The Nationalist Front was a loose coalition of radical right and white supremacist organizations.[1] The coalition was formed in 2016 by leaders of the neo-Nazi groups National Socialist Movement (NSM) and Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP). Its aim was to unite white supremacist and white nationalist groups under a common umbrella. Originally the group was named the Aryan Nationalist Alliance and was composed of neo-Nazi, Ku Klux Klan and White power skinhead organizations.
Nationalist Front | |
|---|---|
_Logo.png){kind=logo} | |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Dissolved | 2018 |
| Ideology | Neo-Nazism American nationalism White nationalism White supremacy |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Members |  National Socialist Movement Ku Klux Klan Vanguard America Traditionalist Worker Party  League of the South (2017–2018) |
| Colors | Black White Red |
| Party flag | |
 | |
The coalition rebranded itself as the Nationalist Front and was later joined by the neo-Confederate League of the South, the neo-Nazi/alt-right Vanguard America and four other groups such as the Aryan Strikeforce. The ideology of the Nationalist Front centered on a desire for a white ethnostate.
History and activities
editConceived by the leaders of the neo-Nazi groups National Socialist Movement (NSM) and Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP), the coalition was formed in 2016. Its aim was to unite white supremacist and white nationalist groups under a common umbrella. Originally the group was named the Aryan Nationalist Alliance and was composed of neo-Nazi, Ku Klux Klan and White power skinhead organizations, the logo of the group was two hands joined with the Celtic Cross in the background and multiple Wolfsangels in the circle.[2][3] The coalition later rebranded itself as the Nationalist Front with a logo that had the group initials "NF" inside a white background with a black circle with stars and the slogan "Iunctus Stamus" (United We Stand) it would also be later joined by the neo-Confederate League of the South, the neo-Nazi/alt-right Vanguard America and four other groups such as the Aryan Strikeforce.[4][5]
The ideology of the Nationalist Front centers on a desire for a white ethnostate. The groups participated in the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.[6] Earlier in the year, it organized the white supremacist rally in Pikeville, Kentucky, which attracted 100 to 125 supporters.[7] The coalition and its member groups, were considered extremist organizations.[8]
After the Unite the Right rally, two lawsuits targeting 21 racist "alt-right" and hate group leaders, including the National Socialist Movement and its leader at the time, Jeff Schoep, as well as the Traditionalist Worker Party were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia and another lawsuit was filed in Virginia Circuit Court.[9]
The Nationalist Front was a key organizer of the "White Lives Matter" rally in Shelbyville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on October 28, 2017. In 2021, there were subsequent White Lives Matter rallies in a number of cities, including New York City, Philadelphia, and Fort Worth, Texas.
In February 2018, the Traditionalist Worker Party dissolved, causing the Nationalist Front to fall apart.[10][11]
Membership
edit- National Socialist Movement
- Ku Klux Klan
- Traditionalist Worker Party (now defunct)
- League of the South (2017–2018) [12]
- Vanguard America (splintered into Patriot Front)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "America's dark underbelly: I watched the rise of white nationalism | World news | The Guardian". TheGuardian.com. March 4, 2019. Archived from the original on March 4, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ "Meet the Aryan Nationalist Alliance - A Racist Hodepodge Doomed To Fail" Archived July 25, 2020, at the Wayback Machine Southern Poverty Law Center.
- ^ "National Socialist Movement/Nationalist Front Anti-Defamation League
- ^ Staff (August 8, 2017) "Nationalist Front Limps in 2016" Southern Poverty Law Center
- ^ Allison, Natalie (October 25, 2017) "4 extremist groups that will be part of weekend's White Lives Matter rallies", USA Today
- ^ Smith IV, Jacck (October 11, 2017) "White nationalist alliance plans 'White Lives Matter' rally for Tennessee" Mic.com
- ^ Staff (October 24, 2017) "White Supremacist Nationalist Front Plans Rallies in Tennessee", Anti-Defamation League blog
- ^ Allison, Natalie. "White Lives Matter rally: Who are the groups involved, and what do they believe?". Retrieved June 26, 2020.
- ^ "Six More Defendants Settle Lawsuit Brought After "Unite the Right" Rally". Georgetown Law. May 16, 2018. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ "You are being redirected..." www.adl.org. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
- ^ "National Socialist Movement". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- ^ "League of the South secedes from the Nationalist Front". August 22, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2018.