Several members of the Coeur d'Alene Police Department have received death threats after the arrest of white nationalists called the Patriot Front this weekend. https://t.co/IPz9xyLY5e
— NPR (@NPR) June 13, 2022
After the arrest of over two dozen members of a white supremacist group near a northern Idaho pride event, including one identified as its founder, LGBTQ advocates say polarization and political upheaval are putting their community increasingly at risk. https://t.co/O3SZisAjGX
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 12, 2022
Good backgrounder:
… Patriot Front is a white supremacist neo-Nazi group whose members perceive Black Americans, Jews and LGBTQ people as enemies, said Jon Lewis, a George Washington University researcher who specializes in homegrown violent extremism.
Their playbook, Lewis said, involves identifying local grievances to exploit, organizing on platforms like the messaging app Telegram and ultimately showing up to events marching in neat columns, in blue- or white-collared-shirt uniforms, in a display of strength.
Though Pride celebrations have long been picketed by counterprotesters citing religious objections, they haven’t historically been a major focus for armed extremist groups. Still, it isn’t surprising, given how anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has increasingly become a potent rallying cry in the far-right online ecosystem, Lewis said…
Open Thread: The ‘Patriot Front’ Bust in Coeur d’AlenePost + Comments (88)