neck hold and dragged him from the crowd. When the counter-protester broke loose, Barnes drew his handgun, pointing it at the counter-protester and then others. Police took no action over Barnes’ assault. Although reporting by The Everett Herald referred to an “unidentified man” who brandished the handgun, a comparison of video footage from the protest with other images of Dustin Barnes last year clearly identifies Barnes as the same person. (A user on Twitter also publicly identified Barnes as the aggressor later that year.)

Dustin and Juliette Barnes were key organizers for a Washington State anti-mask/COVID-19 denial group named the “Free Breathers”. The group harassed stores which enforced mask rules, with some members entering premises while refusing masks. One video from an October 2020 event in Bothell, Washington – recorded by Dustin Barnes and circulated online by Juliette Fretté – went viral, with Dustin Barnes subsequently doing media interviews. The video claimed to show a woman getting arrested for violating the state mask mandate, although the arrest was actually for trespassing. Dustin Barnes downplayed that the incident happened at one of the group’s rallies – Free Breathers had called to “occupy” the store — and presented himself as some sort of accidental activist.

On November 22, 2020, “Free Breathers” rallied outside the Central Market in Mill Creek, Washington, a location they had protested before. This time, the rally featured a significant Proud Boys contingent. As the WLM Georgia admin, Dustin Barnes wrote that he was involved with the Proud Boys during his trajectory toward white nationalism, although he later quit the group. We do not know when Barnes joined and left the Proud Boys, but Barnes’ connection to that group may have played a role in their mobilizing for the Mill Creek rally.

Read the full report here.

Support Our Prisoners

  • Support those arrested during the ongoing rebellion! Check the In Contempt column on It’s Going Down for a list of prisoners.
  • Support Gage Halupowski! Currently serving a six year sentence. There is currently an outbreak at his prison, so please step up and support! More info here.
  • Support Dan Baker! Currently facing federal charges for posts online in response to armed far-Right rally at the capitol building in Florida. More info here.
  • Support Eric King! Anarchist and antifascist prisoner who has been targeted by the State and neo-Nazi inmates for being ‘ANTIFA.’ More info here. Donate here.
  • Support J.W. and TC! Antifascists arrested in San Diego following rally against far-Right and white supremacists. Donate here and here.

by This Week in Fascism via It's Going Down
Posted by on
Labels: , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)