‘Sonnenkrieg Division’: New Atomwaffen Division-Inspired Propaganda Points to New Group
New propaganda images shared by Atomwaffen Division supporters suggest a new UK offshoot of AWD has emerged: the Sonnenkrieg Division.
On July 30, 2018, Gab user Commando (@Commando) uploaded a propaganda image emblazoned with the text Sonnenkrieg Division. “Support the SONNENKRIEG DIVISION!” he wrote before adding a link to the Siege Culture (SC) website.
As of August 13, the image has been shared by twenty-two people, including Atomwaffen Division and Siege Culture members and sympathizers.
Notable sharers of the image include Lion (@Threatening), the webmaster of SiegeCulture.biz, and Groz AW (@grozaw), a propagandist for SC, according to both of their Gab profiles.
Eight days later on August 7, Gab account Sonnenkrieg Division (@skd) uploaded the second of fifteen existing (as of September 12) propaganda images for Sonnenkrieg Division. All fifteen images are shown below in the order of their publication date (left to right).
Interestingly, the fifth image is signed by Dark Foreigner, a graphic designer for AWD, according to independent journalist Jake Hanrahan.
Dark Foreigner was the first to upload that specific image on social media. On August 7, he tweeted: “The Solar War. Behold the majesty of the Sun.” The picture was uploaded by @skd on Gab later that day.
The images indicate that Sonnenkrieg Division is either a new AWD subgroup or an offshoot linked to AWD via Siege Culture. However, we don’t know exactly when the organization was formed nor what role it may play vis-a-vis AWD.
But we do have an idea about their goals and target audiences. The following images contain Russian and “elementary” Norwegian, according to a Counter Extremism Project report published after this article went live. This suggests that SKD is targeting speakers of those languages either because they aspire to expand to Russia and Norway or already have members in those countries.
Furthermore, a post by @skd on August 31 shows us that the group holds anti-Albanian views: “In the future there will be no Albania.”
As for when SKD was formed, recent posts indicate that it is fairly new. Under @skd’s first post on Gab, a user wrote: “Good start and good luck to the organization!”
Inquiries by other extreme rightists also underline the newness of the group:
What the propaganda images do not suggest is that AWD has splintered as a result of infighting. In fact, AWD and SC-supporters on Gab have added “Sonnenkrieg Division” to their profile bios, including Commando and Groz. Note that all three of the following bios include a link to the Siege Culture website.
The emergence of Sonnenkrieg Division comes months after Atomwaffen Division announced the creation of its German cell in June via its now-defunct Bitchute channel. Then, a month later, several members of the Bundestag (parliament) cited my AWD-Germany article in a letter asking federal officials about its knowledge of the organization.
