Morning Briefing: White Nationalist Conference 'Brought Together Extremists From Around the Globe'
The American Renaissance (AmRen) conference 'brought together extremists from around the globe,' and included members of 'white nationalist Patriot Front and Patriot Girls United.'
Morning Briefing: The American Renaissance (AmRen) conference took place from November 15-17 in Tennessee, and this year the conference “brought together extremists from around the globe, including local racist groups, such as members of white nationalist Patriot Front and Patriot Girls United, both of which have ties to the neo-Nazi Tennessee Active Club.”
Wendy Via, president and founder of the organization Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE), told El País that “it’s clear that these groups, like the one that marched in Ohio, the Proud Boys, Patriot Front, White Lives Matter and more, are emboldened and very happy about the election.”
The Nationalist Social Club (NSC-131), a White Supremacist neo-Nazi group, reportedly “left dozens, perhaps hundreds of flyers on West Hartford lawns attacking pediatricians for their work in gender affirming care with youths,” and the flyers “took aim at three physicians who are or were affiliated with Connecticut Children's, the Hartford-based pediatric medical center and network.”
Benjamin Michael, a former Marine and U.S. Naval Academy graduate, was reportedly charged with a hate crime “after a tattoo shop in Annapolis reported its LGBTQ Pride flag had been ripped off its post and thrown in the trash,” and Michael’s attorney told the Associated Press that he “has no hate towards any person or protected class.”
Body camera footage has been made public of local law enforcement interacting with Hate Group 1488, the White Supremacists neo-Nazi group that marched through downtown Columbus, Ohio.
Members of the neo-Nazis reportedly told police that “they were leaving because they were under attack,” and in the background “bystanders shouted at them to take off their masks.” However, local law enforcement would later “received a report that they were spraying people with pepper spray and hair spray.”
Today is the seventh day of the trail of Patrick Gordon Macdonald, the alleged White Supremacists propagandists known online as “Dark Foreigner.”
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN), nonprofit organization that counters, monitors, and exposes far-right hate movements, groups, and figures, has been providing daily coverage of the trial. Follow CAHN’s coverage of the trial on Bluesky.
Office Hours with Radical Reports Returns on December 3rd:
Office Hours with Radical Reports will return after the Thanksgiving holiday on Tuesday, December 3rd, and will focus on the trail of Patrick Gordon Macdonald, the alleged White Supremacists propagandists known online as “Dark Foreigner.”
Must Reads
Matt Shuham and Roque Planas write that “in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s election to a second term as president, attention has turned to his highest-profile campaign promise: the mass deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants living in the United States. But uncertainty remains about the scope of Trump’s plans. Who exactly does he want to deport? And will he actually be able to carry out a ‘mass’ deportation operation? Trump and his allies say they will focus on “violent criminals,” staging rallies with posters of mugshots showing alleged “illegal immigrant gang members” and talking about immigrants as ‘invaders’ who are ‘poisoning’ the country with their ‘bad genes.’ But the fine print is always the same. When they say ‘criminals,’ they mean all roughly 11 million undocumented people in the country, most of whom have lived in the United States here for years, have family and loved ones who are U.S. citizens, and have never committed a serious crime. The real question is whether Trump has the power to turn his campaign pledge into reality. The short answer is almost certainly that Trump will not be able to deport every unauthorized immigrant in the country. But that doesn’t mean Trump’s efforts won’t harm millions of people.” [Huffington Post]
Annika Brockschmidt and Thomas Lecaque write that “Benjamin Franklin’s hope and warning, ‘A republic, if you can keep it,’ resonates with too many of us these days. This has especially been the case watching the president-elect nominate his Cabinet, a wishlist of personnel that perfectly embodies Trumpism’s ultranationalist populism, nostalgia for a utopian White Christian past, and fixation with enemies, both internal and external—with a dash of violent rhetoric and staggering incompetence tossed in for good measure. What Trump is clearly asking for (and promising) is a Christian nationalist kakistocracy—a government by the least suitable, most unworthy people. If the Senate confirms these picks, that’s exactly what we’ll get. The Christian nationalism element is evident when you look at someone like Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, who cosplays as a contemporary American Crusader, both in his writing and in his tattoos. In his book American Crusade he calls for treating ‘the Left’ as an enemy, to be crusaded against—linked explicitly to the violence of the Crusades and the American Revolution, a favorite Christian nationalist mythical starting point.” [Religion Dispatches]
Josh Kovensky writes that “the far-right extremists who planned the attack on Congress on January 6 and who were hit with the longest prison sentences for their actions that day are now pushing for pardons from Donald Trump as he prepares to take office for a second time. A feeding frenzy has broken out among Oath Keepers, Proud Boys and their lawyers over how to secure the long-promised clemency. Even though Trump doesn’t take office for another two months, they’re scrambling to flatter him, strategize over whom to contact, and generally push their way to the front of the line — even though there may not formally be one — to ensure that they receive pardons, and receive them as quickly as possible. What’s clear is that none of this is taking place within the bounds of anything approaching the normal process for securing presidential pardons. Instead, alleged seditionists are in some cases conducting direct, personal outreach to President-elect Trump and those who hold sway in his inner circle. In at least one case, the lobbying appeals to Trump’s vanity, his rage at the DOJ for attempting to hold him accountable for January 6, and his support for the January 6 defendants themselves. All the while, advocates for clemency remind Trump of one thing: his repeated promise to release the insurrectionists that he’s called ‘political prisoners’“ [Talking Points Memo]
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links offers a weekly round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Narratives of the Right delivers weekly analysis of the current narratives in far right online spaces and promoted by right-wing media; and Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right.
