Political Extremist Groups Active in the United States
Brighton, MA
Summary
The following analyzes extremist groups in the United States. The emphasis is on far right and far left groups. Islamic groups are not analyzed. The following format is followed:
1. Identification. This section identifies and gives a history of the extremist group.
2. Mediums of Communication. Giving their websites/social media pages/newspapers where they post their doctrine
3. Internal analysis. It breaks down their strength to include finances and capabilities. It also examines their demographics.
4. Area of Operations. It attempts to provide locations where these groups congregate, recruit, and attack/engage in other acts of violence.
Group I
1. Identification
Identity Ivropa/American Identity Movement
SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center) https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/white-nationalist
Lists them as, “White Nationalist.”
Founded by Nathan Damigo, a former United States Marine, who served two tours in Iraq. He received an “Other Than Honorable Discharge” for armed robbery. Prison was the place of his radicalization.
Being a veteran himself, Damigo no doubt realized the importance of military training and combat experience to his organization.
Nathan Damigo (American citizen), Identity Ivropa/ European Identity’s Founder
2. Mediums of Communication
The following is a link to the group’s official website: https://www.identityevropa.com/
When “identity evropa” is searched on Facebook, the following page pops up:
https://www.facebook.com/NREvropa
It has 2.1K followers. This current number contrasts with the number claimed in section 3. It also has the following link to their official website:
At this point, access to the site has not been possible. The existence of the above sites, however, is in contrast to reports that the group has been disbanded.
3. Internal Analysis
The next quote is from Wikipedia, “an investigation by HuffPost reported that seven Identity Evropa members were also currently serving in the U.S. armed forces and were actively disseminating Identity Evropa materials in their communities.”
Above is an Identity Evropa recruiting poster. It is a pun on President Trump’s “Make America Great Again.” This propaganda obviously appeals to white supremacists.
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/identity-evropa-posters-art-symbolism-881747
This type of disinformation appeals to the view that true Americans are those with European heritage.
Above is a screenshot from Identity Ivropa’s old website.
Wikipedia cites the group’s founder, Nathan Damigo, as claiming that there were 300 members in 2017. Patrick Casey, the group’s last known leader, reported the group’s dissolution in 2020.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_Evropa
4. Area of Operations
Based out of Alexandria Virginia, SPLC gives the following summary of the group:
Identity Evropa is at the forefront of the racist “alt-right’s” effort to recruit white, college-aged men and transform them into the fashionable new face of white nationalism. Rather than denigrating people of color, the campus-based organization focuses on raising white racial consciousness, building community based on shared racial identity and intellectualizing white supremacist ideology.
Judging from this, community colleges and universities in Virginia would be one of the places to observe members and their recruiting efforts. The map and the link below are colleges in Virginia.
https://www.vawizard.org/wizard/college-and-university-in-virginia
The SPC website states, “In just the first month of the campaign, IE managed to hit more than two dozen campuses stretching across the country from Evergreen State College in Washington to Bates College in Maine.” Being a veteran himself, it is logical to conclude that Damigo is personally responsible for targeting veterans as recruits. It is possible that veterans who have acquired criminal records are favored. The student body it targets, however, undoubtedly has veterans in its ranks. There does not appear to be a main office advertised.
Group 2
1. Identification
Proud Boys
The following history comes from the Southern Poverty Law Center website:
Established in the midst of the 2016 presidential election by VICE Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, the Proud Boys are self-described “Western chauvinists” who adamantly deny any connection to the racist “alt-right.” They insist they are simply a fraternal group spreading an “anti-political correctness” and “anti-white guilt” agenda (https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/proud-boys)
Gavin McInnes (Canadian citizen), Proud Boys Founder (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavin_McInnes)
Following the assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, the Canadian government labeled the Proud Boys as a “terrorist organization” for its role.
2. Mediums of Communication
Google has blocked the Proud Boys website and online store, as evidenced in the link below:
Instagram has a proud boys page:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHmF3IQjt83/?hl=en
According to AP News, numerous Proud Boys sites have been removed from Facebook:
https://apnews.com/article/technology-social-media-proud-boys-574ed28359244921286e8a78e412e0e2
The blocking of the Proud Boys on social media leads to the likely explanation that they are communicating electronically via sites known only to members.
3. Internal Analysis
According to Wikipedia, the group’s strength measures anywhere from between several hundred to six thousand (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proud_Boys)
President Donald Trump’s comments, “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by” is credited with increasing the group’s recruitment. According to Military.com, extremist groups, led largely by veterans of the US military, played a part in the assault on the capitol:
The Proud Boys recruiting poster, seen below, can be viewed as directed towards US military veterans:
The main piece of disinformation above is the phrase, “anti-racial” guilt. There is no elaboration on what it means. The most likely conclusion is its reference to slavery as well as the treatment of indigenous peoples. This leads to the conclusion that the groups targeting veterans consists of those that are white.
4. Area of Operations
According to SPLC, the Proud Boys were founded in New York, New York. The Proud Boys possess national, if not international capabilities. According to SPLC, they have staged rallies across the country. In October 2018, they attacked antifascist activists in New York. They are also credited with instigating violence and civil unrest in the Pacific Northwest.
https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/proud-boys
Group 3
1. Identification
ANTIFA
In 2020, due to the violent protests in cities across the country, President Trump said that he would label ANTIFA, “a terrorist organization.” The New York Times describes the group as follows:
antifa, a contraction of the phrase “anti-fascist,” is not an organization with a leader, a defined structure or membership roles.
Rather, antifa is more of a loose movement of activists whose followers share some philosophies and tactics. They have made their presence known at protests around the country in recent years, including the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.
https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-antifa-trump.html
If this assessment is correct, ANTIFA differs from Identity Ivropa/American Identity Movement and the Proud Boys. The President’s comments are viewed as seeking someone to blame.
2. Mediums of Communication
Antifa.com now directs to the White House’s website. This leads to the conclusion that they are communicating with members on closed groups via social media.
3. Internal Analysis
The Congressional Research Service, CRS, did not give any numbers for ANTIFA members in its report dated March 1, 2018: https://www.nps.gov/mima/index.htm
Nor does it give any clue as to the group’s ethnic makeup. Like Identity Evropa/American Identity and the Proud Boys, to this point ANTIFA has proven to be an annoyance more than anything else. The same report describes the group’s typical behavior:
Violence by U.S. antifa members is not new. For example, in 2012 anarchists linked to ARA attacked a meeting of the Illinois European Heritage Association, consisting of white supremacists from the Nationalist Socialist Movement and people from other groups. Brandishing items such as hammers, baseball bats, and police batons, the attackers entered a Chicago-area restaurant and assaulted meeting attendees. Five attackers received prison sentences for their role in the melee.
Although the report does not give numbers on the group’s numerical strength, it does make the following comment on ANTIFA’s recruitment practices,
“It appears the contemporary movement may be growing as antifa followers recruit followers on fears that fascism is making new inroads in the United States. Such expansion and the rising number of run-ins with antifa supporters and their opponents at public rallies raise the public profile of antifascism in the United States.”
The open-source material does not indicate that ANTIFA targets veterans as new recruits. It is conceivable, however, that it has veterans in its ranks. This number, as the entire group’s strength, is not verified. The open source material on ANTIFA is indicative of it being at complete odds with Identity Evropa/American Identity Movement and the Proud Boys. A recruitment poster is shown below:
The recruitment poster above can be viewed as disinformation in its comparison of the Republican party to the Nazi party. It attempts to convince recruits that ANTIFA is fighting an “evil force.”
4. Area of Operations
As with the other two groups in this report, ANTIFA’s area of operations consists of the entire country. This report was unable to disclose a main office or base of operations. Of the three groups analyzed, it appears to have the least organization.
Conclusion
The first two groups analyzed in this report, Identity Evropa/American Identity Movement and the Proud Boys are undoubtedly white supremacist in nature. If a reputable study is done of the veterans in their ranks, it would likely reveal that they are undoubtedly predominantly white males.
ANTIFA is different than the other two due to the lack of a far right/white supremacist agenda. If a reputable study is done of veterans in its ranks, it would likely show a racial diversity not seen in the other two groups.
The veterans joining these organizations are more than likely ostracized from society in some form. In the case of Damigo, this was due to his felony convictions. These most likely barred him from other pursuits-causing his radicalization process. It would be interesting to see if similar situations accounted for the veteran community in the three groups. Comparisons should be done between veterans and active duty US service members.
It is questionable whether Damigo and McInnes believe in the doctrine which they are espousing. It is likely that they have become intoxicated by the prestige and infamy which their positions provide.
