Our Race is Our Nation: Neo-Nazis in the United States by Jakob Vala

th o-n e un azis ite in d St at es

Ou r ou R r ac na e ti is on k Ja

Our Race is our nation neo-nazis in the united States

Jakob Vala

Written and designed by Jakob Vala The photographs on pages 20, 30, and 68 are the property of Anthony Karen and are used here with his permission. All other photographs are the property of their respective owners (see page 78). Thank you to Elie Charpentier for proofreading this book. Printed by Brown Printing in Portland, Oregon Set in Minion Pro, Meta and Mensch First Edition: 2012

For Sadie and Max

Introduction: Hate Groups on the Rise

The Nazi Era The Neo-Nazi Era Active Neo-Nazi Groups Symbols and Codes Ending Hate

12 20 30 50 68

Notes and Credits Bibliography Acknowledgements

76 79 83

Much has been written on the topics of Nazism and hate groups. This book is an attempt to organize and condense the vast array of available research and discussion. As such, it is not comprehensive. Rather, it is intended to introduce the audience to the neo-Nazi movement in the United States, in the hope that readers will continue to investigate these issues. I have provided an extensive bibliography to aid in further inquiry.

Introduction

Hate Groups on the Rise In 2011, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization, counted 1,018 hate groups in the United States, up from 1,002 in 2010 and 932 in 2009.1 This number is higher than any other year since the SPLC began keeping track in the 1980s.2 The steady growth over the last decade indicates a trend of increased bigotry and unrest in our country. These increases have occurred primarily in response to changes in the economy, and a divisive political environment. A rise in numbers may indicate the fracture of larger groups, resulting in multiple smaller cells. It may also suggest the birth of entirely new groups. On the other hand, a reduction in numbers may be due to consolidation. For example, Hammerskin Nation is a leaderless international organization with many chapters throughout the United States. Because chapters operate separately from one another, it is misleading to think of them as one body; nevertheless, they are often counted as such. Statistics become even more complex when individuals are recognized. It is impossible to track the number of people or families who follow hate ideology but do not officially belong to any particular group. However, when discussing the hate movement, the role of individuals must be taken into consideration because they act in accordance with the same set of beliefs. Hate groups are not unique to any one race, class, or culture, and no one is unaffected by them. The particular tenets of these groups may differ, but they all have one defining factor and that is a set of â&#x20AC;&#x153;beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.â&#x20AC;?3 This book focuses solely on groups that follow neo-Nazi ideologies. While there are recognizable differences between the various divisions of the hate movement and the ways in which their beliefs are manifested, the qualities that define each segment overlap and it can be difficult to determine the category into which a group belongs. For this reason, the specifics of one segment are relevant to the hate movement as a whole. Additionally, in the long term, it is not enough to concern oneself with only one portion of the hate movement. A holistic approach is in order when treating an epidemic.

Our Race is Our Nation

The Nazi Era

Previous Pages: In 1939, the German American Bund organized a parade down the streets of New York City. Onlookers included protestors, supporters and the press.

The Nazi ErA

Hitler and The third reich Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. By most accounts, he was a moody child who enjoyed drawing and playing war games. As a young man, he moved to Vienna, where he survived by performing odd jobs and selling the occasional painting. After his second failed attempt to gain entry to Vienna’s Academy of Graphic Arts, Hitler left for Munich and, a year later, at the start of World War One, enlisted in the Bavarian army. During the course of the war, he received a promotion and was twice awarded the Iron Cross. During the post-war period, Hitler worked for the army in Munich, where he was charged with monitoring extremist groups. It was at this time that he first joined the German Worker’s Party (DAP), a racist and nationalist political organization. Hitler’s talent for public speaking made him a popular and respected member. The DAP soon evolved into the National Socialist German Worker’s Party, or the Nazi Party. The group called for a united German Reich that would exclude Jews from holding citizenship and deport those Jews who were recent immigrants. Several other nationalist organizations existed in Munich as well, and they often met to discuss the possibilities of a political uprising. In 1923, Hitler staged what became known as “The Beer Hall Putsch,” when he and his stormtroopers surrounded a Munich pub where the Bavarian Prime Minister was addressing a crowd of businessmen. When Hitler spoke on stage and outlined his plans for a revolution, the majority of the crowd was convinced, but three government leaders in attendance snuck out to report the events to authorities. Following a shoot-out with the police in the center of Munich, Hitler hid in a friend’s attic. A few days later, he was arrested, tried, and convicted of treason. As a result, the Nazi Party was banned in the German state of Bavaria. It was during his nine-month internment in Landsberg fortress that Hitler dictated his first attempt at Mein Kampf (My Struggle). The book begins in a semiautobiographical nature, though the accuracy of many details are questionable. The text also goes into the nature of propaganda. However, the primary purpose of the work was to provide Hitler with a platform from which to outline his political views. Within Mein Kampf, Hitler called for the annulment of the Treaty of Versailles, a peace settlement signed after World War One that enacted reparations from

Our Race is Our Nation

Germany and divided the country into several territories to be placed under the rule of various foreign governments. Hitler was not content to merely rebuild the Germany that had existed before the war. Rather, he envisioned a vast German Reich that would give his people lebensraum, or “living space.” He believed that, to achieve this, a war with Soviet Russia was necessary. Hitler’s justification for a German Reich was presented in the form of racism and anti-Semitism. In Mein Kampf, he divided people into three categories: the creators of culture, the bearers of culture, and the destroyers of culture. He explained that only those of Aryan descent are able to create cultures and that “racial deterioration” leads to the fall of civilizations. Hitler viewed Jews as the opposite of Aryans; thus, he claimed, their presence led directly to social decay. Hitler’s ideas of a superior Aryan race were not solely of his own creation. At the time, volkish, or nationalist thinking was very much a part of the cultural landscape in Eastern Europe. When Hitler wrote Mein Kampf and when he began instituting anti-Semitic policies, he did so in a climate of political turmoil and deep-seated prejudice. Germany’s economy struggled greatly in the late 1920s and promises of stability and national pride made the Nazi Party popular among voters. In 1929, the party held a number of seats in the government, though not a majority. Its popularity grew, and in 1932, Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany. Over the next several months he appointed more and more Nazi members to his cabinet. The Nazi Party began arresting those who opposed their policies and interning them at Dachau, which would later become a concentration camp. In March of 1933, Hitler held a special election and the Nazi Party was officially elected to power with forty-four percent of the vote. A year later, Hitler abolished state governments, establishing a central Nazi rule. With the Nazi Party in power, the government began to systematically restrict the rights of citizens. Public meetings were often raided. The press was tightly controlled. Arrests by the Gestapo were common and there was little chance of a proper trial. Jews, Communists, homosexuals, Gypsies, and anyone who opposed the Nazi Party were imprisoned in camps. In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were introduced. The laws, which stripped Jews of their citizenship, further encouraged institutionalized anti-Semitism. At this time, Germany was also building and storing arms. In 1936, Hitler ordered the occupation of the Rhineland, a former German territory under French control. Three years later, World War Two began.1

the nAzI erA

tHe GeRman ameRican bund In the 1930s, German immigrants made up almost 25% of the US population. With the influx of German nationals came Nazi ideas of pride and economic stability, as well as an undercurrent of anti-Semitism. The new Germans were more political than earlier immigrants and they immediately began spreading their beliefs. The American chapter of the National Socialist German Worker’s Party (NSDAP) and the Free Society of Teutonia had been established in the 1920s, and in 1932 they joined forces to become the Friends of the New Germany. With the merger, their numbers grew in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Berlin quietly approved of the organization, sending propaganda and materials in support. Around that time, thousands of Jews fled Germany, bringing stories of their abuse at the hands of the Nazis. In response, American Jews began a boycott of German-owned businesses. The Friends of the New Germany countered through propaganda and bullying, drawing support from many members of the German community who faced economic hardships. In 1936, a Congressional hearing found that the Friends of the New Germany held ties to Nazi Germany. In response, Berlin ordered the removal of German nationals from the group and appointed American citizen Fritz Kuhn as the new leader. He quickly claimed his place as the American FÜhrer. The renamed German American Bund held retreats with traditional German activities and Hitler Youth exercises. Membership flourished until the end of the war.2

1919 the nazi party is

founded in Germany as the the German Worker’s Party. 1924 hitler is released

from prison and begins rebuilding the nazi party in Germany. during this time, the national socialist German Worker’s Party (nsdAP) and the Free society of teutonia are established in the united states.

1924 Adolf hitler’s Mein Kampf is published. the book advocates for racial purity, national pride and the expansion of Germany.

1932 the nsdAP and

the Free society of teutonia join forces and become the Friends of new Germany. Berlin supports the group with propaganda materials.

1932 hitler is elected

chancellor of Germany.

our rAce Is our nAtIon

JeWiSH-led bOycOttS In 1933, in response to the abuse faced by German Jews, the American Jewish Council, along with B’nai B’rith and the American Jewish Congress, began planning a protest campaign in the United States. Though several members of the planning committee feared a possible backlash against German Jews, Rabbi Stephen S. Wise spoke in favor of the campaign, urging that, The time for prudence and caution is past. We must speak up like men … What is happening in Germany today may happen tomorrow in any other land on earth unless it is challenged and rebuked. It is not the German Jews who are being attacked. It is the Jews.3 On March 27th, rallies were held in more than 75 locations, including New York, Chicago, Boston and Baltimore. A crowd of 55,000 people convened at Madison Square Garden in New York, where the protest was broadcast internationally.4 Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda, responded by announcing a counterprotest, calling the boycotts a method of Jewish slander designed to destroy the German economy. He threatened to boycott Jewish businesses in Germany “until German Jewry has been annihilated.”5 While the Jewish-led boycott did nothing to end the atrocities committed in Nazi Germany, Rabbi Wise considered the action a moral imperative, saying, “We must speak out. If that is unavailing, at least we shall have spoken.”6

1933 the nazi party

1936 Berlin calls for

comes to power in Germany with more than 40% of the vote.

1933 A Jewish-led

1933 due to increasing

violence and abuse in Germany, German Jews begin to immigrate to the united states.

boycott of German shops in the united states begins. rallies and protests are held all over the country. the German government counters with boycotts of their own.

the removal of German nationals from the FnG to avoid negative attention. Fritz Kuhn is appointed the new leader. he changes the name to the German American Bund. Kuhn holds camps and retreats where those seeking German tradition are indoctrinated with nazi ideologies.

1937 Liberal GermanAmericans speak out against the American nazis and hold Antinazi days. 1937 the Jewish War veterans protest and raid Bund meetings.

the nAzI erA

GeRman inteRnment duRinG WWii Just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States government began investigating and detaining Japanese Americans, German Americans, and others who were deemed suspicious or capable of anti-American activities. Families and individuals were transported to internment camps across the country. Many of them were citizens of the United States. Of the over 10,000 German nationals interned, it is estimated that approximately 10% were members of the German American Bund. In the camps, it was necessary for non-racist Germans to socialize with their Nazi-affiliated compatriots. Nationalist tension was high and Nazi followers took advantage of the situation. In 1942, Fritz Kuhn, the leader of the Bund, was stripped of his citizenship and transported to Ellis Island from Sing Sing Prison, where he had been serving time for grand larceny and embezzlement. His eventual transport to the Crystal City camp in Texas strengthened the Nazi presence there. Kuhn and his followers spread propaganda within the camp and held Nazi-related events, including birthday celebrations for Hitler. Though there were anti-Nazi factions, a number of Germans who were not previously aligned with Nazism were gradually indoctrinated. After the war, Kuhn was sent back to Germany. Government officials found themselves with a new population of American Nazis and were unsure of how to respond. Many German internees were sent to Ellis Island, where they remained in holding until 1948, nearly three years after the end of the war.7

1938 In an effort to stop

the Bund’s activities and curb the group’s growing popularity, congress passes the Foreign Agents registration Act. the Act requires agents of foreign principles to register with the Justice department. It opens the door for increased surveillance of Bund members and other suspicious persons or groups.

1941 Japan attacks

1939 the Bund holds

a Pro-America rally in new York. 20,000 nazi sympathizers march to Madison square Garden. thousands of people protest. Police protect the right to free speech.

the united states naval base at Pearl harbor, hawaii. the us government begins to arrest “suspicious” persons under the Alien enemy Act.

1941 Germany and Italy

declare war on the united states. 1945 World War two

ends and many nazi sympathizers are deported to Germany. A number of German internees are held at ellis Island. 1948 the last of the

German internees are released from ellis Island.

The Neo-Nazi Era

Our Race is Our Nation

The rebirth of Nazism The post-war atmosphere of the 1950s was rife with political and social activism. Proponents of the civil rights movement demanded racial equality, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of desegregated public schools, and Joseph McCarthy announced his feverish hunt for Communists. Amid the changes, a segment of the population began to equate increased rights for others with the loss of their own privileges. It was during this time, just fourteen years after the fall of the Third Reich, that the United States experienced the reemergence of Nazism. Neo-Nazism is based on the adulation of Adolf Hitler and his veneration of the Aryan race. Central to the ideology is the “belief that modern life is a struggle between [Aryans] and Jews.”1 Specific beliefs differ from group to group and antiSemitism is justified in a number of ways. For example, modern Christian Identity, a form of neo-Nazism, preaches that Jews are the children of Satan. Others see them as the leaders of a worldwide conspiracy, through which they control people of color and homosexuals, who are regarded as subhuman. Neo-Nazis, like other white supremacists, advocate for a separate white nation. The means of achieving this vary from a planned homeland in the Pacific Northwest to fantasies of genocide. In his memoir, Skinhead Confessions, former neo-Nazi T. J. Leyden explains that “separatists believe in building power through separation until enough power is accumulated for total annihilation of everyone else.”2 The common stereotype of a neo-Nazi is that of a skinhead or an anarchic thug. While this may be true of some members, the movement in general is home to members from a variety of backgrounds. A number of contemporary white supremacists, wishing to distance themselves from the image of violent skinheads, label themselves as traditional Nazis. However, it is more accurate to divide Nazism into two chronological categories: the Nazi Era, which ended with the fall of the Third Reich in 1945, and the neo-Nazi era that first appeared in the 1950s and continues to thrive today.

Previous Pages: Members of the National Socialist Movement protest undocumented immigration in Washington, DC.

the neo-nAzI erA

GeORGe lincOln ROckWell Born in 1918 in Bloomington, Illinois, George Lincoln Rockwell was instrumental in the rebirth of Nazism in America. After serving in the United States Navy during both World War Two and the Korean War, he was given a copy of Mein Kampf. The already anti-Semitic and pro-McCarthy Rockwell saw a call to action in Hitler’s words, saying, “We should have been on his side instead of joining the atheistic communists and the race mixers.”3 In 1959, Rockwell officially became a neo-Nazi when he formed the American Nazi Party. His organization was located in Arlington, Virginia on what Rockwell christened, “Hate Monger Hill.” Rockwell took advantage of existing racial tension in the United States, calling for discrimination of people of color and Jews. Flanked by his Stormtrooper bodyguards, he held rallies where he popularized the term “White Power.” Sensing the public’s discomfort with his emulation of German Nazis, Rockwell began to revise history. He is now considered to be one of the founders of the Holocaust denial movement.4 Though the American Nazi Party never had more than a few hundred members, Rockwell’s influence was widespread and his rhetoric is still quoted today. In 1967, Rockwell was assassinated by former ANP member John Patler, who had been expelled from the movement earlier that year. At the time of his death, Rockwell was in the early stages of a presidential campaign.

1950 senator Joseph

1966 rockwell

Mccarthy begins his anti-communism crusade, inciting fear and paranoia in the post-war era.

challenges Martin Luther King, Jr.’s openhousing Marches with countermarches. the AnP gains support from white residents who feel displaced.

1954 In Brown v. Board 1950 S the civil rights

movement is in full force, with Martin Luther King, Jr. and others calling for equality. racial tensions are especially high in the united states.

of education the supreme court rules for the desegregation of public schools. 1959 George Lincoln

rockwell starts the American nazi Party.

1967 rockwell is shot

and killed by former AnP member John Patler in front of the econo-Wash Laundry in Arlington, virginia.

our rAce Is our nAtIon

HOlOcauSt denial Holocaust denial has its roots in Nazi policy. Euphemistic terms such as “The Final Solution” glossed over the facts of German military action in World War Two. However, the movement as it exists today gained momentum in the post-war era. In the United States, George Lincoln Rockwell used Holocaust denial as a way to gain sympathy for his early neo-Nazi movement. In claiming that the Holocaust was part of a Jewish conspiracy to defame the German state, he argued that the gas chambers “were built after the war—by Jewish Army officers.” He also denied any “valid proof that innocent Jews were systematically murdered by the Nazis.”5 Today, Rockwell’s statements continue to fuel Holocaust deniers around the world. The Institute for Historical Review is currently one of the most influential Holocaust denial organizations. Founded in 1978, the IHR presents itself as a scholarly organization that primarily serves to refute the existence of the Holocaust. Speakers like David Irving and Ernst ZÜndel use terms like Holohoax and place the word Holocaust in quotes. Most common are claims that the number of Jews killed has been exaggerated and that any deaths within the concentration camps were the result of disease or starvation.6 Holocaust denial is illegal in several European countries, but the First Amendment ensures the existence of an open forum in the United States. In a time when the events of the Holocaust are slowly fading from the collective memory, such rhetoric is dangerous.

1967 the Aryan

Brotherhood is formed in san Quentin Prison by a group of inmates.

1969 the original

1974 William Pierce

skinhead movement gains popularity in the united Kingdom.

forms the national Alliance.

1968 William Pierce

creates a telephone hotline through which white supremacists can stay apprised of news, relevant issues and scheduled events. the hotline is the first of its kind, paving the way for white supremacist internet forums.

1974 tom Metzger holds

the inaugural “Border Watch,” a non-violent protest at the san Ysidro-tijuana border crossing. the protest incites decades of antiimmigration action. 1970 Frank collin forms

the national socialist Party of America in chicago.

1974 William Pierce

begins serializing The Turner Diaries in Attack!

1974 richard Butler

forms the Aryan nations and begins hosting an annual July 4th gathering for adults and children.

the neo-nAzI erA

SkOkie, illinOiS In 1977, more than 57% percent of Skokie residents were Jewish. Of those, approximately one-eighth were survivors of the Holocaust. The Chicago suburb was a peaceful place where survivors lived without fear, until the neo-Nazis came to town. Earlier that year, in an effort to curb protests by the National Socialist Party, a neo-Nazi group, the City of Chicago had outlawed all political demonstrations in city parks. Looking for a new location and always game for controversy, Frank Collin, the leader of the NSP, chose Skokie. The citizens of Skokie were outraged. They filed for, and were granted, a court injunction against Collin. Lawyers argued that the town’s Jewish inhabitants had the right to live there without intimidation, and that seeing Collin’s men marching in Nazi uniforms would be traumatizing to Holocaust survivors. Collin was denied a parade permit. In response, he sought the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union. Jewish attorney David Goldberger represented the NSP in what became known as the Skokie Right to March Case. Jewish groups were angered by the actions of the ACLU; more than 30,000 members left the organization in protest. However, the ACLU maintained that the NSP had a right to free speech and continued to work on the case. In the end, the neo-Nazis won their case, but never marched in Skokie. The United States Justice Department negotiated with Collin and let him back into the Chicago parks in exchange for staying out of Skokie.7

1977 the national

1975 Willis carto’s

Liberty Lobby prints the first issue of The Spotlight, a weekly magazine. the rightwing publication is mailed to 150,000 paid subscribers. the content consists of articles on taxes, gun control, gay rights, and conspiracy theories. The Spotlight would go on to become the premiere publication of the radical right.

socialist Party threatens to march in skokie, Illinois. outraged residents take legal action. 1978 carto establishes 1975 david duke, an

open member of the Ku Klux Klan, runs for a seat in the Louisiana state senate. he loses, but receives 33% of the vote.

the Institute for historical review, an organization committed to holocaust denial. carto promotes the institute through his weekly magazine, The Spotlight.

1978 the racist

skinhead movement is popularized in england by Ian curtis, the lead singer of the punk band skrewdriver.

our rAce Is our nAtIon

tHe tuRneR diaRieS In 1978, William Pierce, former leader of the National Alliance, published The Turner Diaries under the pseudonym Andrew MacDonald. Originally printed as a serial in Attack! magazine, the novel is widely considered to be the bible of white supremacy. The story is presented through the fictional journal of Earl Turner, a member of a white supremacist force known as the Organization. The plot climaxes with the genocide of all non-Aryans, as well as those deemed “race traitors” by the Organization. The Order, an elite group within the Organization, has inspired several violent incidences. Bob Mathews created a real-life Order in the 1980s that was responsible for a number of crimes and at least one murder. A passage from The Turner Diaries was found in Timothy McVeigh’s car after the Oklahoma City Bombing, and he had previously mailed clippings to friends and family members. McVeigh was also known to have sold the novel, as well as its sequel, Hunter, at gun shows.8 Though presented as a fantastical story, The Turner Diaries is a call to arms for white supremacists. After bombing the FBI headquarters, Turner writes that, There is no way we can destroy the System without hurting many thousands of people … It is a cancer rooted too deeply in our flesh. And if we don’t destroy the System before it destroys us—if we don’t cut this cancer out of our living flesh— our whole race will die.9

1978 William Pierce

publishes The Turner Diaries in one volume. he advertises the book in Soldier of Fortune, Shotgun News and other weapons-related publications. 1978 Frank collin is

ousted as the leader of the national socialist Party after it is revealed that his father, Max cohen, was a Jewish holocaust survivor.

EARLY 1980 S robert Mathews reads The Turner Diaries and forms the order with david Lane and eight others.

1984 robert Mathews

of the order is killed in a house fire during a standoff with the FBI on Whidbey Island in Washington state.

1982 the market

value of farmland falls drastically, forcing hundreds of thousands of family farms to close between 1982 and 1988. White supremacist groups offer support and attempt to radicalize farmers.

1982 A significant

number of racist skinheads begin to appear in the us. 1984 radio host Alan

Berg is assassinated by members of the order.

the neo-nAzI erA

SkinHeadS Skinhead culture was born out of the English working class in the 1960s. Drawing from immigrant fashion and music, especially Jamaican styles, the movement embraced multiculturalism. The scene offered a clean-cut, working class aesthetic in contrast to the mods, hippies, and punks of the era. Early skinheads were known for petty crimes and mild violence, but their actions were not racially motivated. There were, in fact, many skinheads of color. Traditional skinheads and SHARPs (SkinHeads Against Racial Prejudice) continue to exist in conflict with their racist counterparts. In the mid 1970s, the National Front and the British Movement burst onto the English political landscape, bringing neo-Fascist politics with them. Skinhead culture fractured into racist and anti-racist skins, also known as Trads or traditional skinheads. During this time, punk bands like Skrewdriver and Skullhead popularized the neo-Nazi music scene, playing at festivals such as Rock Against Communism. The bands were outspoken about their politics and they often wore Nazi iconography on stage. Music and fashion helped the movement spread, and in 1982 racist skinheads began appearing in the United States in droves. The movement exploded and gangs of racist skinheads roamed the streets of many US cities throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.10

MID 1980 S tom Metzger forms the Aryan Youth Movement as an offshoot of White Aryan resistance (WAr). he begins to actively recruit teenagers.

1988 Metzgerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s young

neo-nazis appear on oprah and Geraldo, bringing a new level of media attention to the movement. Geraldoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nose is broken in an on-stage brawl.

1987 Louis Beam

and 11 other white supremacists are found guilty of plotting to poison municipal water supplies and to bomb oil pipelines and federal buildings.

1988 ethiopian 1988 Metzger and his

son hold the inaugural Aryan Fest, the first hate rock festival in the united states.

immigrant Mulugeta seraw is killed in Portland, oregon by a group of skinheads with ties to tom Metzger.

our rAce Is our nAtIon

tHe ORdeR In 1983, Robert Mathews read William Pierce’s novel The Turner Diaries and was inspired by the tale of racial uprising. Mathews sought out Pierce and, with his encouragement, formed an underground group with David Lane and eight others. Mathews named his organization The Order, after the terrorist cell in Pierce’s book. The group called for a separate white nation located in the Pacific Northwest. To raise funds they robbed Brinks trucks and counterfeited money. They also began buying land in Idaho and Missouri. In 1984, The Order assassinated Alan Berg, an outspoken Jewish radio host. Berg had been known to openly debate white supremacists on his show. Order members Bruce Pierce and David Lane were convicted of violating Berg’s civil rights and were sentenced to prison in 1985. In December of 1984, Mathews and several others holed up in a house on Whidbey Island, in Washington State. FBI agents engaged them in a thirty-six hour standoff. On the final day, only Mathews remained inside. That evening, an agent fired several flares into the house in an effort to draw Mathews outside. The house went up in flames and Mathews was killed in the fire. His death has made him a hero to many. Every December the Northwest Hammerskins hold an annual Martyr’s Day on Whidbey Island in his honor. The Order set a new standard of violence for neo-Nazis. Its actions continue to be revered by those in the movement.11

1989 After several

1993 the Branch

unsuccessful political campaigns, david duke runs for a seat in the Louisiana state senate. he wins and serves for two years.

davidian complex in Waco, texas is burned down during a standoff with the FBI. eighty-two people are killed. sixtytwo are women and children. the events are broadcast live.

1990 Morris dees

1992 the wife and son

represents Mulugeta seraw’s uncle in a lawsuit against tom Metzger. Metzger is found guilty of instigating the murder and fined $12.5 million.

of former Aryan nation member randy Weaver are killed in a shoot-out with the FBI on their ruby ridge property. the events enrage many Americans.

1995 timothy Mcveigh

detonates a bomb in front of the Murrah Federal Building in oklahoma city, killing 168 people and wounding more than 500 others.

the neo-nAzI erA

Hate ROck Though it may seem harmless, white power music is an effective recruiting tool for the neo-Nazi movement. Marketed to disenchanted youth, white power bands combine the aggressive appeal of punk music (an already politicized genre) with racist ideology. Lyrics usually praise the actions of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. They also urge the audience to mobilize in the name of white power. Often, listeners are attracted by the sound and later become interested in the political message. They will then pass it along to their friends or post it online. The music is easy to buy from vendors like Resistance Records that offer one-stop shopping for CDs, posters and apparel. The movement began with the British band Skrewdriver in the late 1970s. Other bands such as Brutal Attack, No Remorse and Ethnic Cleansing followed. Though the music is generally aggressive in nature, it takes the form of other genres as well. At music festivals like Hammerfest, Aryanfest and Oi Fest audiences can listen to punk, folk, rock, and country music. Hate rock bands rarely break into the mainstream. However, several years ago, the pre-teen folk duo Prussian Blue made headlines when the twin sisters dressed in traditional German costume and harmonized about the Aryan race. The girls, now eighteen, have recently renounced the white supremacist movement. Their mother, April Gaede, continues to be an outspoken neo-Nazi, conducting interviews and hosting the occasional radio show.12

1997 Bruce vander

Jagt is gunned down by a denver skinhead, becoming the first police officer killed by a racist skinhead while in the line of duty.

1999 the first

hammerfest is held in Georgia. More than 600 people attend.

1999 Benjamin smith, a

member of the creativity Movement, targets Jews and people of color in a three-day shooting spree. he kills two people and injures eight.

1998 Former Aryan

2002 William Pierce

nations member Buford Furrow wounds five people in a Jewish preschool, including three children. he flees and kills a FilipinoAmerican postman.

dies of kidney failure at the age of 68. 2003 Four members of volksfront beat a white homeless man to death in tacoma, Washington.

2008 Barack obama

becomes the first non-white president of the united states. racists throughout the country join the militia movement in response. 2010 the southern

Poverty Law center reports that the number of hate groups in the us has topped 1,000 for the first time since the sPLc began tracking them in the 1980s.

Active Neo-Nazi Groups

Previous Pages: A member of the movement wears boots made by the white supremacist company Aryan Wear. The boots leave imprints of swastikas and SS bolts in the wearerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s footsteps.

Active Neo-Nazi Groups

Neo-Nazi Nation 10+ 5-9 1-4 Unaffiliated or other

This map shows the dispersion, by density, of the 25 neo-Nazi groups discussed in this chapter. There is evidence that neo-Nazis occupy all 50 states.

Of the 1,018 hate groups counted by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2011, it is estimated that 170 follow neo-Nazi ideologies.1 Because of the underground nature of the movement, this statistic is most likely lower than the actual number. Additionally, many people who subscribe to these beliefs do not belong to a specific group. Some adopt a lone-wolf strategy, preferring to act on their own. Others operate in small groups or family units that remain under the radar. The following chapter provides information on 25 active neo-Nazi groups. A few of the groups are new and small in number; others struggle to stay afloat. Many boast hundreds or thousands of members and are extremely influential. All of them have made their presence known in their respective communities. The influence of these groups must not be underestimated. While not all chapters actively seek out new members, most focus heavily on recruitment. Historically, they have targeted those who feel disenfranchised. For example, they may approach areas where unemployment is on the rise or neighborhoods with high immigrant populations. They work subversively, offering community and support to recruits in the form of thinly veiled racism. Recruits are slowly introduced to neo-Nazism as a solution to their social or economic problems.

Active Neo-Nazi Groups

American Front Established: 1987 Leaders: Bob Heick 1987-1993, James Porazzo 1993-2002, David Lynch (present) Locations: Based in Arkansas and California, with country-wide affiliations Members of American Front originally followed a form of nationalist right-wing extremism known as Third Positionism. When David Lynch took the helm, he abandoned the philosophy for a more standard neo-Nazi skinhead approach. Lynch was an outspoken supporter of The Order, a terrorist group that was responsible for the assassination of radio host Alan Berg in the 1980s. Lynch was murdered in 2011 and it is unclear if anyone has stepped in as leader. During his leadership, Lynch formed several alliances with other groups, including Volksfront and Hammerskin Nation. American Front has been responsible for a range of criminal activity, from hate crimes to bombings.

American National Socialist Workers Party Established: 2006 Leader: Bill White Locations: Based in Virginia, with chapters in Michigan, Ohio, and Utah The ANSWP maintains a low profile, existing primarily online and spreading information through its two newsletters. The group has been involved in several political campaigns and has publicly backed presidential candidate Ron Paul. In 2009, Bill White was imprisoned for making threats to a bank employee. He was released in 2011. During his incarceration, the ANSWP fell apart. The current state of the group is unclear. Publications: The White Worker and The Nationalist Socialist

Photo: Aryan Nations members at a rally in Bethany Beach, Delaware

American Nazi Party Established: 1959 Leaders: George Lincoln Rockwell 1959-1967, Matt Koehl 1967-1982, Rocky J. Suhayda (present) Locations: Based in Virginia and Michigan The birth of the American Nazi Party signaled the rise of neo-Nazism in the United States. The group’s founder, George Lincoln Rockwell, was also instrumental in the creation of the Holocaust denial movement. Following his assassination in 1967, Deputy Commander Matt Koehl took over as leader and changed the name to the National Socialist White People’s Party. The group began to dissolve in the 1970s, with many members leaving to form new groups. In 1983, Koehl renamed his chapter The New Order. The current incarnation of the American Nazi Party is led by Rocky J. Suhayda, an original member from Rockwell’s time. Offshoots: National Socialist White People’s Party and White Party of America

Active Neo-Nazi Groups

Aryan Brotherhood Established: 1964 Leaders: Barry Mills and Tyler Bingham Locations: Prisons in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, and Texas The Aryan Brotherhood originated in San Quentin Prison as an attempt to protect white inmates from existing gangs. The group gained power and notoriety quickly and spread to other prisons in 1973. Primarily a criminal organization, the group has been involved in murder, racketeering, conspiracy, and drug trafficking. The Brotherhood contracts work out to the Nazi Low Riders and other prison gangs. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Brotherhood was responsible for 18% of all prison murders in 2005. The Aryan Brotherhood is comprised of two groups, one within the federal prison system and the other in several state prisons.

Aryan Nations Established: 1974 Leader: Richard Butler 1977-2004, various Locations: Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina A political offshoot of Christian Identity, the Aryan Nations compound originally resided on twenty acres in Hayden Lake, Idaho. The property was home to several annual events, including the World Congress of Aryan Nations, a summer retreat for white supremacists from across the country. Adherents participated in youth activities and attended an annual July 4th event. Aryan Nations has also been involved in several high-profile incidents, including the formation of the terrorist cell The Order. In 1992, former member Randy Weaver was involved in the Ruby Ridge shoot-out with the FBI. The Hayden Lake property was lost in 2000 due to bankruptcy, following a civil suit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center. As Richard Butlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health declined, he struggled to appoint a new leader. After his death in 2004 Aryan Nations fractured into many smaller groups. Offshoots: 1st SS Kavallerie Brigade Motorcycle Division, Aryan Nations 88, Church of Jesus Christ Christian, Church of the Sons of Yahweh, and Tabernacle of Phineas Priesthood Photo: A member of the American Nazi Party attends a rally in Detroit, Michigan with his daughters.

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Battalion 14 Established: 2002 Leaders: Kenneth and Matthew Zrallack Location: Connecticut Originally known as the White Wolves, Battalion 14 is a small group of men in their late teens and early twenties. The group is funded by membership dues, minor crimes and weapons sales.

Blood and Honour Established: 1987 Leaders: Ian Stuart (Donaldson) 1987-1993, various Location: International Blood and Honour was founded in the United Kingdom by Ian Stuart, the lead singer for Skrewdriver. The name comes from the Hitler Youth motto, Blut und Ehre. Under the leadership of Stuart, this coalition of skinheads grew quickly. Blood and Honour members belonged to several separate groups and were interested in spreading the idea of white power through music, a tactic that has proved to be extremely effective. In 1993, Stuart was killed in a car accident and members scrambled to gain control of the group. Some wished to keep the focus on music and activism, while others argued for violent action. The resulting feud traveled to the United States where Blood and Honour had taken root with the help of Tom Metzger, founder of White Aryan Resistance (WAR). Two rival coalitions were formed, Blood and Honour America Division and Blood and Honour USA.

Blood and Honour America Division Established: Mid 1990s Leaders: Various Locations: Based in Missouri with chapters in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Maine, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Virginia Blood and Honour America Division is heavily involved in the white power music scene. The group houses its national headquarters on the Missouri property of Volksfront, another neo-Nazi group. Hammerskin Nation was originally considered an ally until 2009, when a feud broke out and Blood and Honour removed them from their official list of affiliates. Offshoots: Blood and Honour America Division acts as an umbrella organization for several skinhead and neo-Nazi groups, including Christian Guard, Daughters of Yahweh, Troops of Tomorrow, Volksfront, and White Revolution.

Blood and Honour USA Established: Mid 1990s Leaders: Various Locations: Colorado, Ohio, New Jersey, and Texas In 2003, Blood and Honour USA created an association of neo-nazi skinheads called Council 28. (B and H are the second and eighth letters in the alphabet.) The Council consists of members of several skinhead groups and the Imperial Klans of America. With the Imperial Klans, Blood and Honour USA organizes Nordic Fest, an annual hate rock festival in Kentucky. They are also affiliated with the National Allianceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Resistance Records. Additionally, member Bart Alsabrook operates NS88 Videos, a distributor of racist videos. Blood and Honour USA was affiliated with the Vinlanders Social Club until 2007, when the Vinlanders signed a truce with Hammerskin Nation (then an ally of Blood and Honour America Division). As a result, the Vinlanders no longer call themselves Blood and Honour, nor do they wear B and H patches. The two groups remain on friendly terms.

Photo: Blood and Honour members march at a rally.

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Creativity Movement Formerly known as Church of the Creator and World Church of the Creator Established: 1973 Leaders: Ben Klassen 1973-1993, Richard McCarty, 1993-1996, Matt Hale 1996-2004, James Logsdon (present) Location: Based in Illinois with chapters in Florida, Montana and internationally In 1973, Ben Klassen, the inventor of the electric can opener, founded the Creativity Movement. Klassen authored The White Man’s Bible, the authoritative book for Creativity members. The book attacks people of color, Jews and Christians. It also speaks of a racial holy war (RaHoWa) where Aryans will battle people of color, Jews and those who are deemed to be race traitors. Though the organization is considered a church, members do not worship a deity and frown upon Christianity as a whole. For devotees of the Creativity Movement, race is religion. While the movement grew internationally in the 1970s and ‘80s, Klassen struggled to retain control amid financial and legal trouble. In 1993, at the age of seventy-five, he committed suicide, leaving the church to Richard McCarty, who proved to be an ineffective leader and a poor public speaker. In 1996, on his 25th birthday, Matt Hale stepped into the role of leader. Under his direction the group grew quickly, adding more than seventy chapters by 2002. In 2004, Hale was sentenced to forty years in federal prison for soliciting the murder of a judge who had ruled in favor of a non-racist church claiming rights to the World Church of the Creator name. Following his imprisonment, the number of chapters dropped below twenty. Under the new leadership of James Logsdon, the group appears to be growing once again. Offshoot: Creativity Alliance Publication: The White Man’s Bible

Death’s Head Hooligans Established: 2008 Leader: Unknown Location: Arizona This group is an organizer of Arizona Oi Fest, an annual white power music festival held in Tonopah. Every year, hundreds of racist skinheads attend Oi Fests around the country. Death’s Head Hooligans also sponsors smaller white power concerts throughout the year.

Active Neo-Nazi Groups

Hammerskin Nation Established: Late 1980s Leader: Hammerskin Nation operates without a leader. However, a council exists as an organizational body. Locations: Nationwide, with 11 international groups Chapters: Northwestern Hammerskins: Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, and Washington Western Hammerskins: Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah Midland Hammerskins: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming Northern Hammerskins: Midwest Confederate Hammerskins: Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas Eastern Hammerskins: East Coast Originally known as the Confederate Hammerskins, this group was founded by Sean and Liz Tarrant, Jon Jordan, Michael Lawrence, Christopher Greer, and Daniel Wood. The name Hammerskin comes from the depiction of Nazis as red and black hammers in the movie Pink Floyd: The Wall. The Hammerskin logo depicts a pair of crossed hammers. Hammerskin Nation actively recruits young people, targeting disillusioned youth. However, it is quite difficult to become a full member, and prospective members may be on probation for years until theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve proven themselves. Like many other racist skinhead groups, the Hammerskins are involved in the white power music scene and several members are in bands. In 1999, the group welcomed 200 attendees to the first annual Hammerfest, a music festival that has continued to grow in popularity. Hammerskin chapters have been responsible for numerous crimes, from vandalizing synagogues to firebombing nightclubs to murder. In 1991, three sixteen year-old members from Texas were convicted of murder. Later that year, two adult Hammerskins killed a homeless man in Alabama. In 2000, the Northern Hammerskins ousted a member by physically attacking him. As a result, the five members responsible were dismissed from Hammerskin Nation. The exiled members and a few supporters founded the Outlaw Hammerskins in response. Offshoot: Outlaw Hammerskins

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Illinois National Socialist Front Established: Unknown Leader: Phil Anderson Location: Illinois The Illinois National Socialist Front made news when they left plastic Easter eggs filled with pro-white flyers on lawns in Pekin, Illinois. They have also organized white pride marches in Chicago and surrounding areas.

Institute for Historical Review Established: 1978 Leaders: Willis Carto 1978-1993, Mark Weber (present) Location: California The Institute for Historical Review was founded by Willis Carto, a right-wing organizer and influential figure in the early neo-Nazi movement. The organization specializes in Holocaust denial. However, the staff does not use that term and, instead, they present themselves as historians. The term “historical review” is intended to add legitimacy to the organization and to imply research-based revisions to historical events. The IHR has been repeatedly criticized by other historical institutes because its content is reviewed by a board of editors and is not subject to a scholarly peer review process. The IHR holds Revisionist Conferences where international speakers aim to disprove specific Holocaust details. Speakers have attacked Elie Wiesel and Anne Frank, claiming that their writings are fabricated. Noontide Press, an offshoot of the IHR, reprints anti-Semitic classics such as The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Mein Kampf. The press also sells DVDs, CDs and back issues of Journal of Historical Review. Official conferences have been rare in the last several years, but representatives of the IHR continue to speak at other events and travel internationally. The organization also provides public support for Holocaust deniers across the world, such as Ernst Zündel in Germany and Canada, and David Irving in the United Kingdom. In 1993, Carto was fired from the IHR and Mark Weber took over. Since Carto’s expulsion, the Institute no longer publishes its print journals. It does, however, continue to maintain an online presence. Weber also appears on a regular radio show in Memphis, Tennessee. Offshoot: Noontide Press Publication: IHR Update (online)

Active Neo-Nazi Groups

Knights of the Nordic Order Established: 2008 Leaders: Unknown Location: Alabama According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Knights of the Nordic Order was founded by two members of the Aryan Brotherhood. Little is known about the group.

Maryland National Socialist Party Established: Unknown Leaders: Unknown Location: Maryland It is unclear if this group is anything more than a handful of bloggers who post local news and cause the occasional public disturbance. However, they have caught the attention of a handful of anti-Semitic watchdog groups.

National Alliance Established: 1974 Leaders: William Pierce 1974-2002, Erich Gliebe (present) Locations: Based in West Virginia, with contacts in Alaska, California, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas The National Alliance was born out of Willis Carto’s National Youth Alliance. William Pierce, a former member of the American Nazi Party, joined the group in 1970. When the Youth Alliance fractured in two, Pierce renamed his group the National Alliance. Until his death in 2002, Pierce was extremely influential in the white power movement, running the various businesses owned by the National Alliance and hosting a weekly radio show. He was a strong leader, maintaining control over the group’s image and brand through advertising and public events. Pierce was also the author of The Turner Diaries, a novel about a future race war that ends in the total annihilation of all non-Aryan people. After Pierce’s death, group membership declined drastically. Offshoots: National Vanguard, Nationalist Coalition, European Americans United, Resistance Records, and National Vanguard Books Publications: Resistance, National Vanguard, and Free Speech

National Socialist American Labor Party Established: 2007 Leaders: Christopher Krebs 2007-2009, Richard Miller (present) Locations: Based in California, with chapters in Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Washington The National Socialist American Labor Party is primarily interested in political activism. The group strives to introduce National Socialism to mainstream politics as a third party. Toward this effort, they have published policy papers, books and videos. Members also speak at conferences and seminars.

National Socialist Freedom Movement Established: 2006 Leaders: Cliff Herrington Locations: Based in Oklahoma, with chapters in Delaware After a falling-out with the National Socialist Movement, former Chairman Cliff Herrington started the National Socialist Freedom Movement in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The group made headlines in 2011 when a chapter in Delaware adopted a portion of the state highway under the shortened name â&#x20AC;&#x153;Freedom Partyâ&#x20AC;? after their initial proposal was denied.

Active Neo-Nazi Groups

National Socialist Movement Established: 1974 Leaders: Robert Brannent and Cliff Herrington 1974-1994, Jeff Schoep (present) Locations: Based in Michigan, with chapters in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Jeff Schoep first became interested in Adolf Hitler when he was in elementary school. After officially joining the neo-Nazi movement at the age of 19, he quickly rose through the ranks, stepping in as leader of the National Socialist Movement when he was just 21. Under his leadership, the group has grown, attracting many young members. The NSM employs a military structure and follows a hierarchy of rank. Members wear uniforms and march in formation during rallies. The group was known for marching in Nazi uniforms, but has opted to wear black since 2007. The NSM promotes its ideology through the music label, NSM88 Records, which also sells apparel, DVDs and other paraphernalia. It is also responsible for the video game “ZOG’s Nightmare,”* a first-person shooter that glorifies Nazism, and “New Saxon,” a white power social networking website. Through these products, the NSM actively recruits teens and young adults. Offshoot: NSM88 Records Publication: NSM Magazine

National Socialist Vanguard Established: 1990s Leaders: Rick Cooper 1990s-2006, unknown Location: Oregon In 1996, founder Rick Cooper moved his operation from California to The Dalles, Oregon. This small group has focused their recruiting efforts on high school and college students. Having no violent history, the NSV primarily distributes flyers and holds public rallies.

Photo: Jeff Schoep (center), the leader of the National Socialist Movement, protests with a group of his followers. *Zionist Occupied Government

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Nazi Low Riders Established: early 1970s Leaders: Various Locations: Based in California, with chapters in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, and New Mexico The Nazi Low Riders grew out of the juvenile detention system in California and is primarily a prison gang. However, the group does have a considerable presence outside of the prison system. Just after the birth of the NLR, members were approached by leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood and asked to act as middlemen for some of the Brotherhood’s undertakings. Members are known for their violent dispositions. Though the group follows white supremacist ideology, criminal enterprise is a priority and they are affiliated with the Mexican Mafia.

The New Order Established: 1983 Leader: Matt Koehl Location: Wisconsin After George Lincoln Rockwell’s assassination in 1967, Matt Koehl took over as leader of the American Nazi Party, which fractured into smaller groups in the 1970s. In 1983, Koehl renamed his group The New Order. The group identifies as a religious body, revering Adolf Hitler as a messiah. They maintain a low profile with a web presence and the occasional public appearance.

SMASH TEAM 88 Established: Unknown Leaders: Anthony Primavera (some sources claim that Primavera is not the true leader) Location: California Smash Team 88 (Superior Minded Aryan SkinHeads) acts as an umbrella group for white supremacist prison gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood and the Nazi Low Riders. Members come from other groups and gangs as well. SMASH is highly active and known for violent confrontations. In 2006, members were arrested for robbing a bank. In a resulting search, weapons and explosives were found in a member’s home. Police also found evidence that the group had been monitoring law enforcement personnel and agencies.

Active Neo-Nazi Groups

Vinlanders Social Club Established: 2003 Leader: Brien James Locations: Based in Indiana, with chapters in Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, and the Midwest The Vinlanders Social Club is mostly made up of members of other groups. Though Brien James is considered to be its leader, the group is loosely organized and does not have a strict hierarchy. VSC members actively recruit at white power music shows and other social gatherings. However, new recruits must undergo a probationary period before membership is approved. The group is considered to be one of the most violent neo-Nazi organizations in the United States, and Vinlanders are known for fighting those with opposing views. Several members have been arrested for violent crimes, including murder.

Volksfront Established: 1994 Leaders: Richard Arden and Randal Lee Krager Locations: Based in Oregon and Missouri, with chapters in Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, and internationally Volksfront was founded in the Oregon State Penitentiary by four inmates. The group presents itself as a fraternal organization that operates in support of a white working class. Members tend to be apolitical, believing the existing political structure to be inadequate. In response to the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s criminal history, spokespeople claim that, as of 2001, the group is a non-violent, law-abiding organization. The Volksfront website emphasizes the importance of family and community in the movement. However, many members have been convicted of violent crimes and Volksfront continues to extol hate crimes committed by others. The group is also involved in the white power music scene, organizing Aryan Fest, an annual music festival held in a different city every year. Members also attend Hammerfest and other gatherings. Volksfront membership requires the sponsorship of an existing member and a probationary period. Annual dues and attendance at meetings are mandatory. Chapters in the United States do not accept female members. Instead, women are encouraged to give financially and to attend annual gatherings at the Missouri headquarters.

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Websites of note Not all neo-Nazis are able to join a group or meet with others socially. In seeking like-minded individuals, in-person interaction may not be crucial, and a sense of belonging can be gleaned through other venues. In the past, telephone hotlines were maintained as information centers for news, scheduled events and calls to arms. Today, such hotlines still exist, but the primary means of communication is online. Interactions through email and internet forums allow for an anonymity that encourages open discussion of taboo subjects. It is much easier for one to research or discuss a subject from the comfort of their own home than it is to attend a meeting with strangers. There is no commitment to act beyond the scope of the written word, and safety is assured. For many, this is enough, but for others the internet offers a jumping-off point from which to further their involvement in the movement.

Aryan Wear In 2002, the National Alliance faced dire financial issues. As a solution, webmaster Chris Evans came up with the idea of an online clothing store that would cater to white supremacists. The first product was a line of boots with swastikas carved into the soles. Arguments over the ownership of the idea led Evans to leave the Alliance and form Aryan Wear. Several years later, Evans testified against a group of Dallas skinheads in a federal court case. Around that time, customers were made aware that many items are produced in China. Since then, Aryan Wear’s popularity has declined. However, because it remains the only source for a number of white supremacist products, it remains in business. The site offers a large variety of wares, including a “Rebel Flag Blanket” and Hitler Youth patches.

Resist In 1990, Tom Metzger, founder of the now-defunct White Aryan Resistance (WAR) and a former Klansman was the target of a lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Following the $12.5 million verdict against him, WAR was financially crippled. Metzger now promotes the actions of solitary activists, rather than membership in groups. He focuses his energy on resist.com, where he hosts several news websites, as well as on the radio show, Insurgent Radio. Metzger also manages a hotline, which he has operated for decades.

Websites of note

Resistance Records Resistance Records was founded in 1993 by George Burdi of Ontario, Canada. The white power music vendor quickly grew as a source for hard to find music. Now, under the ownership of the National Alliance and based in West Virginia, it is the largest distributor of racist skinhead music in the United States. Many sales come from European countries where hate speech and Nazi symbols are banned. The Resistance Records website provides a database of information for activists, links to related organizations, a schedule of music events, and a forum. The business also publishes Resistance Magazine, which covers all aspects of the white power music scene. The magazine is currently on its 27th issue.

Stormfront The Stormfront forum is the largest white power community on the internet. Boasting over 181,000 members, the forum is notorious as a meeting space for the white supremacist movement. Though it is unknown how many of Stormfrontâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s members adhere specifically to neo-Nazi ideas, the forum itself is rife with threads extolling the legacy of Adolf Hitler. The site is home to boards on youth issues, education and homeschooling, culture and customs, and politics. Stormfront was founded by Don Black in 1995. The operation has grown so large that Black now employs several moderators. His son, Derek, has taken on many of the responsibilities as well. Together they host a daily radio show.

Vanguard News Network Though smaller than Stormfront, the Vanguard News Network (VNN) is growing in popularity. The internet forum hosts a media library, newscasts and blogs. The site was founded in 2000 by Regina Besler and Alex Linder, a former member of the National Alliance. With the motto â&#x20AC;&#x153;No Jews, Just Right,â&#x20AC;? the VNN focuses primarily on anti-Semitic posts and articles. In recent years, membership has grown due to conflicts within the white supremacist movement. It is one of the only forums that allows criticism of specific groups and leaders. VNN is also home to The Aryan Alternative, a printed newsletter. Despite an inconsistent print schedule, it usually has a print run of about 50,000. After four years of being out of print, the magazine was reinstated in 2009.

Symbols and Codes

Symbols And Codes

Secret Languages Underground movements have historically used codes and symbols. Codes allow for quick and secure communication between allies. They also offer ways to signal common beliefs while avoiding detection from enemies or law enforcement. Perhaps even more importantly, symbols and codes create unity among those who understand the hidden language. Coded languages give members the feeling of belonging to an elite movement that is empowered by secret knowledge. Conversely, the power of some symbols may rely on being understood by outsiders. Many are created to reflect a sense of control or dominion and to instill fear in others. Symbols such as these are often more effective than words because of their ability to cross language barriers and because they are usually easy to recreate. In some cases, a symbol may evolve from a secret emblem into a well-known and widely-feared icon, as is the case with many rune-based images. The following symbols have been divided into three categories, based on their origins: Nazi Symbols, Celtic and Nordic Symbols, and Miscellaneous Symbols. In some cases, a symbol may have multiple origins. For example, variations of the swastika have appeared in dozens of locations, from India to Greece. Here, it is listed as a Nazi symbol because that is the usage from where its current meaning is derived. A number of Celtic and Nordic symbols, such as the leben and toten runes, were also used in Nazi Germany though not prominently. However, their use today comes primarily from an identification with paganism and not with a German heritage. There are many more symbols and codes used by the neo-Nazi movement than those included here, especially when one looks into individual groups, many of whom have logos and secret phrases of their own. The pages that follow include a selection of those that are most popular.

Previous Pages: Bryon Widner reveals his neo-Nazi tattoos. A former member of the Vinlanders Social Club, he has renounced his racist past after sixteen years in the movement. Widner underwent twentyfive procedures over sixteen months to remove the tattoos from his hands and face.

OUr Race is Our Nation

Nazi Symbols As a political party that relied heavily on propaganda, the Nazis worked hard to brand themselves. The party instituted standards for all related graphics and uniforms to ensure consistency. Even logos such as the crossed grenades and the sturmabteilung, which were created by individual units, show a clear sense of design in their effectiveness as symbols. It is unclear who really oversaw the creation of official Nazi design. Adolf Hitler took credit for a great deal, but it is more likely that he served as an art director or manager than as a designer. The symbols themselves were influenced by a variety of sources, sometimes mystical and often German. Regardless of their origins or their meanings, the icons of the Third Reich are arguably some of the most potent symbols of the modern era.

Black Sun Also known as sonnenrad, this symbol is a variation of the sunwheel found in many ancient cultures. Many Nazis had a strong interest in the occult. The current design comes from a floor mosaic in a castle at Wewelsburg, Germany. Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, sought to create a race-based religion and chose the castle as his base. Throughout the war, he worked to renovate it for use as a training center. A number of marriages and religious ceremonies were held on the grounds. Today, the symbol is often used by neo-Nazis in Europe, where bans on other traditional Nazi symbols exist.

Crossed Grenades The Crossed Grenades were the symbol of the 36th SS Division, also known as the Dirlewanger Brigade. The brigade, known for its exceptional cruelty, was named for its commander, Oskar Dirlewanger. He is now considered a hero by many neo-Nazis, and some groups wear the symbol in his honor. The Crossed Grenades are also used as a logo by the white power band â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dirlewanger.â&#x20AC;?

NAzi Symbols

Imperial German Flag The Reichskriegsflagge was used by the German Empire from 18711918. The design was originally intended for use as a naval war flag and did not have anti-Semitic or racist meanings. However, some contemporary neo-Nazis use the flag as a nod to their German roots. It is most commonly seen in Europe, where swastikas are banned, but some American neo-Nazis have adopted it as well.

Iron Cross The Iron Cross was used by the Prussian military during the Napoleonic Wars, when it was awarded to soldiers. It was resurrected during the Franco-Prussian war and again in World War One. In 1939, Adolf Hitler revived the symbol by combining it with a swastika. The iron cross is frequently used by neo-Nazis, but it is also popular in heavy metal and skateboard communities, where it should not be misconstrued as a racist symbol.

Iron Eagle Also known as the Parteiadler, this symbol was used to represent the Nazi Party’s power and strength. The eagle is derived from the Reichsadler, or “Imperial Eagle,” which comes from the Prussian Empire. Variations were used by the Holy Roman Empire, among others. The Reichsadler, in which the eagle looks to its right, was the official symbol for Nazi Germany. The Parteiadler, or “Eagle of the Party,” looks to its left and served as the logo for the Nazi Party. The Iron Eagle is commonly used by neo-Nazis in logos and tattoos. The Nazi Low Riders have modified the symbol to depict an eagle skeleton atop the swastika.

SS Bolts Based on the sig rune, the SS bolts were worn by members of Heinrich Himmler’s Schutzstaffel (SS) police force. The SS included units such as the Waffen-SS and the Allgemeine-SS. Some neo-Nazi groups require members to earn their bolts through violence. The tattoo is then placed inside the left arm, a reference to the blood type indicators that were tattooed on SS officers.

OUr Race is Our Nation

Swastika Perhaps the most well-known neo-Nazi symbol, the swastika has a long and complicated history. Variations have been found in the work of ancient cultures across the globe, from India, where it represents Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, to Ohio where it was used by the Native Americans of the area. It has been discovered in Etruscan pottery and on Greek monuments. The ubiquitous nature of the swastika is a testament to its graphic strength as a symbol. In the 1920s and 30s, the swastika was used on the flags of Estonia, Latvia and Finland. At this time, it was also used commercially in the United States on greeting cards and in decorative patterns. Considered a symbol of luck, it lent itself to a variety of uses. The swastika continued to carry positive meanings until one was found during an 1874 excavation of Troy. One of the archaeologists at the survey was a known anti-Semite. He claimed that the symbol was the mark of an Aryan god and several of his peers embraced this theory. In 1912, the Reichshammer Bund, an anti-Semitic group in Germany, began using it as their logo. Later, a number of rebel groups and secret societies wore the swastika during and after World War One. From there, it slowly evolved into a symbol of German pride. The swastika as it appeared on the Nazi flag was most likely designed by Dr. Friedrich Krohn, a dentist and a member of the German Workerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Party, the predecessor to the Nazi party. Acting as art director, Hitler took most of the credit after placing the emblem on a white circle atop a red field. In most of Asia, the swastika is still used commercially and as a sacred symbol. However, for many, the meaning of the symbol is unequivocally tied to Hitlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy. Some groups, such as the United States-based organization Friends of the Swastika, seek to reclaim the original meanings of the symbol. Others wish to neutralize its impact in an effort to remove its anti-Semitic history. It has also been worn in various outsider cultures as a sign of rebellion. Regardless of intention, the meaning of the swastika has been forever altered. Today, in the Western world and elsewhere, it is a sign of anti-Semitism, racism and genocide. Neo-Nazis who wear the swastika forego any pretense. They are committed members of the movement who are open about their beliefs. The symbol is displayed as an homage to Hitler and his followers, and as a symbol of intimidation.

NAzi Symbols

Sturmabteilung The stylized S and A were used as the emblem for the Sturmabteilung, also known as the stormtroopers or Brown Shirts. The SA was a paramilitary group based primarily in Germany for the duration of World War Two. Though it is banned in several European countries, the symbol is not well known and can still be found. In the United States, it is used as a more discreet indicator of one’s affiliation with National Socialist beliefs.

Totenkopf The Death’s Head was originally the symbol of the SS-Totenkopfverbande, the troops charged with guarding concentration camps and marching prisoners to the gas chambers. These officers were eventually transferred to the Waffen-SS, also known as the Death’s Head Division. The topenkopf was awarded to loyal members. Today, the symbol can be seen as a tattoo or on patches. It often indicates that the wearer has committed murder in the name of the neo-Nazi movement or has shown extreme loyalty in some other way. Those who wear the totenkopf adhere to the SS motto, “Our honor is loyalty.”

Wolfangel The Wolf’s Hook, or dopplehaken (double hook), originated as an ancient symbol believed to ward off wolves. It was frequently pictured on coats of arms, municipal arms and signs. The symbol was also used by several divisions of the Waffen-SS and the 2nd SS Panzer Division, the tank division that was crucial to many of Germany’s early successes. Because of this association, it is a popular symbol among neo-Nazis. Currently, the Aryan Brotherhood uses a modified wolfangel combined with the Celtic cross as one of their logos.

Celtic and Nordic Symbols

Celtic and Nordic Symbols An idealized version of an Aryan Nordic heritage was glorified in Nazi Germany. In this regard, Celtic and Nordic symbols were appropriated and used to further nationalist and racist agendas. Many were adopted by the Nazi party for use as logos and as indicators on official documents. Today, many neo-Nazis and other white supremacists regard the Nordic and Celtic people as the forefathers of the white race. Some may practice Odinism, a neo-pagan religion with Nordic roots that is not necessarily racist. Others may be drawn to the image of the Aryan Viking as an emblem of white strength. Because the following symbols are still used by those with Celtic or Nordic roots, and by pagans, they offer a covert way to express commitment to the neo-Nazi movement. As such, it should not be assumed that those who wear them are racist.

Celtic Cross Also known as the Sun Wheel or Odinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cross, this symbol was historically used by the Celts and ancient Christians. It can still be seen in many non-racist contexts. The Ku Klux Klan first appropriated the symbol as an indicator of white pride and its popularity spread across the movement. The internet forum Stormfront uses the cross as its logo, in conjunction with the phrase â&#x20AC;&#x153;white pride, world wide.â&#x20AC;?

Crosstar The crosstar was originally used by the Hungarian Arrow Cross party, a fascist political party in the 1930s. When the party disbanded in 1945, the symbol became popular among neo-Nazis and other racist groups. Several organizations use the symbol as their logo and it can be seen on clothing, jewelry and in tattoos.

Left: A member of Blood and Honour displays several neo-Nazi symbols, including an iron cross and SS bolts.

OUr Race is Our Nation

The Leben Rune Also known as the Life Rune, this symbol was used by the Nazi Lebensborn Program during WWII. The program encouraged young Aryan women to have children with SS officers in an effort to create a “super race.” The program also ran a maternity program for the mothers of Aryan children born out of wedlock. Throughout the Third Reich, SS officers were encouraged to have many children, especially sons. The Leben rune was also used on official documents and grave markers to indicate the date of birth. The symbol is currently used by various neo-Nazi groups, most notably the National Alliance.

Othala Runes Also known as “Odin’s Rune,” the Othala rune shows faith in Odinism, a neo-pagan religion. The rune was originally used by the Vikings as a symbol for homeland, family or divine inheritance. It is sometimes interpreted as an indicator of destiny. It was adopted by the Nazis to indicate racial pride or nationalism. The rune is currently used by many neo-Nazis and is often seen on jewelry or in Viking-themed tattoos. There are many versions of the Othala rune, including a variation where the legs angle up at the bottom. This version can be seen in the image of Thor’s Hammer, below.

Thor’s Hammer This symbol has been appropriated by neo-Nazis who practice Odinism. For them, Thor’s Hammer represents the strength and purity of the Aryan race. The Hammer usually features a stylized depiction of Thor’s face at the top. Other decorative elements adorn the lower portion, and may include scrollwork or circles. Runes are sometimes incorporated as well. A swastika may also be placed in the center or in the scrollwork. Thor’s Hammer is popular with women in the movement and often takes the form of jewelry. It can also be seen in tattoos or on clothing. However, the symbol is commonly used by non-racists and it is important that context be taken into consideration.

Celtic and Nordic Symbols

The Toten Rune The Death Rune is the inverse of the Life Rune and has been used by many cultures to designate burial sites. The Nazis used this symbol on official documents and grave markers to indicate the date of death. This symbol has come to mean “taker of life” in the white nationalist movement. It is often worn by those who have committed murder on behalf of the movement or by those who consider themselves capable of doing so.

Triskeles The triskele, or triskelion, comes from the ancient Celts. Similar symbols can be found in many cultures, including those of the Gauls, the Hopi Indians, and the Greeks. The three-legged icon seems in constant motion as it represents the cycles of life. The form of the triskele also references action, progress, revolution, and competition. Depending on the era and the culture, the three arms may represent different things, including earth, land, and sea; past, present, and future; creation, preservation, and destruction; or mother, father, and child. The triskele is more often than not used by non-racists. It is extremely common in art, especially in Ireland and France. The Isle of Man uses a variation of the symbol as its national emblem. However, like many Celtic symbols, the white supremacist movement has appropriated the triskele as its own. In the neo-Nazi movement, this symbol is also known as the “three-bladed swastika” or “flowering power.” The three sevens triskele (bottom left) is most notably used by the South African AWB Afrikaner Resistance, a white supremacist group that formed in the 1970s. The AWB explains that the three sevens indicate domination over the devil, which is usually represented as 666. This version of the triskele is also used by some European groups, as well as the international organization Blood and Honour. The Canadian group Blood and Iron uses a logo that combines the symbol with a totenkopf. American neo-Nazis wear it to show solidarity with the AWB.

our rAce Is our nAtIon

the tyr Rune Also known as the Warriors rune, this symbol honors tyr, the norse god of warfare. the rune may indicate duty, discipline, responsibility or victory. In norse mythology, tyr, who is one of the oldest gods, sacrifices his hand in order to save the sun from destruction. thus, tyr represents self-sacrifice in service to others. during World War two, the symbol was used by the Sturmabteilung Leadership school, where hitlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brown shirts were trained. neonazis wear the symbol in deference to the Brown shirt and to show commitment to an armed struggle between the races. the tyr rune is most often worn by those who have perpetrated violent acts.

Valknut Also known as the Knot of the slain or hrungnirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heart, this symbol is found on many norse carvings and funeral steles. the valknut is a sign of rebirth and reincarnation. As such, it often represents the afterlife. the nine points made by three triangles may refer to the nine worlds of norse mythology. the valknut is often used in reference to odin and may indicate a willingness to give oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life in his name. In the neo-nazi movement it is used to symbolize faith in odinism or an eagerness to fight for white power.

Miscellaneous Symbols

Miscellaneous Symbols Many contemporary neo-Nazi symbols are based on the logos and graphics of other resistance movements, such as the United Farm Workers and various anarchist groups. In taking inspiration from other outsiders, neo-Nazis position themselves into the greater timeline of underprivileged communities that have spoken out against oppression. When they align themselves with these groups they claim a position as underdogs. They also make clear their intentions of persistent disobedience. Neo-Nazi recruiters use symbols like these to appeal to those who feel marginalized for social or economic reasons. The strength in the following symbols lies in their simple, almost naive design, and in their promise of freedom from hardship and perceived inequality.

Aryan Fist The raised fist has historically been used as a symbol of solidarity by many resistance movements, including the Industrial Workers of the World, the feminist movement, and the Black Panthers. Figures with raised fists can be found in art dating back to ancient Assyria. Neo-Nazis and other white supremacists use a white fist to represent their perceived struggle. The fist may be circled by a laurel wreath, a reference to a British brand of clothing that is popular with skinheads, or it may appear alone. It is the white hand that marks this as a white power symbol. Additionally, the fist usually has an A shape in the center, representing the Aryan race.

Crucified Skinhead Meant to represent the crucifixion of the working class, this is one of the oldest skinhead symbols. In this version, the crucified skinhead breaks free from the Tyr rune to which he is bound. Non-racist skinheads use this symbol as well, but generally opt for a traditional Christian cross, rather than a rune. When worn by neoNazi skinheads, it may indicate time spent in prison.

OUr Race is Our Nation

Numerical Codes and Acronyms Neo-Nazis use codes and acronyms to transmit a specific message without outing themselves to the public. These codes differ from the symbols discussed on the previous pages in that they are not usually used to intimidate those outside of the movement. Their primary intention is to show solidarity to the movement and to communicate with fellow members. Simple alphanumeric codes are very common. In these systems, a number equals the corresponding letter in the alphabet, so that 1 equals A, 2 equals B, 3 equals C, and so on. Numerical codes are often integrated into tattoos and clothing designs. Numbers are printed on sports jerseys, where they can pass as a sign of team loyalty. Acronyms are most commonly written on internet forums, though they are sometimes spoken aloud as greetings.

5 Words “I have nothing to say.” Activists from various movements are often cautioned to remember these five words when approached by law enforcement. This is a phrase used by civil liberties activists and lawyers as well. Alex Curtis, an influential white supremacist, has popularized this phrase in the white power movement. When used, it is usually followed by the request for legal counsel.

14 words “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.”—David Lane David Lane, notorious white supremacist and founding member of The Order, wrote this phrase while serving time in prison. Lane died behind bars in 2007, but his words live on. This motto is repeated and referenced on internet forums, album covers, tattoos, and tshirts. It is often written as “14/88” (The 14 words/Heil Hitler).

NUmerical Codes and Acronyms

Adolf Hitler The number 18 (AH) is used to signify a reverence for Adolf Hitler and his teachings.

Extreme Hatred This numerical code is usually used in conjunction with others, such as 88/58.

Heil Hitler Like 18, the number 88 indicates respect for Adolf Hitler and is often used as a greeting. It may also refer to the 88 Precepts, a manifesto by David Lane that expands on his 14 words. The manifesto is a list of guidelines meant to preserve Aryan culture.

100

Pure Aryan Most often seen as a tattoo or on clothing, 100% indicates that the wearer claims to be of pure Aryan descent.

4/19

Anti-Government April 19th is the anniversary of two major events: the raid of the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas and the Oklahoma City Bombing. Both events involved the militia movement in some manner and are viewed as moments of government oppression. The code is sometimes used by anti-government neo-Nazis.

4/20

Hitlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Birthday Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889. His birthday is often celebrated by neo-Nazis, with rallies and concerts held in his honor. Neo-Nazis use this number to express their adulation of Hitler. 4/20 is also used as slang for smoking marijuana and to indicate a general acceptance of drug use. Because of this, it is very commonly used among non-racists.

OUr Race is Our Nation

Doc

Disciples of Christ The Disciples of Christ are a fictional neo-Nazi skinhead group that appears in the movie, American History X. Many characters in the movie have DOC tattoos. Though American History X is a cautionary tale with a clear anti-racism message, it remains popular among neo-Nazis for its realistic portrayal of the movement.

Jog

Jewish Occupied Government JOG refers to a conspiracy theory that claims the existence of a Jewish-controlled government. (see also ZOG)

Jewish Supremacy Neo-Nazis frequently claim the existence of a Jewish-led conspiracy that aims for complete dominion over the Aryan people. They view multiculturalism as a tool used by Jews in order to expand their control. (see also ZOG)

Orion

Our Race is Our Nation Indicating the importance of racial solidarity, ORION refers to the desire for a separate white nation. It may also indicate a mistrust of the government or an allegiance to one’s race over government.

Rahowa

Racial Holy War Many neo-Nazis foresee a coming war between Aryans and nonAryans (people of color and Jews). They believe that whites will experience a “racial awakening” and revolt against multiculturalism. The phrase was coined by the World Church of the Creator (now known as the Creativity Movement), a group that follows the creed, “My race is my religion.” The use of the word “holy” does not refer to a traditional religious belief, but rather to the sacred duty of preserving one’s race and culture. (see also SHTF)

SWp

Supreme White Power SWP is commonly seen in graffiti and tattoos. It expresses a belief in the inherent superiority of the Aryan race, the core concept of the white supremacist movement.

NUmerical Codes and Acronyms

SHTF

When The Shit Hits the Fan This term is used by survivalists to describe a scenario of mass panic. It normally implies a total breakdown of society. It is also used by white supremacists in reference to a predicted war against the government and non-Aryans. (see also RAHOWA)

Skin

Skinhead Used as shorthand for skinhead, SKIN is commonly printed on clothing as a subtle way of communicating one’s status as a neoNazi skinhead.

UAO

United as One United as One is often said as a greeting. It serves as a reminder of the need to unite the white race and to curb infighting.

UEHT

Unsere Ehre Heisst Treue German for “Our Honor is Loyalty,” this was the motto of the Waffen-SS. Today it is spoken by neo-Nazis in both German and English to express solidarity and commitment to the movement.

WPWW

White Pride World Wide Used as a greeting, this phrase is also the slogan of Stormfront, the world’s largest neo-Nazi and white supremacist internet forum.

ZOG

Zionist Occupied Government A major tenet of neo-Nazism is the belief in a vast Jewish-run conspiracy. At the heart of this belief is the claim that a secret Jewish organization controls most of the world’s powers and that existing governments are merely puppets. ZOG is often cited as the cause of illiteracy, poverty, crime, and many other social issues. Perhaps one of the most famous examples comes from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The Protocols tells of a group of Jewish elders who meet in secret to concoct a plan for world domination. Though the authenticity of the book has been debunked by scholars, many neo-Nazis still regard it as historically accurate.

Ending Hate

Previous Pages: A father and his two children attend a white supremacist music gathering in the Southwest United States.

Ending Hate

Why Hate? The current rise in hate group activity can be tied to several factors. The ebb and flow of hate group membership relates to “shifts in social dynamics, including the economy, immigration, and changes in gender roles.”1 Additionally, the election of the nation’s first non-white president has aggravated white supremacists. Racists throughout the country see Barack Obama’s presidency as a cause for alarm and many are seeking consolation. In 2008, Don Black, founder of the internet forum Stormfront, told the Washington Post that, “White people, for a long time, have thought of our government as being for us, and Obama is the best possible evidence that we’ve lost that. This is scaring a lot of people who maybe never considered themselves racists, and it’s bringing them over to our side.”2 The growing political divide, when combined with other issues such as a faltering economy have formed an environment of uncertainty for many Americans. Since 2009 the national unemployment rate has fluctuated between 7.9% and 10.2%.3 Shifting unemployment rates, increased paranoia over border issues and an atmosphere of religious fervor have set the stage for anti-government sentiments. Political and economic shifts may result in feelings of uncertainty or fear in those who are not already members of the hate movement. This leaves them vulnerable to manipulation and recruitment. According to anomie theory, an individual who feels strain may, as a result, enter a delinquent lifestyle.4 Anomie is a sense of instability that often stems from the stress felt when one’s notions of the world are altered or threatened. Individuals experiencing alienation and rootlessness are particularly vulnerable for recruitment by hate groups or gangs. By preying on perceived threats to the status quo, the hate movement convinces recruits that their own rights and privileges are at risk. When recruiting, neo-Nazi groups present themselves as providers of a solution to a problem. More importantly, they promote their community as a long-term support system of like-minded individuals. They reduce complex situations into terms of adversaries and allies.5 In creating a distinct concept of the other, they are able to categorize themselves as victims in a world of conspiracy. For religious neo-Nazis, the crusade of the white race is a divine call to arms. It is not uncommon to see the phrase “my race is my religion” on white supremacist message boards.

Our Race is Our Nation

The concepts of God-given supremacy and white rights provide a structure through which groups may recruit new members. A recent study published in Perspectives on Psychological Science suggests that “not only do Whites think more progress has been made toward equality than do Blacks, but Whites also now believe that this progress is linked to a new inequality—at their expense.”6 The study draws on previous research showing that white Americans see strides toward racial equality as detrimental to their own rights. Many white people view affirmative action policies as a set of limits placed on their own access to education and employment.7 Recruiters target those who feel marginalized and they do so with intent. When approaching young people, recruiters often focus on areas that are in economic turmoil. Young people are especially vulnerable to recruitment from hate groups. Adolescence is a time of social strain regardless of social or economic conditions, and recruiters know this. The “Action Program for Aryan Skinheads,” a guide written by neo-Nazi group New Order recommends targeting social outsiders: Recruit skins or covert activists from punk rockers and from the group of disaffected white kids who feel “left out,” isolated, unpopular, or on the fringe or margin of things at school (outsiders, loners). There are some very effective people among such kids, and working with Nazi skinheads will give them a sense of accomplishment, attainment, success, and belonging. In recruiting, proceed from such “outsiders,” inwards towards the mainstream, conventional, average students.8 When a white person experiences a loss of status or is otherwise experiencing anomie, neo-Nazi ideology may offer an explanation of the issues that removes responsibility from the individual. Clear reasons for unemployment and other social issues are given in the form of racial stereotypes and conspiracy theories. Neo-Nazism also provides a sense of importance and duty to members. New members are given privileged knowledge, are let in on secret information, and allowed entrance into what they consider an elite society. David Duke, politician and leader of the National Association for the Advancement of White People, famously termed this experience a “racial awakening.”

Ending Hate

Education and Activism Imprisoning racists, especially those who are new to the ideology, in prison where there is a prevalence of white supremacist gangs is not only ineffective, but detrimental. White inmates often find themselves in the minority and may be offered protection or business opportunities by racist gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood. Though the Brotherhood makes up less than one percent of the United State’s prison population, it exerts a large amount of influence and control over other inmates. In 2005, the gang was responsible for 18% of all prison murders.9 Aspects of the hate movement have become mainstream as groups soften their language to broaden their appeal. Therefore, the movement must be treated as a mainstream issue and addressed accordingly. Politicians must actively denounce the movement, rather than denying its existence or remaining apathetic to it. In “Button-Down Terror,” Barbara Perry writes that “such an initiative would call for an ethical commitment to social justice grounded in justice rather than injustice, inclusion rather than exclusion, respect for rather than resentment of difference.”10 Such a move would require long-term political reform. Until then, we can start by supporting existing watchdog organizations that serve to monitor hate groups. Founded in 1971, the Southern Poverty Law Center tracks the hate movement in the United States. They publish their findings online, through special reports and in the form of a quarterly magazine. The SPLC is innovative in its approach; its team of lawyers works within the system to promote legal reform and to advocate for those facing discrimination. In an effort to bring down extremist networks, they have brought several white supremacist leaders to court. In 1990, the SPLC brought a civil suit against White Aryan Resistance (WAR), its founder Tom Metzger, and his son John Metzger. A Portland, Oregon jury found Metzger liable for the death of Mulugeta Seraw, an Ethiopian immigrant who was murdered in 1988 by a skinhead group known as East Side White Pride (ESWP).11 Dave Mazzella, an instigator in the attack, had been the vice president of WAR’s youth faction at the time of Seraw’s murder.12 When Mazzella traveled from California to Portland under Metzger’s advice, he filled his van with WARpublished flyers with titles like “Clash and Bash.” The flyers urged skinheads to take to the streets in order to assault people of color and Jews.13 Mazella’s influence

Our Race is Our Nation

greatly shaped the actions of Portland skinheads, while Metzger cultivated an atmosphere of violence from his home in California. In the end, Metzger was found guilty of inciting the members of ESWP through Dave Mazella and a verdict of $12.5 million was handed down.14 Financial action against hate groups can be extremely effective. In the wake of the trial, Metzger was forced to sell his home and acreage. He continues to send monthly checks to the SPLC. WAR was crippled by the verdict, and Metzer’s influence has lessened as a result. He now advocates a lone-wolf strategy, and maintains a website and hotline. In an interview with Trial, SPLC co-founder Morris Dees was quoted as saying, “Today, Metzger is a mere echo of himself. His newspaper is only four pages, it only comes out every several months when he can get it out, the stuff he’s selling is recycled junk, and almost nobody follows him anymore.”15 Dees later discusses the effectiveness of financial litigation. “Hit them in the pocketbook,” he says, “Put them out of business.”16 In 1991, the SPLC also developed the Teaching Tolerance project, which provides educational materials to teachers and schools around the world. The Teaching Tolerance project provides a basis for critical thinking and tolerance that can help children and teens counter the effects of bigotry. One of their most popular events is “Mix It Up Day,” where students are asked to sit with someone new during lunch. It may seem like a small and overly simple solution, but surveys have shown the cafeteria to be an especially divisive environment for students.17 Subtle curriculum changes, fun activities, and special events are effective ways to reach young people. Like the SPLC, The Anti-Defamation League also tracks extremist groups and publish their findings. The organization “was founded in 1913 ‘to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.’”18 Working to reform hate crimes legislation, the group drafted a hate crimes bill in 1983 that has served as a model for many states. In addition, the ADL has created the A World of Difference Institute educational program. The Institute works similarly to SPLC’s Teaching Tolerance program, providing educational material to K-12 schools. The ADL also offer programs for colleges and businesses. Local solutions such as youth-based organizations must be instituted as well. Much like gang diversion programs, these agencies can reach out to at-risk youth

Ending Hate

or to those who are already members of hate groups. By providing support in the form of positive role models and alternative activities, and by teaching critical thinking, these programs could greatly reduce the number of young people in the hate movement. As the number of hate groups continues to increase, the movement must not be ignored. The only way to curb the growth is to address it head-on through education and activism. When speaking about anti-Semites, documentary director Errol Morris asked, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is our job just to simply reject them, to moralize about them, or is our job to try to understand whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on here?â&#x20AC;?19 In order to dissolve the hate movement, it is essential to attempt an understanding of the factors that lead to its existence.

Our Race is Our Nation

Notes Introduction: 1. Mark Potok, “The Patriot Movement Explodes,” Southern Poverty Law Center, http://www.splcenter. org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2012/spring/the-year-in-hate-and-extremism. 2. Mark Potok, “The Year in Hate and Extremism, 2010,” Southern Poverty Law Center, http://www. splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2011/spring/the-year-in-hateextremism-2010. 3. Southern Poverty Law Center, “Hate Map,” Southern Poverty Law Center, http://www.splcenter.org/ get-informed/hate-map. The Nazi Era: 1. Dick Geary, Hitler and Nazism (New York: Routledge, 1994). Claire Welch, Rise and Fall of the Nazis (London: Magpie, 2008). 2. Greg DeHart, Nazi America: A Secret History, DVD, directed by Greg DeHart (Studio City, CA: Termite Art Productions, 2000). 3. Michael Feldberg, ed, Blessings of Freedom: Chapters in American Jewish History, (Jersey City, NJ: Ktav Pub Inc, 2002), 79. 4. Greg DeHart, Nazi America: A Secret History. 5. Michael Feldberg, ed. Blessings of Freedom: Chapters in American Jewish History, 79 6. Ibid. 7. Greg DeHart, Nazi America: A Secret History. The Neo-Nazi Era: 1. Anti-Defamation League, “Institute for Historical Review,” Anti-Defamation League, http://www.adl. org/learn/ext_us/historical_review.asp. 2. T. J. Leyden, Skinhead Confessions: From Hate to Hope (Springville, UT: Sweetwater Books, 2008), 48. 3. Greg DeHart, Nazi America: A Secret History. 4. William H. Schmaltz, Hate: George Lincoln Rockwell and the American Nazi Party (Washington, DC: Brassey’s, 1999), 49. 5. George Lincoln Rockwell, Interview by Alex Haley, Playboy, April 1966. 6. Anti-Defamation League, “Insitute for Historical Review,” Anti-Defamation League, http://www.adl. org/learn/ext_us/historical_review.asp. 7. Greg DeHart, Nazi America: A Secret History. 8. Anti-Defamation League, “Timothy McVeigh: The Oklahoma City Bomber,” Anti-Defamation League. http://www.adl.org/mcveigh/background.asp. 9. Andrew MacDonald, The Turner Diaries (Hillsboro, WV: Vanguard Books, 1995), 42. 10. Southern Poverty Law Center, Skinheads in America: Racists on the Rampage (Montgomery, AL: Southern Poverty Law Center, 2007). 11. Greg DeHart, Nazi America: A Secret History. Thomas Martinez, Brotherhood of Murder (Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 1999). 12. Stuart Cabb, Louis and the Nazis, YouTube video, 2003, http://youtu.be/wTWT8xaCB5A . Donal MacIntyre, Nazi Hate Rock, Youtube video, http://youtu.be/N8RmvaSPm3E. James Quinn, Nazi Pop Twins, Veoh, flv file, http://www.veoh.com/watch/v15575945yBEMtdF2?h1=N azi+Pop+Twins+%5BPart+1%5D.

Notes

Active Neo-Nazi Groups: 1. Mark Potok, “The Patriot Movement Explodes,” Southern Poverty Law Center, http://www.splcenter. org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2012/spring/the-year-in-hate-and-extremism. Information for this section was gathered from the following sources, as well as from the websites of individual groups: Anti-Defamation League. “Extremism in America: Introduction.” Anti-Defamation League. http://www. adl.org/learn/ext_us. Black, Don. “Stormfront Forum.” Stormfront. http://www.stormfront.org/forum. Ezekiel, Raphael S. The Racist Mind. New York: Penguin, 1995. Southern Poverty Law Center. “Hate Map,” Southern Poverty Law Center. http://www.splcenter.org/ get-informed/hate-map. ———. “Intelligence Files.” Southern Poverty Law Center. http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/ intelligence-files. United States Department of Justice. ATF: Northern Border Extremists: Overview of American/Canadian Extremists. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 2008. Symbols and Codes: The following sources are recommended for more information on the symbols and codes used by neoNazis and other white supremacists: Allert, Tillman. The Hitler Salute: On the Meaning of a Gesture. New York: Picador, 2008. Anti-Defamation League. “Hate on Display.” Anti-Defamation League. http://www.adl.org/hate_symbols. Heller, Steven. The Swastika: A Symbol Beyond Redemption? New York: Allworth Press, 2008. Leyden, T. J. “Hate Code.” StrHATE Talk. http://www.strhatetalk.com/Hate_Code.html. Simon Weisenthal Center. The New Lexicon of Hate: The Changing Tactics, Language and Symbols of America’s Extremists (Los Angeles: Simon Weisenthal Center, 2004). Conclusion: 1. Randy Blazak, “White Boys to Terrorist Men: Target Recruitment of Nazi Skinheads,” American Behavioral Scientist 44, no. 6 (February 2001): 983. 2. Eli Saslow, “Hate Groups’ Newest Target,” Washington Post, June 22, 2008, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/21/AR2008062101471.html?hpid=topnews&sid= ST2008062200049. 3. As of March 9, 2012. National Conference of State Legislatures, “Unemployment Remained Unchanged at 8.3 Percent in February 2012,” National Conference of State Legislatures, http://www.ncsl. org/issues-research/labor/national-employment-monthly-update.aspx, . 4. Randy Blazak, “White Boys to Terrorist Men: Target Recruitment of Nazi Skinheads,” 987. 5. Josh Adams and Vincent J. Roscigno, “White Supremacists, Oppositional Culture and the World Wide Web,” Social Forces 84, no. 2 (December 2005), 760. 6. Michael I. Norton and Samuel R. Sommers, “Whites See Racism as a Zero-Sum Game that They are Now Losing,” Perspectives on Psychological Science 6, no. 3 (May 2011), http://www.people.hbs. edu/mnorton/norton%20sommers.pdf, 217. 7. Ibid. 8. Wayne S. Wooden and Randy Blazak, Renegade Kids, Suburban Outlaws (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2001), 145. 9. David Holthouse, “Smashing the Shamrock,” Southern Poverty Law Center Intelligence Report 119 (Fall 2005), http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2005/fall/ smashing-the-shamrock. 10. Barbara Perry, “‘Button-Down Terror’: The Metamorphosis of the Hate Movement,” Sociological Focus 33, no. 2 (May 2000), 129. 11. Elinor Langer, A Hundred Little Hitlers: The Death of a Black Man, the Trial of a White Racist, and the Rise of the Neo-Nazi Movement in America (New York: Picador, 2004), 349. 12. Ibid., 194.

Our Race is Our Nation

13. Julie Gannon, “We Can’t Afford Not to Fight: Morris Dees Takes Bigotry to Court,” Trial 33, no. 1 (January 1997): 18. 14. Elinor Langer, A Hundred Little Hitlers: The Death of a Black Man, the Trial of a White Racist, and the Rise of the Neo-Nazi Movement in America, 349. 15. Julie Gannon, “We Can’t Afford Not to Fight: Morris Dees Takes Bigotry to Court,” 18. 16. Ibid. 17. Southern Poverty Law Center, “Teaching Tolerance: About Us,” Southern Poverty Law Center, http:// www.tolerance.org/about. 18. Anti-Defamation League, “About the Anti-Defamation League,” Anti-Defamation League, http:// www.adl.org/about.asp. 19. Errol Morris, “Voices on Anti-Semitism,” Voices on Anti-Semitism, MP3, http://www.ushmm.org/ museum/exhibit/focus/antisemitism/voices/transcript/?content=20070816.

Photo Credits NOTE: Many of the photos within this book were obtained through internet searches. All efforts were made to obtain copyright information. Known credits are listed below: Pages 12-13: (Bund March) Library of Congress 17: (FNG Meeting) Life 19: (Bund Rally) United States Holocaust Museum, (Pearl Harbor) United States Navy 20-21: (NSM March) Anthony Karen 23: (Rockwell March) Associated Press 24: (Aryan Nation Klanswomen) Mary Ellen Mark 25: (David Duke) Associated Press, (Ian Curtis) Blood and Honour 26: (Robert Mathews) Blake Sell/Corbis 27: (Mulugeta Seraw) Seraw family 28: (Ruby Ridge) Surveillance Photo, (Waco) Ron Heflin/Associated Press, (Oklahoma City) Bill Waugh/ Associate Press 30-31: (Aryan Wear Boots) Anthony Karen 35: (Aryan Nations) WGMD News 36: (Father and Daughters) Sean Rayford 39: (Blood and Honour) AdventureGirlYYC, Flickr 44: (NSM) Zachary Goelman 50: (Bryon Widner) Jae C. Hong/Associated Press 58. (Blood and Honour) Peelu Figworth, Flickr 68-69: (Family) Anthony Karen

Notes

Bibliography Articles and Reports: Adams, Josh and Vincent J. Roscigno. “White Supremacists, Oppositional Culture and the World Wide Web.” Social Forces 84, no. 2 (December 2005): 759-778. Anti-Defamation League. “About the Anti-Defamation League.” Anti-Defamation League. http://www. adl.org/about.asp. ———. “Aryan Nations/Church of Jesus Christ Christian.” Anti-Defamation League. http://www.adl.org/ learn/ext_us/aryan_nations.asp?xpicked=3&item=an. ———. “Extremism in America: Introduction.” Anti-Defamation League. http://www.adl.org/learn/ ext_us. ———. “Hate on Display.” Anti-Defamation League. http://www.adl.org/hate_symbols/default.asp. ———. “Institute for Historical Review.” Anti-Defamation League. http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/ historical_review.asp. ———. “Richard Butler.” Anti-Defamation League. http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/butler. asp?xpicked=2&item=2. ———. “Timothy McVeigh: The Oklahoma City Bomber.” Anti-Defamation League. http://www.adl.org/ mcveigh/background.asp. Blazak, Randy. “White Boys to Terrorist Men: Target Recruitment of Nazi Skinheads.” American Behavioral Scientist 44, no. 6 (February 2001): 982-1000. Carrier, Jim. Ten Ways to Fight Hate: A Community Response Guide. Montgomery, AL: Southern Poverty Law Center, 2010. Cooter, Amy Beth. “Neo-Nazi Normalization: The Skinhead Movement and Integration into Normative Structures.” Sociological Inquiry 76, no. 2 (May 2006): 145-165. Ferber, Abby. “What White Supremacists Taught a Jewish Scholar About Identity.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 7, 1999, sec. B. Harrington, Evan R. “The Social Psychology of Hatred.” Presentation at the Conference to Establish the Field of Hate Studies, Spokane, WA, March 20, 2004. Holthouse, David. “‘Killing a Brown’: New Evidence of Extremists in the Military.” Southern Poverty Law Center Intelligence Report 132 (Winter 2008). http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligencereport/browse-all-issues/2008/winter/killing-a-brown. ———. “Smashing the Shamrock.” Southern Poverty Law Center Intelligence Report 119 (Fall 2005). http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2005/fall/smashingthe-shamrock. Karen, Anthony. “Aryan Outfitters.” Mother Jones. 2008. http://motherjones.com/photoessays/2008/03/aryan-outfitters-01 Levi, Edward H. “Remembering the Nazis in Skokie.” Huffington Post. April 19, 2009. http://www. huffingtonpost.com/geoffrey-r-stone/remembering-the-nazis-in_b_188739.html. Levin, Brian. “U.S. Hate and Extremist Groups Hit New Levels, New Report Says.” Huffington Post. March 8, 2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-levin-jd/hate-groups-splc_b_1331318.html. Norton, Michael I. and Samuel R. Sommers. “Whites See Racism as a Zero-Sum Game that They are Now Losing.” Perspectives on Psychological Science 6, no. 3 (May 2011): 215-218. Perry, Barbara. “‘Button-Down Terror’: The Metamorphosis of the Hate Movement.” Sociological Focus 33, no. 2 (May 2000): 113-131. Potok, Mark. “The Year in Hate and Extremism, 2010.” Southern Poverty Law Center. http://www. splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2011/spring/the-year-in-hateextremism-2010.

Our Race is Our Nation

———. “The Patriot Movement Explodes.” Southern Poverty Law Center. http://www.splcenter.org/getinformed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2012/spring/the-year-in-hate-and-extremism. Simon Weisenthal Center. iReport: Online Terror + Hate: The First Decade. Los Angeles: Simon Wiesenthal Center and Snider Social Action Institute, 2008. ———. The New Lexicon of Hate: The Changing Tactics, Language and Symbols of America’s Extremists. Los Angeles: Simon Weisenthal Center, 2004. Simonelli, Frederick J. “The Neo-Nazi Movement.” Southern Poverty Law Center. http://www.splcenter. org/get-informed/intelligence-files/ideology/neo-nazi/the-neo-nazi-movement. Southern Poverty Law Center. “Hate Map.” Southern Poverty Law Center. http://www.splcenter.org/ get-informed/hate-map. ———. “Intelligence Files.” Southern Poverty Law Center. http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/ intelligence-files. ———. Skinheads in America: Racists on the Rampage. Montgomery, AL: Southern Poverty Law Center, 2007. ———. “A Skinhead’s Secret.” Southern Poverty Law Center Intelligence Report 122 (Summer 2006). http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2006/summer/askinheads-secret ———. “Teaching Tolerance: About Us.” Southern Poverty Law Center. http://www.tolerance.org/about. United States Department of Homeland Security. Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2010. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics, 2011. United States Department of Justice. ATF: Northern Border Extremists: Overview of American/Canadian Extremists. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 2008. United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. White Supremacist Recruitment of Military Personnel since 9/11. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, July 2008. Books: Allert, Tilman. The Hitler Salute: On the Meaning of a Gesture. New York: Picador, 2008. Dees, Morris. Gathering Storm: America’s Militia Threat. New York: Harper Collins, 1997. Eisner, Will. The Plot: The Secret Story of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. New York: W. W. Norton, 2005. Ezekiel, Raphael S. The Racist Mind. New York: Penguin, 1995. Feldberg, Michael, ed. Blessings of Freedom: Chapters in American Jewish History. Jersey City, NJ: Ktav Pub Inc, 2002. Geary, Dick. Hitler and Nazism. New York: Routledge, 1994. Heller, Steven. The Swastika: A Symbol Beyond Redemption? New York: Allworth Press, 2008. Langer, Elinor. A Hundred Little Hitlers: The Death of a Black Man, the Trial of a White Racist, and the Rise of the Neo-Nazi Movement in America. New York: Picador, 2004. Leyden, T. J. Skinhead Confessions: From Hate to Hope. Springville, UT: Sweetwater Books, 2008. Martinez, Thomas, and John Guinther. Brotherhood of Murder. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 1999. Meeink, Frank, and Jody M. Roy. Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead: The Frank Meeink Story. Portland, OR: Hawthorne Books, 2010. Schmaltz, William H. Hate: George Lincoln Rockwell and the American Nazi Party. Washington, DC: Brassey’s, 1999. Simi, Pete, and Robert Futrell. American Swastika: Inside the White Power Movement’s Hidden Spaces of Hate. Lanham, MD: Rowmand & Littlefield, 2010. Wooden, Wayne S. and Randy Blazak. Renegade Kids, Surburban Outlaws. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2001. Zeskind, Leonard. Blood and Politics: The History of the White Nationalist Movement from the Margins to the Mainstream. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2009.

Notes

Documentaries: Bohlen, Anne, Kevin Rafferty, and James Ridgeway. Blood in the Face. DVD. New York: First Run Features, 2010. Cabb, Stuart. Louis and the Nazis. YouTube video, 2003. http://youtu.be/wTWT8xaCB5A. Cookson, Shari. “Skinheads USA: Soldiers of the Race War.” Home Box Office, 1993. DeHart, Greg. Nazi America: A Secret History. Studio City, CA: Termite Art Productions. 2000. Hachmeister, Lutz. The Goebbels Experiment. DVD. New York: First Run Features, 2005. Hercules, Bob and Cheri Pugh. Forgiving Dr. Mengele. DVD. New York: First Run Features, 2006. The History Channel. “Hate Nation.” Gangland. The History Channel, 2007. Levin, Marc. Protocols of Zion. DVD. New York: Home Box Office Films, 2005. MacIntyre, Donal. Nazi Hate Rock. Youtube video. http://youtu.be/N8RmvaSPm3E. Meyrou, Olivier. Beyond Hatred. DVD. New York: First Run Features, 2007. Modell, David. “Young, Nazi and Proud.” Dispatches. Channel Four, 2002. Moll, James. Inheritance. DVD. Amsterdam: Cinema Delicatessen, 2006. Morris, Errol. Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. DVD. Universal City, CA: Universal Pictures. 1999. National Geographic. “American Nazis.” National Geographic, 2009. ———. “American Skinheads.” Inside. National Geographic, 2007. ———. “Aryan Brotherhood.” National Geographic Explorer. National Geographic, 2007. ———. “Skinhead Assault.” Gangland. The History Channel, 2009. Quinn, James. Nazi Pop Twins. Veoh, flv file. http://www.veoh.com/watch/v15575945yBEMtdF2?h1= Nazi+Pop+Twins+%5BPart+1%5D Ramsdell, Mike. Anatomy of Hate. DVD. Atlanta, GA: Under the Hood Productions, 2009. Interviews: Bloomstein, Rex. “Voices on Anti-Semitism.” Voices on Anti-Semitism. MP3. http://www.ushmm.org/ museum/exhibit/focus/antisemitism/voices/transcript/?content=20110106. Gannon, Julie. “We Can’t Afford Not to Fight: Morris Dees Takes Bigotry to Court.” Trial 33, no. 1 (January 1997): 18. Meeink, Frank. “Voices on Anti-Semitism.” Voices on Anti-Semitism. MP3. http://www.ushmm.org/ museum/exhibit/focus/antisemitism/voices/transcript/?content=20110303. Morris, Errol. “Voices on Anti-Semitism.” Voices on Anti-Semitism. MP3. http://www.ushmm.org/ museum/exhibit/focus/antisemitism/voices/transcript/?content=20070816. Rockwell, George Lincoln. “Alex Haley Interviews Goerge Lincoln Rockwell.” Interview with Alex Haley. Playboy. April 1966

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements I owe a great deal of gratitude to my thesis mentor, Barry Sanders, who exudes endless encouragement and excitement. I would also like to thank my family, especially my parents for raising me right. My brother Joe Lewis, his wife Lorna Porter, and my honorary sister Cleare Shields astonish me with their brilliance and inspire me to push myself further every day. Julie Marston and Sherry Grover taught me to investigate and to question the world. They gave me the tools to create. I would not be the same without them as mentors and friends. Elizabeth Armstrong, Mark Martinez, Michael Martinez, Portia Roy, and Heather Zinger have provided emotional support and food throughout my years at Pacific Northwest College of Art. They also made sure that I took breaks every once in a while. Their art has inspired me to challenge my audience with my own work. I could not have completed this project without the guidance of my fellow design students: Grayson Barber, Nicole Bittner, Taurie Davis, William Hart, Taylor Garber, Nadia Hristova, Miles Johnson, Cassie Killen, Vadim Makoyed, and Alberto Ramirez. I consider them all friends and teachers. Janet Parker and Diane Chonette at Tin House Books taught me the ins and outs of book design. Elie Charpentier and Ellen Lesperance provided technical assistance regarding commas and endnotes. Cori Jaeger and Lauren Kohn have graciously listened to brainstorms, complaints, and panic attacks regarding this project and many others. Francis Freya still thinks that everything I do is amazing.

“Jakob Vala reminds us that the Hymn of Hate began to sound in 1914, grew so much louder in the thirties and forties, and reached a near-whine in this country in the fifties and sixties. Jakob Vala reminds us that the Hymn continues today and that we must not remain tone deaf. Listen and listen well. What to do? In 1914, Punch magazine asked the following question of the Kaiser: “What vigil will you keep tonight? While your priesthood chants the Hymn of Hate/Like incense will you lift to God your breath?” Read Our Race is Our Nation and ask yourself: What can I do? What must I do?” —Barry S anders