Patriot Front

Datei:Patriot Front Flag.png

Patriot Front flag

Patriot Front is an American white supremacist, neo-fascist, and American nationalist group which utilizes imagery of patriotism, liberty, and other widely accepted traditional American values to promote its ideology. Part of the broader alt-right movement, the group split off from Vanguard America in 2017 in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally.

History and beliefs

The Patriot Front is led by Thomas Ryan Rousseau. Rousseau was a teenager in Fort Worth, Texas, at the time he founded the group. Rousseau had taken control of Vanguard America's web server and Discord channel several weeks prior to the Unite the Right rally, which Rousseau had participated in as the leader of Vanguard America's contingent. Following the bad press arising from the rally, Rousseau left Vanguard. He used the group's domain name to form the Patriot Front as an ostensibly new group, and recruit rally participants, although most of the Patriot Front's members were former Vanguard members initially. Rousseau has repeatedly been arrested for posting flyers and stickers which promote the group.

As with Vanguard America, Patriot Front supports a version of white-centered morality compatible with the morals of fascists across America, along support for closed borders, personal fitness, and authoritarian government.

The group uses a combination of patriotic and historic imagery, such as a fasces surrounded by thirteen stars, and attention-grabbing techniques such as setting off smoke bombs during demonstrations and protests and chanting slogans, such as "Reclaim America", "Life, Liberty, Victory", "Victory or Death" and "Strong Borders, Strong Nations".

The group's members comprise eight regional networks, and its recruitment is primarily done online. While the group focuses on distributing propaganda and condemning violence, experts on white supremacy point out that the core beliefs of the group undoubtedly promote violence.

A 2019 report by ProPublica estimated the group had about 300 members. As of 2021, Patriot Front had 42 chapters and was arguably the leading white supremacist group in the country, according to Cassie Miller of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC said Patriot Front was by far the most active white nationalist group in distributing flyers.

Patriot Front has held numerous marches, speeches and demonstrations all across the country, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Nashville, Tennessee, San Antonio, Texas, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Chicago, the Texas State Capital, San Francisco, California, Salt Lake City, Utah and multiple marches in Washington D.C.

Activities

Patriot Front's activities, such as distributing propaganda organizing demonstrations, or "doing miscellaneous acts of public service", have been seen in at least 25 states. Members have also been known to hand out flyers at Donald Trump rallies and leave them in Barnes & Noble bookstore books.

In 2017, the organization planned to attend an alt-right "March Against Communism" in Charlotte, North Carolina, on December 28 alongside members of Anti-Communist Action (the main organizers of the event), Richard B. Spencer, Billy Roper of The Shield Wall Network and Augustus Sol Invictus, but the march was cancelled due to "security concerns".

Also in 2017, Patriot Front conducted numerous actions in Houston, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. In November, around 25 members of Patriot Front held a rally at the George Washington statue at the University of Texas.

2018

On July 10, 2018, a local anti-racist coalition in Tacoma, Washington, "Tacoma Against Nazis", erected a billboard reading "There are NAZIS in our neighborhood". On July 19, Patriot Front members "climbed up the structure at Pacific Avenue and South 72nd Street and pasted over 'Nazis' with 'Illegal Aliens.'"

On Saturday, July 28, 2018, Patriot Front members attacked and partially tore down an Occupy ICE SATX encampment outside an immigrant detention facility in San Antonio.

2019

On January 21, 2019, Patriot Front flyers were found on home driveways in Edmonds, Washington, sparking a small demonstration of around 50 citizens and a statement by the mayor which condemned the flyers and their message of intolerance and exclusion.

On February 13, 2019, Patriot Front flyers were spotted in Boston, Massachusetts, in the Eastern section of the city. The flyers said "Keep America American", "Better Dead Than Red", and "Will Your Speech Be Hate Speech?" The flyers were denounced by Marty Walsh, the mayor of Boston. Two days later on February 15, three Patriot Front members were arrested for putting up the flyers and one of the men slapped a police officer's hand when the officer was reaching for his identification via wallet. One was found to have a spring-loaded 5-inch knife and another was found to have a wood-handled trowel and brass knuckles. A lawyer for one of the men stated that this was an incident of "youthful stupidity" and he also stated that the three men met while playing Xbox and other video games. The three men later appeared in court.

In March 2019, a man was charged in connection with posting Patriot Front posters in Vienna, Virginia.

In July 2019, Downtown Indiana, Pennsylvania, was littered with stickers from the group. Police are investigating the matter and considering charges for a hate crime.

In November 2019, areas in Massachusetts had stickers posted on telephone poles, including Middleboro, Bridgewater and West Bridgewater.

2020

On Saturday, February 8, 2020, at around 4:00 pm, approximately 100 members of the Patriot Front held a march in Washington DC along the National Mall from the Lincoln Memorial to the US Capitol grounds, and then headed north ending at a Walmart located near Washington Union Station at 1st and H Streets NW. Those marching all wore similar clothing — khakis, matching dark blue jackets with flag patches on the left sleeve, with hats, full white face masks, and dark sunglasses — and carried various modified versions of the American flag with the Patriot Front logo of a fasces in a circle of 13 stars replacing the normal 50 stars and differing numbers of red and white stripes. The marchers shouted "Reclaim America!" and "Life, liberty, victory!" and were trailed and surrounded by a phalanx of MPD police officers on bicycle and foot, ostensibly to prevent interaction with local citizens, some of whom shouted at and taunted the marchers calling them "Neo-Nazis" and "Do not let these people into DC!" as they passed by.

In August 2020, three men were arrested after placing stickers on signs on the Parker County Courthouse lawn in Weatherford, Texas, according to arrest warrants. One of those arrested was Rousseau, the leader of Patriot Front. They were charged with criminal mischief, jailed on a $500 bond and released. Previously at the courthouse, protesters had demanded the removal of a Confederate statue, while counter-protesters defended the statue.

On November 7, 2020, Patriot Front demonstrated in Downtown Pittsburgh, in protest of what they called a fraudulent election. The group lit blue and red smoke bombs during the rally, which only lasted for 15 minutes. Then they left in U-Haul trucks, leaving nearby pedestrians confused as to who the group was and their origins.

2021

On January 29, 2021, a group of men wearing similar clothing — khaki pants, matching blue jackets with patches, and white face masks — was seen marching on the National Mall toward the Capitol carrying flags with Patriot Front symbolism on them.

As of March 1, 2021, Patriot Front stickers continue to appear on places on the University of Mary Washington campus.

On June 4, 2021, a mural of George Floyd was vandalized in Olney, Philadelphia, with Patriot Front logos and insignia, outraging Olney residents. “Aside from making us angry and pissed off, to be quite frank it has done nothing but further strengthen our resolve,” City Councilmember Cherelle Parker said about the vandalism.

On June 24, less than a week after their unveiling, two statues of George Floyd, one in Brooklyn, New York, and one in Newark, New Jersey, were found scrawled with black spray paint and graffitied with references to group.

On June 28, at around 1:30 am, a "Say Their Names" mural depicting Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, and George Floyd in Louisville, Kentucky was vandalized. The mural was scrawled over with light blue paint and the words "Patriot Front" were spray painted onto the mural in numerous places. "I've seen other murals around town being defaced. I know it was a matter of time before it was going to happen," said Braylyn Resko Stewart, one of the three artists of the mural. As of June 28, Stewart is currently using GoFundMe to raise money to help restore the mural.

On the night of July 3, about 150 to 250 members arrived in three Penske rental moving trucks and began a march through several blocks of Philadelphia, on route to the City Hall and Independence Hall, reportedly shouting "Reclaim America!" Police said local residents "engaged members of the group verbally" and there were several physical confrontations. According to police, the group left in their trucks after using one or more smoke bombs to mask their withdrawal. Philadelphia police said Patriot Front shouted "the election was stolen" as they marched.

In the weekend prior to August 9, Patriot Front put up stickers in Germantown, New York. At least six stickers were reported.

On August 30, two members of Patriot Front defaced a George Floyd mural in Lafayette, Indiana. The fire department hosed down white paint that was covering the mural. This same mural was defaced 3 weeks before, also by Patriot Front.

On September 8, 2021, the Hmong Cultural Center Museum of St. Paul, Minnesota, was vandalized by Patriot Front. "Life, Liberty, Victory" was spray painted on the eastern storefront window, where plywood panels had displayed poetic messages in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. A $700 sign belonging to the center was vandalized as well.

On October 6th, 2021 a 'No Place For Hate' mural was vandalized with Patriot Front imagery in Boyertown, Pennsylvania.

On October 21st, 2021 a mural honoring the life of Arthur Ashe was vandalized with spray painted stencils depicting Patriot Front logos in Richmond, Virginia.

On October 26th, 2021 a mural honoring the life of Breonna Taylor was vandalized with spray painted stencils depicting Patriot Front logos on the campus of Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina.

See also

• Alt-right
• Far-right politics
• Neo-Nazism
• List of neo-Nazi organizations
• List of organizations designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as hate groups
• White nationalism
• List of white nationalist organizations

External links

• Official Website
• Al Ortiz: Report Warns About New White Supremacist Group Increasing Activity In Texas | Houston Public Media In: Houston Public Media, 20. Dezember 2017. Abgerufen am 23. Dezember 2017 (amerikanisches Englisch). 
• John Bogna: White supremacist group reportedly becoming more active in its home state In: Rare, 21. Dezember 2017. Abgerufen am 23. Dezember 2017 (amerikanisches Englisch). 
• Jessica Griffith, Elizabeth Robertson, (July 4th, 2021) White Supremacists March in Philadelphia on the Eve of July 4th