After the arrest of more than two dozen members of the white supremacist group near the Pride event in northern Idaho, including one of its founders, LGBTQ advocates said Sunday that polarization and a harsh political climate are putting with their lives in danger. community.
Thirty-one members of the Patriot Front were arrested using riot gear after a reporter saw people loaded into the U-Haul as a “small army” in the hotel parking lot in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, police said .
Among those arrested for riot planning was Thomas Ryan of Rousseau Grapevine, Texas, who was identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a 23 -year -old who founded the group after the deadly “Unite Right”. Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, 2017. None of his attorneys were immediately listed and his phone numbers were not answered Sunday.
Among the detainees was Mitchell F. Wagner, 24, of Florida, Missouri, who was accused last year of destroying a mural of famous black Americans in St. Louis. Louis College campus.
Michael Kielty, Wagner’s attorney, said Sunday that he had received no information on the allegations. He said the Patriotic Front has no reputation for violence and that the case could be a first amendment issue. “Even if you don’t like the speech, they have the right to announce it,” he said.
The Patriots Front is a white neo-Nazi group whose members see Black Americans, Jews and LGBTQ people as enemies, said John Lewis, a George Washington University researcher who specializes in domestic violent extremism.
Lewis said their playbook involves identifying local grievances, fixing them on platforms like the Telegram messaging app, and finally displaying events in neat columns, in blue or white. shirt, to show stability.
Although the Pride celebration has long been speculated by anti-Protestants citing religious opposition, historically they have not been the primary target of armed extremist groups. However, it’s not surprising how anti-LGBTQ rhetoric performs in a far-right online ecosystem, Lewis says.
“This series of grievances fits into their broader narratives and demonstrates their ability to mobilize both people against the“ enemy ”over and over again, he said.
Arrests take place against the backdrop of multiplication Rhetorical accusation Around a wave of LGBTQ communities and state law targeting transgender youth, says John McCrost, the first openly gay man elected to the legislature of Idaho. Dozens of Pride flags were stolen from the streets of Boise this week in Boise.
“When we are faced with hate attacks, we must respond to the public message that we protect everyone with our differences,” McCrost said in a text message.
Sunday also marked the sixth anniversary of a mass shooting that killed 49 people at Orlando’s LGBTQ Club Pulse, Troy Williams said with Equality Utah in Salt Lake City.
“Our country is becoming increasingly polarized and the result has been tragic and deadly,” he said.
San Francisco Bay Authorities Investigate a Possible Hate Crime A group of men reportedly shouted homophobic and anti-LGBTQ words at Drag Queen Story Hour at the San Lorenzo Library on Saturday. No one was arrested, no one was injured, and authorities are investigating the incident as possible child molestation.
Coeur d’Alene police on Saturday found riot gear, a single grenade launcher, shin guards and headlights in a van after it was dragged to a park where the Pride in the Park, Coeur d’Alene Alliance of Northern Idaho was holding an event. . This was announced by Police Chief Lee White.
Police, according to arrest videos posted on social media, circled the band around North Idaho, with Patriot Front patches and logos on their hats and several T-shirts with written “Return America”.
There have been arrests from at least 11 states, including Washington, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming, Virginia, and Arkansas.
Although the history of far-right extremism in northern Idaho began decades ago, White said only one of those arrested Saturday was from the state.
Source: Huffpost
