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Mar 19, 20

This Week in Fascism #50: Trump & Rising Anti-Asian Racism, Patriot Front Leader Exposed, GOP Hopeful Unmasked

Welcome, fellow antifascists! This week, we take a look at the rise of anti-Asian racism as both the far-Right and Trump push xenophobic conspiracy theories as the coronavirus explodes, we get an encyclopedia of Texas fash; see how new Unite the Right court filings show that Jeff Schoep never actually left the National Socialist Movement; doxxes of Iron March members, Atomwaffen, and the American Identity Movement; plus, a longtime white nationalist gets booted from Kickstarter!

Without further ado, let’s begin!

The Coronavirus, Trump, the far-Right and the Rise of Anti-Asian Racism

Since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, both the far-Right and the Trump administration have used it as a way to drum up support for xenophobia, racist fear mongering, and the militarization of US borders and society. While Trump and his defenders in the mass media have used racism and conspiracy theories as a way of shifting the conversation away from the administration’s fumbling of the crisis, the far-Right has viewed the pandemic as an opportunity to grift, drum up potential recruits as anti-Asian racism grows, and even use the virus as a potential backdrop for armed action.

At Fox News and One America News, pundits there have been attempting to play defense for Trump as his approval ratings tank, by referring to COVID-19 as a hoax by Democrats, a possible “bio-weapon” from China, an attempt by the “Deep State” to crash the economy (cause, ya know, that’s what all entrenched elites want), and the promotion of even more out there conspiracy theories.

While figures like Tucker Carlson have pushed Trump personally to take the virus seriously, they’ve also helped construct talking points for him to repeat to his base; talking points which shift the blame away from the Trump administration for their horrific handling of the pandemic. In recent days, this has resulted in Trump doubling-down on his painting of the virus as “Chinese.” A CBS News reporter, Weijia Jiang, even tweeted that a White House official referred to the coronavirus as the “Kung-Flu,” which Trump later defended.

It’s clear that the current administration sees a direct partner in Fox News and their spread of racist misinformation. As Vice President Pence recently stated on the Sean Hannity show:

Thank you Sean. And let me just begin by saying thank you on the radio and airwaves all across America and on television. What you’ve been doing to broaden public understanding of the coronavirus, spreading the word, especially on the president’s coronavirus guidelines Fifteen Days to Slow the Spread. We’re very very grateful that you’re bringing this important, timely information to the American people.

But while Trump and the corporate pundits at Fox News push their racist garbage, there has been a very real uptick in anti-Asian and anti-Chinese racist attacks.

As The New Yorker wrote:

In the U.S., the Anti-Defamation League has been tracking racist memes and online activity directed toward Asian communities in reaction to the outbreak. They’ve uncovered lurid cartoons depicting an Asian “Winnie the Flu,” mocking references to “bat soup,” and more violent imagery. “For months, there have been posts on notoriously extremist-friendly platforms like Telegram, 4chan and Gab linking the coronavirus to racist and antisemitic slurs and memes,” the A.D.L. wrote, in a recent blog post. “Users across these channels regularly share racist messages or caricatures of Chinese people, mocking their eating habits, accents, and hygiene.” Some posts, they went on, “appear to be cheering on the virus, hoping it will spread to predominately non-white countries, such as those in Africa.”

Clearly, there is a link between Trump’s racist framing of the pandemic and actual physical attacks. To see the full scope of the growing wave of racist, anti-Asian violence, check out this Wikipedia entry which shows a timeline of anti-Asian attacks and racist incidents and is sourced with links.

As we go into an uncertain future, anti-racists and antifascists will need to educate, organize, and resist a new wave of xenophobia and anti-Asian violence while also building real-life relationships with people and communities at a time when social-distancing is the norm.

News

Austin Autonomedia Unveils Encyclopedia of Central Texas Fascists

Austin Autonomedia unveiled a collection of every doxxed fascist in the central Texas area.

This collection is invaluable to residents looking to acquaint themselves with the far-right in their area, or to local organizers hoping to spot fascists looking to disrupt their events.

Retired Federal Judge Illegally Buys AR-15 for Nazi

A retired federal judge admitted this week that he purchased an AR-15 for his longtime romantic partner, a neo-Nazi and convicted felon who was ineligible to purchase the firearm himself. Guess justice is blind!

New Unite the Right Filings Show Jeff Schoep Never Left National Socialist Movement

A new filing in Sines v. Kessler, the ongoing lawsuit following the violent events of the August 2017 Unite the Right rally, revealed that former National Socialist Movement leader Jeff Schoep, who now claims to have renounced white supremacy, never actually left the NSM. In recent months, Schoep has attempted to build a career as a “former” neo-Nazi, speaking on the dangers of “extremism” and attacking antifascists on social media.

A footnote in the filing notes that: “For example, on October 13, 2019, Schoep warned [current NSM Commander Burt] Colucci via text message that someone who was calling into Colucci’s podcast with death threats was “baiting” him and was actually a federal informant…. Dietz, Schoep’s girlfriend, has ‘[i]nformally’ remained a member of NSM and manages NSM’s website. As recently as December 2, 2019, Colucci asked Dietz to update the website.”

Schoep, who is also listed in the Charlottesville lawsuit, as at the time of the rally he was the leader of the NSM, which at the time was also part of the Nationalist Front, which included other neo-Nazi, racist skinhead, and KKK groups. Order to turn in his phone as evidence, Schoep claims that he “dropped it in the toilet.”

Schoep claims to have renounced his neo-Nazi past, and has been touted by Jesse Morton and Light Upon Light as a former extremist, despite skepticism from many who research the far-Right.

In November 2019, even as he was actively participating in NSM activities, Schoep co-wrote an op-ed with Light Upon Light’s Jesse Morton and Frank Meeink, proposing that they had the answer to “online extremism.”

In December 2019, both Morton and Schoep were featured in an article from The Clarion Project, an anti-Islam hate group, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Doxxes

Jamie Lee Mallard, Iron March Recruiter in Smyrna, Georgia

Atlanta Antifascsts exposed Jamie Lee Mallard, an Iron March recruiter in Smyrna, Georgia.

Beginning in 2012, Mallard was an active participant on the neo-Nazi forum, even recruiting for them from other far-Right forums.

Mallard works as a Point of Sale Support Specialist for the Shiji Group. You can contact them by tweeting @ShijiGroup or via their online contact form.

Emily Brooke Davis, Goyim Defense League, in Vero Beach, Florida

Emily Brooke Davis, a resident of Vero Beach, Florida, was exposed as a neo-Nazi and member of the antisemitic Goyim Defense League.

Jonathan “Jac” Magnano, American Identity Movement in Middletown, Connecticut

Jonathan “Jac” Magnano was exposed as a member of the white nationalist American Identity Movement this week, following a joint investigation from Panic! in the Discord and Elm City Antifa.

Not only was Magnano a dues-paying member of the hate group, he was also responsible for hanging recruitment flyers for the group at the University of Connecticut.

David Cole Tarkington, aka The Yank, Atomwaffen Recruiter, US Navy

David Cole Tarkington, an Atomwaffen recruiter who recruited former leader John Cameron Denton into the group, was doxxed twice on Friday afternoon.

Panic! in the Discord released his name and a short profile of the US Navy Aviation Machinist’s Mate in the afternoon, followed by a longer Gizmodo investigation detailing his years with the group.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has launched an inquiry into Tarkington, based on information provided by the Gizmodo investigation.

John Cartwright II, Iron March Moderator

John Cartwright II was exposed this week as a moderator for the neo-Nazi forum Iron March.

Cartwright was the third member to register on the forum, after founder Alisher Mukhitdinov and National Action leader Benjamin Raymond, and served as a moderator for the message board.

Kieran Morris, Patriot Front Network Director, Poughkeepsie, New York

Kieran Morris, Poughkeepsie, New York, was identified by NYC Antifa as “Patrick-NY,” the Patriot Front Network Director of New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.

Morris was identified by antifascist researchers after the neo-Nazi group attempted to drop a banner in Bay Ridge Brooklyn. Antifascists immediately cut the banner down and followed the group to their car, where they photographed Morris’ license plate.

Additional investigation revealed Morris’ profile on Iron March, a neo-Nazi forum, where he registered using the email address “[email protected]” and attempted to join the Atomwaffen Division, writing that Patriot Front predecessors American Vanguard “were a bunch of underage f*****s that wanted to shitpost and browse /pol/ all day and that’s not what I’m about.”

Morris was later seen leading a recent Patriot Front demonstration in Connecticut, after the group rallied outside of a empty pharmaceutical building at night for a photo opt.

Jason David Finney, American Identity Movement, GOP Candidate for Committeeperson in Chicago

Chicago Anti-Fascist Action identified Jason David Finney, a GOP candidate for Committeeperson in the 43rd Ward in Chicago and a Credit Analyst at R.J. O’Brien, as a member of white nationalist group the American Identity Movement.

In the leaked chats, Finney used the name Balbo, where he discussed antisemitic conspiracy theories, including “globalists” and “cultural Marxism.”

He hosted a local Chicago Conservatives Meetup for years, and attended several American Identity Movement events in person, including a trash cleanup and a banner drop.

Activists are asking that concerned persons contact R.J. O’Brien via their online contact form.

Deplatforms

White Nationalist Tom Kawczynski Booted From Kickstarter

Longtime white nationalist Tom Kawczynski was booted from Kickstarter this week, after journalist Hilary Sargent publicized his fundraising campaign via her Twitter account.

Kawczynski launched a podcast about the coronavirus and attendant Kickstarter, which he sees as an opportunity to build support for an all-white ethnostate. On March 5, Kawczynski’s show was removed from podcast provider Luminary, though it remains available on the Apple Store.

In 2018, Kawczynski was fired as Town Manager of Jackman, Maine, after his white nationalist beliefs became public. Following that episode, he became a close associate of Chris “Crying Nazi” Cantwell, appearing on his show multiple times, and presenting Cantwell with the “New Albion” flag of Kawczynski’s imagined whites-only homeland. Three days after receiving the flag, Cantwell was arrested on extortion charges.

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A weekly roundup of the latest and greatest happenings in the anti-fascist world. Each column features a roundup of news, actions, doxxes and current calls to action.

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