Note 4/17/2018: due to interest, start time for April 21 #NoNaziNewnan protest moved forward 1/2 hour. Post also updated with a meeting point for Newnan.
Neo-Nazis often believe that smaller cities (such as Newnan) will be more receptive to their racist message, and that they can come in and recruit. Let’s show the Nazis that they’re wrong and that they are not welcome!
Gather in Newnan, 1:30PM, April 21st at the corner of Jackson & Clark St. Follow Atlanta Antifascists’ social media and the #nonazinewnan hashtag for updates.
On his “Pax Americana” Youtube channel, white nationalist Charles Bradley Tinsley of Barnesville jokes about putting Jews in ovens, expounds his philosophy of “neo-fascism”, talks about his latest guns, and stews in hatred of leftists and people of color. Tinsley is an explicit white nationalist, working towards an all-white ethno-state. He claims that democracy has failed and that it is time for there to be “order and militarism” at the foundation of society. He often ends his rants with the Nazi salute of “Hail Victory,” on occasion adding “keep your guns loaded and your blades sharp.”
Charles Bradley TinsleyTinsley’s now-deleted @AFN_P Twitter account initially used his real name
According to his broadcasts, Charles Tinsley studies electrical engineering at a local college. (He once vowed to drop out, but this never happened.) In a Discord chat server linked to “The American Nationalist” Youtube channel (a rebranding of “Surfing the Kali Yuga”) and TheThirdPosition website, Tinsley claimed that he would place posters for white power/fascist organizations the Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) and Patriot Front (PF) on a local college campus. Based on Tinsley’s location, we assume this to be Gordon State College, not far from Tinsley’s family home. Tinsley does not appear to be a formal member of the PF or the (now-unravelling) TWP, although Tinsley clearly admires the activity of both organizations. (PF and TWP do not have a history of mutual respect, an indication of Tinsley’s organizing acumen.)
Charles Tinsley, using the alias “Not a FED” on Discord, comments about placing fascist propaganda on a local campus.
More disturbing are Tinsley’s recurring bloody fantasies. Frustrated at Twitter and Facebook policies that led to bans on the platforms, Tinsley / “Not a FED” stated on the same Discord server that “somebody needs to take out the f *** k[**]es running these God damn places and Fire Bomb the s[hit] out of the f** Twitter and Facebook offices you start shooting motherfuckers [sic].”
Tinsley / “Not a FED” argues for violence on Discord
Tinsley is not any more restrained on Youtube, where he operates the “Pax Americana” channel. Speaking about “narrative-spinning” journalists who do not report on things Tinsley believes should be reported, Tinsley states “they should be hung in my opinion” (2/18/2018 broadcast).
Following the February mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school, Tinsley lost his cool in a broadcast and stated that “I don’t give a fuck about this teenager […] They need to shut the fuck up” in reference to Stoneman Douglas High School students speaking out after the massacre (who Tinsley believed were not giving others enough time to grieve by saying something.) Tinsley referred to survivors as “little teenagers that are indoctrinated by the system” and stated that there is no solution other than “let them get shot at” because “if you try to take preemptive measures they’ll call you a racist, they’ll call you some type of phobic, and they’ll bitch and cry.”
Tinsley believes that the alleged “destruction of the family unit” by the Left is the true cause of school shootings. We believe Tinsley’s words indicate an extremely volatile personality:
“You commie fucks are too weak to have a functioning society because someone’s feels [feelings] might get hurt […] Everybody in this fuckin’ country will have to die before I give up my guns peacefully.”
From what we have seen, Tinsley does not seem to be a particularly dynamic organizer for his cause. However, since Tinsley claims to be spreading propaganda for white power groups in his area and regularly issues disturbing fantasies about violence, we believe that those who live near him or attend college with him should know what is going on. Feel free to contact us if you have more information on Charley Bradley Tinsley and his activity around Barnesville.
Anti-racists have discovered that Donovan Stai – currently a senior at Whitewater High School in Fayetteville, Georgia – worked throughout 2017 as state leader for Vanguard America, a self-proclaimed “fascist” organization whose website rants about “bloodthirsty negroes” and “Jewish puppet masters.” As a state leader for Vanguard America, Stai propagandized via the “Vanguard Georgia” Twitter account, he assisted with the group’s internal organization, and he participated in campaigns of coordinated harassment. Stai has signaled support for violence and even murder on behalf of his neo-Nazi cause. Given the number of murders committed by neo-Nazis and white supremacists over the last year, we believe that Stai’s embrace of racist violence should concern the community.
Donovan Stai used several different accounts for white power organizing. The first account is Stai’s personal Twitter account @hldisL which was created in March 2015. This account lasted until mid-December 2017, when Twitter removed many Vanguard America accounts. @hldisL used various names on this account, such as “Goebbels Jr” (a reference to the Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels), “See Kyle” (which sounds like “Sieg Heil” when said aloud), “Sceneablist”, and earlier in the account’s life “Donovan Hawks” and “Donovan Stai”. In the beginning @hldisL promoted anti-feminist and libertarian themes, but it became increasingly radical and racist as time passed. A backup account, @JosephRedRay / “Col. Raymond” was established in January 2017 – by that time the content was explicitly racist, antisemitic, and Alt-Right (that backup account was also suspended in 2017.)
@hldisL account in June 2015, using the name “Donovan Stai”@hldisL account in 2017 featuring Vanguard America logo superimposed on a Confederate battle flag
For a .pdf archive from Donovan Stai’s @hldisL, @JosephRedRay, and @GaVanguard accounts on Twitter, click here (or follow the link at the end of this article).
In August 2016, @hldisL posted this self-portrait to his account. While the face is obscured, it is consistent with Donovan Stai’s appearance.
Although both Stai’s personal @hldisL twitter as well the Vanguard Georgia account were removed by Twitter in December 2017, there is no sign that Stai has distanced himself from Vanguard America or the white power movement since that time. We now examine some of Donovan Stai’s activity more closely.
While the arson proposal and the Dylann Roof insignia comment from Stai may not have been meant literally, they nevertheless communicated a clear message to his peers: attacks on synagogues and the murder of Black churchgoers are all funny, and these acts may be something to emulate. When diehard racists rile each other up with these sorts of comments, the result is that further acts of violence become more likely.
Image posted by Donovan Stai / “The Don GA” celebrating white supremacist murder in Charlottesville, Virginia, August 2017
Active Harassment
At times, Donovan Stai moved from celebrating racist intimidation and violence, to actively participating in harassment. For example, the Vanguard Georgia Twitter account circulated the personal information of (or “doxxed”) Georgetown University Professor Dr. C. Christine Fair on May 22, 2017. The post linking to Fair’s personal information was also retweeted by Stai’s @hldisL account. At the time, Christine Fair was being harassed by white nationalists due to her confronting racist “Alt-Right” leader Richard Spencer at her Alexandria, Virginia gym, which then ended Spencer’s membership .
Online harassment by Donovan Stai against C. Christine Fair
Donovan Stai sends an animated strobe-light image to Kurt Eichenwald, March 2017. Stai’s follow-up comment shows that he clearly hoped to cause an epileptic seizure.
Due to his neo-Nazi ideology, his comments glorifying intimidation and even murder, and his history of harassment, we believe that community members should be warned about Donovan Stai. After graduation, Donovan Stai hopes to become an emergency medical technician or a firefighter. We believe that Stai should not be allowed to infiltrate these professions. People of Color or Jewish people should not be forced to trust their lives to a member of a neo-Nazi group.
Was Donovan Stai Influenced by White Power Teacher at Whitewater High School?
Since Joshua Hitson’s time as a white nationalist teacher at Whitewater High School overlaps with Donovan Stai’s time there as a student, this suggests several interesting questions. Did Joshua David Hitson play a role in Donovan Stai’s radicalization, or politically mentor Stai in any way? Did Joshua Hitson and Donovan Stai organize together on white nationalist projects?
At present, we do not have enough information to draw definite conclusions. We do know that Joshua Hitson’s “Contrarian Gent” Twitter was one of the first accounts followed by Stai’s “Vanguard Georgia”. Donovan Stai also used his personal Twitter accounts (@hldisL and @JosephRedRay) to retweet “Contrarian Gent” / Hitson. These close online associations suggest that Hitson and Stai may have coordinated politically offline also. If you have more information about Donovan Stai’s racist organizing, including any further links to Joshua David Hitson, we would like to hear from you.
Joshua David Hitson’s @ContrarianGent Twitter account was one of the very first followed by Vanguard Georgia / @gavanguard
Unlike most of our posts, this one is addressed to our readers within fascist and white nationalist movements. We know you check this blog from time to time.
The New Year is traditionally a time for new beginnings, when we resolve to make positive changes in our lives. The white nationalist movement is a threat to marginalized communities and working class movements, but ultimately it also harms its own participants. Some people are doubtlessly looking back at their involvement in organized white nationalism in 2017 — comparing that movement’s false promises with its actual results — and are now considering getting out. Have your career goals, interpersonal relationships and general well-being really improved since you became involved in the movement? If they haven’t, keep in mind that “the red pill” isn’t the magical, irreversible transformation that your leaders pretend. “Red pill magic” is just their convenient concept to keep the donations flowing. People can and do leave your movements all the time, and many have already left this year. You may have already noticed the decrease in online engagement.
We cannot promise that leaving your movement will be easy, but it will always be the best decision in the long term. Our organization does not have the capacity to mentor and counsel those leaving the white nationalist movement, but fortunately organizations such as Exit USA exist. Reach out to them.
We promise to leave former white nationalists alone, once it is clear that they have sincerely left the movement. There is a time-honored way of establishing with our group that you have abandoned organized racism: simply send us an email, provide an account of your time in the movement (what you did, with what people, when), and be willing to answer some follow-up questions. We want to facilitate your exit. If there are other parties you have injured while in the movement, we cannot accept ammends on their behalf. But we will make sure that our group places no hurdles in your way as you make a positive change in your life.
For a better 2018, reach out for support as you leave the movement. If you are in our region, send us a message with the good news.
On November 4, the Leftist anti-Trump organization Refuse Fascism held protests in several major US cities, including Atlanta. Refuse Fascism is a national mobilization spearheaded by the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP), a Maoist group that dates to the 1970s. Through building on widespread disgust towards the Trump regime, Refuse Fascism has engaged some numbers beyond the RCP’s cadre of organizers. Peaceful mass rallies on November 4 were supposed to usher in a wave of protest to “drive out the Trump/Pence regime,” although the details of getting from A to B were hazy.
In the end, the November 4 call to action captured the imagination of the far-Right just as much — if not more — than it did working class people fed up with Trump’s rule (or even other Leftist organizers.) On widely-circulated social media posts, YouTube videos and stories on Right-wing websites, the November 4th protests were portrayed as an “antifa” plot to usher in civil war, with likely mass violence that day. As nonsensical as November 4 conspiracy theories were, many on the far-Right paid attention and believed them. Just as the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory led to a true believer firing shots in a restaurant, some observers began to worry that “antifa” “civil war” hype could lead to real violence from people determined to play hero against an imaginary threat.
While “Refuse Fascism” and “antifascists” include variants on the same term, “antifa” groups such as our organization were generally not involved in November 4 planning or promotion — a point that seems to have been missed by portions of media, even though a quick glance at our social media could have cleared up any confusion.
In Atlanta on the evening of the 4th, Refuse Fascism rallied in Little Five Points, attracting several dozen to their protest. Large amounts of police staged nearby. A group of counter-protesters waved an American flag catty-corner from the Refuse Fascism event. Other Right-wing individuals moved within in or infiltrated the Refuse Fascism crowd. Heavy rains brought the entire spectacle to an early end. There were no clashes.
The remainder of this article sets out which far-Right forces did and did not show up for the anticlimactic “civil war” in Atlanta.
Far-Right counter-protesters plus cops aplenty, catty-corner from Little Five Points “Refuse Fascism” protest
Justin Burger (Douglasville, Georgia), Ian Booton (Gibson, GA) and University of Central Florida Student Simon Michael Dickerman in Far-Right Flash Protest at Burnette Chapel
On Sunday, October 29, white nationalists held a five-person flash protest outside the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, Tennessee (about twenty minutes from Nashville.) A month earlier, gunman Emanuel Kidega Samson targeted Burnette Chapel, killing one congregation member and wounding seven more. A note left in the shooter’s car allegedly mentioned Dylann Roof, the white supremacist responsible for 2015 massacre at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. White nationalists have now seized on the Burnette Chapel shooting for propaganda purposes, for a couple of reasons. First, the mention of Dylann Roof in the note left in Samson’s vehicle could be used to build a “revenge” narrative around the Antioch shooting — a narrative which is helpful to white nationalists. Second, Emanuel Samson was born in Sudan but spent most of his life in the United States. Far-Right commentators such as Alabama-based League of the South publicist/“Alt-South” blogger Bradley Dean Griffin have seized upon the Antioch shooting to increase racist and anti-immigrant sentiment. The shooting is also useful to white nationalists because it can be used to draw false equivalencies and to deflect attention from their own movement’s role in radicalizing Charleston murderer Dylann Roof.
White nationalists outnumbered in Shelbyville, Tennessee, October 28, 2017
Traditionalist Worker Party shields, Shelbyville October 28
Throughout the weekend of the “White Lives Matter” rally, rumors swirled that Nationalist Front members would show up in Antioch and hold a protest outside Burnette Chapel. However, no such protest occurred on Friday. On Saturday in Shelbyville, racist organizers announced an evening presence at the Antioch church, but this event was eventually cancelled just as the Murfreesboro demonstration had been earlier. However, the next morning, a handful of militant racists showed up outside Burnette Chapel with a banner, until the arrival of police shooed them away. The flash protest was documented by Newsweek correspondent Michael Hayden. By showing up at a church that had already experienced trauma and violence, the white nationalists made it even plainer that their movement does not care about the Burnette Chapel congregation. The racist movement just hoped to exploit a tragedy for its own agenda.
The five white nationalist protesters outside Burnette Chapel on Sunday stated to Newsweek that they were part of Identity Evropa, a racist organization that focuses on college-aged recruits. However, Identity Evropa leader Elliott Kline (AKA “Eli Mosley”) has denied that the five demonstrators in Antioch were members, claiming instead that they were “trolling” by mentioning Identity Evropa as their organization. Surprisingly, Kline seems to be correct. One of the white power protesters outside Burnette Chapel has been identified by Nebraska antifascists as Daniel Kleve of the Vanguard America, which unlike Identity Evropa is affiliated with the Nationalist Front. Although one of the Antioch, Tennessee protesters (who gave her name as “Leah”) remains unidentified, we have identified the remaining three as Justin Lamar Burger of Douglasville, Georgia; Ian Mathis George Booton of Gibson, Georgia; and University of Central Florida student Simon Michael Dickerman. Similarly to Daniel Kleve of Nebraska, Burger, Booton, and Dickerman traveled from out-of-state to participate in the “White Lives Matter” demonstration.
Justin Burger (L) and Ian Booton (R) outside Burnette Chapel in Antioch, Tennessee, October 29, 2017. Photo courtesy of Michael E Hayden.
L-R: Tyler Tenbrink, William Fears and Colton Fears
A planning document for Richard Spencer’s visit — which anti-racists accessed and which we are now publishing in full — suggests that the would-be killers from Texas were not mere supporters of Richard Spencer, but traveled to campus as part of Spencer’s operational plan for the day. The operational document also reveals details such as there being an after-party for Alt-Right militants who assisted with the Gainesville event, and that Spencer and other “VIPs” planned dinner with donors while visiting the city.
The operational plan developed for Gainesville by Richard Spencer’s closest associates reveals coordination with both the University of Florida and police, with both parties described by the Alt-Right racists as “cooperating.” According to the plans distributed to staff at Spencer’s National Policy Institute, The Patriot Front, an openly fascist organization, was a key organization participating in the racist “Task Force” for Gainesville. The planning document appears to have made plans for larger numbers of white nationalists than showed up, again pointing to Gainesville as a flop for Richard Spencer’s movement. This defeat happened at a time when the racist “Alt-Right” is desperate for any sort of win, in the aftermath of the bloody and disastrous “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville this August.
The “Operation Gator” document mentions that white nationalists had plans for a “flash mob” in the event that University of Florida cancelled Spencer’s speech — with racists showing up elsewhere on campus or in Gainesville to make their presence felt (with predictable intimidation and likely targeted violence). In actuality, Spencer did not have his speech cancelled by the University but rather cut it short himself after being humiliated by the student/community mobilization. The “Operation Gator” plan stated that participants ought not bring guns. However, it was in the context of political defeat (but not any University cancellation) that some of Spencer’s allies attempted to settle scores with anti-racists, nearly committing a murder.
Within a week from the sign being removed, Evan Anderson sold his building in Lakewood. Sun Rising LLC/Anderson still owns nearby lots in that neighborhood as well as other property in Atlanta.
Evan Anderson and the May 13, 2017 Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
Evan Anderson books Pen Park in Charlottesville for a “Marketing Network Group Dinner” — actually a white power rally.
It is unsurprising that Evan Anderson supplied an Alexandria, Virginia address on this paperwork, since Anderson has posted to social media about spending time near Washington, DC (and has helped with National Policy Institute conferences in DC.)
August Twitter post from “Evan Thomas” about spending time in Washington, DC (picture now deleted.)
Since the early 2000s, Atlanta white nationalist attorney Sam Dickson has been accumulating property in Atlanta, making a profit from gentrification and rising property values in our city. Dickson has built a “multi-million dollar business” from purchasing unpaid tax debts, then using them as leverage to obtain properties at bargain prices. Dickson has focused on property in South Atlanta, often in neighborhoods that are historically Black and working class. Dickson has been accused of “bullying” tactics to gain title.
Georgia attorney Samuel Glasgow Dickson has been a major figure on the racist far-Right since the 1970s. In 1978, Dickson campaigned for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia on a segregationist platform, receiving 11% of the vote. A lawyer since 1972, Dickson was known for representing Klansmen. Dickson participated in organizations such as the World Anti-Communist League (which included war criminals and far-Right terrorists) as well as the Council of Conservative Citizens (which traces back to the segregationist White Citizens’ Councils.) Dickson was active in Holocaust-denial circles – he published “Revisionist” materials and hosted events in Atlanta. Holocaust-denier David Irving spent time at Dickson’s property in Key West, Florida while facing criminal charges in Europe.
In 1994, Dickson gave a talk at the first American Renaissance conference, a suit-and-tie-style white nationalist gathering. Dickson has presented at every American Renaissance conference since then. He is also a regular speaker at the “Alt-Right” gatherings of the National Policy Institute. Predictably, Dickson was a speaker at the “Atlanta Forum” gathering in Marietta, Georgia this January, which brought together racist Southern nationalists and “Alt-Right” white nationalists. When Auburn University in Alabama tried to cancel an appearance by white power leader Richard Spencer of the National Policy Institute, Dickson filed a lawsuit so the event could go ahead. Dickson gave a talk when white nationalists assembled in mass in Charlottesville, Virginia on May 13, 2017 – the white nationalists’ evening event was reminiscent of Klan ceremonies. Sam Dickson was again in Charlottesville for the bloody “Unite the Right” far-Right rally on August 12, 2017, where white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. murdered anti-racist Heather Heyer and wounded over a dozen more in a car attack.
Sam Dickson holding megaphone at white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, May 13, 2017. “Alt-Right” leaders Richard Spencer, Nathan Damigo and Mike Peinovich (“Mike Enoch”) also visible in photo.
While staying active on the white power scene, Dickson has spent over a decade and a half buying up land around Atlanta, frequently using tax liens he has purchased to encourage property owners to sell low. When areas are redeveloped, Dickson stands to profit. Predictably, other white nationalists and far-Right figures now have their names on Fulton County property records, operating at various degrees of proximity or separation from Dickson himself. Continue reading ““Right-Wing Gentrification Gangs”: White Nationalists and Atlanta Property Development”
Neo-Nazis often believe that smaller cities (such as Newnan) will be more receptive to their racist message, and that they can come in and recruit. Let’s show the Nazis that they’re wrong and that they are not welcome!
