antifa atl – Page 12 – Atlanta Antifascists

Updates on February 2nd “Rock Stone Mountain II” White Supremacist Rally

On the day before the Superbowl, February 2nd, Klansmen and neo-Nazis plan to hold a “Rock Stone Mountain II” rally at Stone Mountain Park outside Atlanta. We have written about this white power event extensively since it was announced, providing an overview of the blatantly white supremacist rally, highlighting racists listed as “going” on the Facebook event page, and covering Stone Mountain Park’s denial of a permit for the rally. Stone Mountain Park’s decision has not deterred the “Rock Stone Mountain II” organizers. Here, we provide updates on “Rock Stone Mountain” organizing since the Park issued their decision in early November.

“Rock Stone Mountain” page recruits for League of the South, a violent white power organization

Continue reading “Updates on February 2nd “Rock Stone Mountain II” White Supremacist Rally”

Hapeville, GA: Neo-Nazi “Rock Stone Mountain” Organizer Exposed to Community

On the evening of January 8th, anti-fascists placed posters in Hapeville, Georgia to warn residents of John Michael Estes and Jennette Estes, white supremacists living in their neighborhood. John Michael Estes is a fervent neo-Nazi and the main organizer of the upcoming “Rock Stone Mountain II” rally at Stone Mountain Park outside Atlanta, which is scheduled to take place February 2nd.

In addition to placing posters, anti-fascists mailed two hundred flyers to residents, business owners and places of worship in the area, further exposing John Michael Estes and his wife as white supremacist organizers.

Flyer about John Michael Estes and Jennette Bayly Estes (click to download)

John Michael Estes was radicalized by reading materials from the notorious Aryan Nations supremacist group while in prison. Estes organizes closely with Klan leaders and networks with members of the Hammerskin gang, a group that has a thirty-year history of extreme racist violence. Online, Estes has circulated an image that appears to glorify sniper attacks against Jewish people. He is also flagrant about his hatred of Black people.

Estes was one of the main organizers of the initial Rock Stone Mountain Klan/neo-Nazi rally at Stone Mountain Park in April 2016, which met with heavy anti-racist opposition. Estes is currently organizing a follow-up white supremacist rally at Stone Mountain, scheduled for February 2nd, the day before the Superbowl. Despite Stone Mountain Park denying a permit to “Rock Stone Mountain II,” the white supremacists are still vowing to rally at the Park that day. They will be met with a large anti-racist mobilization.

The Hapeville community deserves to know that those organizing for race war live hidden among them. By exposing the Estes household, we hope the community will be better prepared to keep themselves safe. This small action also complements the much broader mobilization against Rock Stone Mountain II.

In a November 2018 broadcast promoting “Rock Stone Mountain II,” John Michael Estes identified himself as an “equipment operator at a scrapyard” and “the boss of my own area.” If you have further information on this workplace, or any other details on John or Jennette Estes, please get in contact.

For all our articles on John Michael Estes’ organizing, see here.

For more information about mobilizations against “Rock Stone Mountain II” on February 2nd, see the FLOWER (FrontLine Organization Working to End Racism) website: flowerunited.org

Get Your Life Back on Track: Ditch White Nationalism

To any fascists, white nationalists, or others on the edges of these movements who read our blog:

This past year has seen “Traditionalist” Matthew Heimbach violently attack his wife and his father-in-law after being caught in an affair. Plenty of lower-profile flameouts and backstabbings filled out the calendar, and some of you — like Douglass Mackey or Erin Willey — had careers destroyed entirely by their own side, with no help from antifascists. You may be realizing that the white nationalist movement fails to live up to its promises and that its leaders can’t manage even the bare minimum when it comes to healthy interpersonal relationships. This is not simply a problem of a few individuals, but a pattern that has been clear for decades.

This is what being a white nationalist does to you.

The movement will take your time and energy for a while, and in return give you a transitory sense of belonging, but eventually it will spit you out in a far worse position than you were before. Think about your life: do you trust those around you to be true friends and support you? Or will they betray your trust, or dox you through their incompetence?

In the spirit of the New Year, we invite you to step away from white nationalism. You don’t have to keep doing this to yourself. People leave white nationalism all the time. Although the first step might not be easy, many report that the journey away from hate is rewarding and deeply fulfilling. We strongly encourage you to get in contact with a group such as Free Radicals to talk to former white nationalists and discuss how to get your life back on track. To be clear, we have no direct relationship with Free Radicals, we just know they do good work.

We don’t go after people for their pasts. If it’s clear that you’ve left white nationalism behind, we’ll leave you alone. Just send us an email with an account of your time in the movement as a token of good faith/sincerity (what you’ve done, with what organizations, etc.), be ready to answer some follow-up questions, and make clear in your actions going forward that you’ve left white nationalism behind. That’s all. We can’t speak for anyone else you may have harmed, but we don’t get in the way of people trying to do better by themselves and others.

Let 2019 be a better year. Reach out for support, and if you’re in our region, shoot us a message to let us know about your decision.

Exposing Joshua Bates (AKA “Brandon Hitt”), Georgia Participant in “The Base”

Update 12/10/2018: Since the publication of this article, Joshua Bates has made a series of public statements renouncing the white supremacist movement and his past. We hope Bates’ statements are sincere. Only time will tell.

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A network of anti-fascist activists from coast to coast have obtained the chat logs of a neo-Nazi organization calling itself “The Base.” Anti-fascists infiltrated the Base in order to investigate and identify its members and disseminate this information to the public.

In an ongoing series of articles, the coordinating anti-fascist network will publish revealing information about this group and profile its members. You can follow all these articles by following the hashtag #DeBasedDoxx.

Anti-fascism is fundamentally a localized movement of working-class peoples. We are not paid for our work and we take great risks every day: not for fame or money, but to protect our communities.

Email the network at [email protected] with your tips or inquiries.

As part of an ongoing anti-fascist research series on a neo-Nazi paramilitary group called “The Base”, we are exposing The Base member “Brandon Hitt” as Joshua Brandon Bates of Grovetown, Columbia County, Georgia. Joshua Bates’ involvement in The Base is notable because Bates is a well-connected participant in the Alt-Right, especially through his work as a web developer and his writing under the alias “Jossur Surtrson”. Bates was active in The Base’s online chats from late September until his sudden disappearance from the server in mid-November.

About The Base

The Base is a white supremacist networking platform which aims to prepare for and accelerate the balkanization of the United States, and to carve out whites-only states under such a scenario. The Base’s platform offers members several manuals about weapons and planning terrorist attacks. As discussed in an earlier article in this series, members of The Base “operate in regional cells of 3-7 people which include current and former military personnel, eco-fascists, preppers, and youth under the age of 18 who have been drawn into the online communities of Nazism.” While it is not clear whether the reference is deliberate, it should be pointed out that “Al Qaeda” translates to “The Base” in English. Continue reading “Exposing Joshua Bates (AKA “Brandon Hitt”), Georgia Participant in “The Base””

Permit Denied to White Supremacist “Rock Stone Mountain II” Rally

Citing safety concerns and potential disruption to services at their Park, the Stone Mountain Memorial Association has denied a permit to the “Rock Stone Mountain II” white power rally advertised for February 2, 2019. However, at the time of writing Rock Stone Mountain organizers have not publicly canceled their event. Since it is possible that the event’s Klan and white supremacist organizers may try to proceed without a permit or make other plans for the day, we are still asking all anti-racists and community allies to be ready to respond on February 2.

This image was posted to the Rock Stone Mountain Facebook page on November 11 after Stone Mountain Park denied the permit application for their rally, suggesting that organizers may still be making plans.

In denying the permit for February 2, 2019, the Memorial Association cited anti-racist protest at the park during the initial “Rock Stone Mountain” of April 2016. Continue reading “Permit Denied to White Supremacist “Rock Stone Mountain II” Rally”

Racist Southern Secessionist is Republican Party Precinct Chairman for East Ellijay, Georgia

Dana Kyle Jeffares of Ellijay, Georgia – more commonly known as Kyle Jeffares – is currently listed on the Gilmer County Republican Party website as Precinct Chairman for the nearby city of East Ellijay. Kyle Jeffares is a Southern secessionist and a racist, who is connected to the broader white power movement. Online, Jeffares makes clear his hatred of Black people, Jewish people, Muslims, immigrants and LGBTQ individuals.

Jeffares’ role with his local Republican Party is fairly low-ranking. However, he presents an excellent example of how white nationalists become active in the GOP at a local level, often taking on roles that few others want. Continue reading “Racist Southern Secessionist is Republican Party Precinct Chairman for East Ellijay, Georgia”

“Rock Stone Mountain II” White Supremacist Rally Scheduled for February 2, 2019 Outside Atlanta

Klansmen, neo-Nazis and white supremacists have announced their plan for a “resistance” rally at Stone Mountain Park outside Atlanta on February 2, 2019. The rally – “Rock Stone Mountain II” – is a sequel to the white power “Rock Stone Mountain” rally organized in April 2016 at the Park. In 2016, the organizers’ goal to have a white supremacist show of force was undermined by a multifaceted anti-racist mobilization of hundreds of counter-protestors. The white supremacists brought out just dozens, who were kept inside a police pen.

Anti-racists are again calling for a mass presence at Stone Mountain Park on February 2, to oppose the Klan and white supremacist organizing. Rock Stone Mountain II’s racist organizers hope to fare better than they did in 2016. The white nationalist rampage in Charlottesville, 2017 shows the danger of allowing organized racist movements to grow. It is crucial that we defend our communities and stand against them.

Rallying against the racists, Stone Mountain Park, April 2016

Continue reading ““Rock Stone Mountain II” White Supremacist Rally Scheduled for February 2, 2019 Outside Atlanta”

Who Are the White Supremacists Attending February’s “Rock Stone Mountain II” Rally?

Is the upcoming “Rock Stone Mountain II” rally about “resistance to communism” as its current Facebook event page claims, or is it an overt white supremacist gathering? This article highlights a dozen individuals who marked themselves as “going” to the “Rock Stone Mountain” event outside Atlanta, which is scheduled for February 2nd, 2019. Although there is no guarantee that everyone listed will attend, looking at those who plan to show up gives a clear indication of the rally’s white supremacist and extreme-Right character.

We used two Facebook “going” lists for Rock Stone Mountain II for this article. First, we used the list of people who said they were “going” on the current Facebook event page. We also downloaded the “going” list for an earlier Rock Stone Mountain II event page, which was eventually deleted by Facebook. We used this earlier list as a source for the last few names discussed in this article.

Listed as “Going” on the Current “Rock Stone Mountain II” Facebook Event

John Michael Estes

John Michael Estes (Note that “88” on shirt is alphanumeric code for “H.H.” or “Heil Hitler.”)

John Michael Estes is the primary organizer for “Rock Stone Mountain II”, just as he was for the first “Rock Stone Mountain” in 2016. We have already discussed Estes’ worldview in an earlier article written before the first Rock Stone Mountain rally. Estes is a white supremacist who was radicalized by ordering books from the Aryan Nations while in prison. Estes has since that time moved through a variety of white power circles, from racist “Christian Identity” religion (which believes that whites are God’s true chosen people) to racially-charged versions of Odinism. Continue reading “Who Are the White Supremacists Attending February’s “Rock Stone Mountain II” Rally?”

New Video: Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, it’s Time to Stand Against Lynching Threats and White Power Organizing

We have produced a new video about Casey Jordan Cooper, a white power leader who is studying to become a lawyer at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School (AJMLS). Cooper made explicit lynching threats against a Black activist in Atlanta and is active in the Identity Evropa racist organization. AJMLS has known about this situation for over a year and a half. Despite outcry and extensive documentation, the school refuses to take the matter seriously.

New video: tell Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School to stand against racist intimidation

In March 2017, we published an article first bringing Cooper’s racist agitation and lynching threats to the attention of AJMLS. In August of that year, we published a 500+ page dossier on Cooper’s white power efforts. We continued documenting Casey Cooper’s central involvement in the metro Atlanta white nationalist scene into 2018 and will continue for as long as he remains active. Our latest article reveals that Cooper led the “ATL-Right” umbrella grouping for white nationalists in our area and discusses the support which Cooper has received from Sam Dickson, a notorious white nationalist leader in Atlanta.

We also revealed that Cooper praised violence at the “Unite the Right” racist torchlit march in August 2017, claiming that the attacks on students, anti-racists and community members “struck fear into the hearts of our opposition”.

Here is an earlier call to action around Cooper and AJMLS, including a sample script for phone calls.

Please contact Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School today to express your concern.

AJMLS main number: (678) 916-2600

Dean Malcolm L. Morris: (678) 916-2603, [email protected]

Finally, click here for an email sent by Dean Malcolm Morris to AJMLS students, staff, faculty, and alumni in 2017, sent shortly after the bloody “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA. Morris reminds AJMLS students that they have taken an oath “to serve without prejudice.” He also states that “Speech and actions that harass or threaten the well-being of others will not be countenanced” and promises that any allegation of “a violation of these policies will be investigated thoroughly, and if proven true, appropriate action will be taken.”

Examine our articles and the documentation supplied above. Ask yourself whether Dean Morris’ words are consistent with a year and a half of inaction, brushing off community concerns about white power organizing and explicit death threats, even as AJMLS markets itself as welcoming ethnic diversity. The time for AJMLS to act is overdue.

Share the video on social media and within your organization. If you have more information about Casey Cooper’s white power organizing or the attitude of his for-profit law school, please get in touch.

Georgia Sacred Knights KKK Members Rebranding as Soldiers of Odin

Update 11/4/2018: the Soldiers of Odin “Heiðinn Division” has now broken from S.O.O. international leadership in Finland.

Members of the Sacred Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Georgia are now claiming state leadership of the “Soldiers of Odin,” a far-Right anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim organization. The Soldiers of Odin (SOO) formed in 2015 in Finland, but have now spread to other European countries, to Australia, to Canada (the Québec group remains affiliated with Finland, while other groups have distanced themselves from Finnish leadership), and – despite initial growing pains in this country – to the United States.

The Soldiers of Odin, known for their anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim street patrols, claim not to be “a MC [motorcycle club], criminal organization or a Nazi group!” However, the founder of the Soldiers of Odin in Finland was convicted of a racist attack in 2005 and is a supporter of the Nordic Resistance Movement, whose politics are neo-Nazi. Finnish SOO leadership is clear that white supremacists are welcome within their organization’s ranks. The US division we discuss in this article is answerable to SOO leadership in Finland.

The Sacred Knights KKK members now serving as Georgia state leaders for the Soldiers of Odin are part of “Soldiers of Odin – Heiðinn Division”. The SOO “Heiðinn Division” in the United States was founded by a murderer who was released from prison last year. In this article we will provide more information about the SOO “Heiðinn Division” and its Missouri-based leader; about the Soldiers of Odin Georgia chapter president and its vice president; and finally, about another white supremacist affiliated with SOO in Georgia.

L-R: SOO “Heiðinn Division” founder Strider Rögnirhár AKA Gabriel Saraceno; Georgia SOO participants Joey Hobbs, Brandon Smith and Terrance Sellars. Continue reading “Georgia Sacred Knights KKK Members Rebranding as Soldiers of Odin”