Commentary |Analysis
Vice News recently reported that two Nazi groups are planning a Florida rally sometime in the coming months. The rally is billed as a Unity Event that aims to attract new followers and members.
The two groups are the Blood Tribe (BT) and the Goyim Defense League (GDL,) both of which have been grabbing headlines across the United States.
In March, reports stated that the Anti-Defamation League, an anti-hate organization founded in 1913, estimated that antisemtic attacks rose 36% in 2022. There were 269 attacks reported out of Florida.
As shown by statistics, today’s social climate sees a collective rise of antisemitism and violent attacks against Jews, aggressive protests at drag shows, and continued racism against the African diaspora community and other minorities. Due to this incline in attacks, particularly in Florida, the impending duel Nazist rally is significant.
Note on the First Amendment
America is proud of the First Amendment to the Constitution and the Freedom of Speech it affords us all. It is this fact that has allowed numerous rallies and demonstrations of this type to occur over the years. It's something that separates America from many other counties.
The question remains, however, at what point do hateful events like these become a public safety issue?
The answer lies in the Constitution itself:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances," states the United States Constitution, explaining that "peaceable" assemblies are those that are protected under the law.
To learn more about the United States Constitution, visit the Constitution Annontated, a Constitution annotation and legal context service provided by the United States Congress.
Political Controversy
The continued presence of Nazist rallies in Florida has led to political controversy in the state, with the opposition criticizing Florida Govenror Ron DeSantis for allowing violent demonstrations to continue. The opposition believes that DeSantis tolerates Nazists because they are also supporters of his political agenda, Rolling Stone wrote in an opinon published on July 26.
Associate Groups
By their own admission, the leaders of the two groups know each other and support each other’s mission. A simple search for Blood Tribe on the GDL’s website reveals that the site supports their violent form of “activism”. It's not uncommon for various groups holding similar Nazi ideology to get together to bond and exchange tactics.
Jon Minadeo, aka Handsome Truth, heads the GDL, while Christopher Pohlhaus, aka ”Hammer”heads the BT. These two might share the same hateful ideology but their background could not be more different. Minadeo is a failed actor.
Pohlhaus, originally from San Antonio, Texas, is an ex-Marine who has fully embraced white supremacy and Nazism.
All Nazis look the same, right?
While the GDL and BT share a common desire for a white ethno-state, as well as their common hatred of Jews and other minorities, publicly they present themselves quite differently. The Blood Tribe often wear red shirts, Black pants (a color palette known to be typically chosen for Nazist groups) and hide their faces.
The Goyim Defense League, on the other hand, tends to sometimes wear Hawaiian shirts or other themed t-shirts and don't look like typical Nazis. Don't be fooled. They gained popularity by harassing Jews IRL coming out of worship services, selling abhorrent Nazi-themed swag on their website, and the "Name the Nose" tour.
The GDL is primarily known for their harassment of Jews and various antisemitic stunts , distributing anti-Jewish flyers, antisemitic banner drops and a recent war they’re trying to wage against a Florida sheriff. The GDL continues to be active in multiple states, having recently been seen distributing flyers in California that continue to claim the Jews are responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic. They have distributed other conspiracy-theory based flyers throughout the United States.
According to a report by JNS, in January 2022, members of both NSM and the Goyim Defense League gathered in Orlando, Fla., and carried placards that read “Vax the Jews” and called Jews “the devil” and that “Jews rape children and drink their blood.” In Tampa. July 2023, they were the same group that marched with swastika flags.
Their website, called GoyimTV, is a “one stop shop” for hateful Nazi ideology and conspiracy theories. Minadeo can regularly be seen spewing his message of hate or trolling unsuspecting people. His trolling often amounts to verbally abusing and grooming children on social media platforms such as Omegle.
The Blood Tribe is an extreme, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ+, white-supremacist, Neo-Nazi group based in Ohio, with chapters throughout the US. They have gained recent notoriety recently by disrupting and intimidating drag and LGBTQ+ events. They are physically fit and, like other extremist groups, often referred to as "Active Clubs", they train in Mixed Martial Arts and military tactics.
Recent Group Activity
A Midwest chapter of the Blood Tribe recently disrupted a Wisconsin Pride event where this group of Nazis, some of them armed, waved swastika flags and chanted hate slogans. The same group protested a drag event in Ohio. These anti-drag and Pride demonstrations have helped put the Blood Tribe “on the map.”
Pohlhaus played a significant role in organizing actions where members displayed swastika flags and chanted hate slogans such as “There will be Blood, Blood, Blood!”
Chris Pohlhaus, and his membership, are friendly with the New England based Neo-Nazi group, NSC-131, which has publicly become more brazen in recent months. This is the same NSC group that worked alongside the GDL. Pohlhaus is also associated with January 6 rioter Riley June Williams.
BT recently attracted public attention after Pohlhaus purchased 10 acres of land in Maine. He has reported that he has approximately 100 acres now under construction. The land is to be used to create a whites-only community and training ground, where he can prepare future “white warriors” for the coming war against non-white society.
Pohlhaus told his Telegram followers:
"There will likely not be another chance in my lifetime to fight alongside other NS men against a multi-ethnic invading empire to defend an almost all white nation,” News Center Maine reported, citing the Southern Poverty Law Center.
He is not alone. Pohlhaus also talks about meeting with people involved in the Shield Wall Network which is a white nationalist group led by Billy Roper . Roper is also attempting to organize a white supremacist community in Arkansas called Ozarkia.
Raising Money For Hate Campaigns
Pohlhaus and Minadeo can be seen trying to raise money on their various social media platforms. They advertise T-shirts that can be worn at the rally as well as asking for monetary donations, often in the form of cryptocurrency.
Pohlhaus has a presence on various social media platforms including Telegram and Gab, as well as Odysee where he discusses various topics and engages which listeners on his All I’m Sayin’ channel. He can be heard on one of his streaming podcasts stating that his group is doing the majority of the “heavy lifting” in preparation for the Florida rally.
Close up screencapture of the All I’m Saying channel on Odysee
Polhaus is a popular guest on White Supremacist and Nazi social media such as “Heeb Watch Channel” and the “Eagle’s Nest” podcast on Odysee. Odysee is a video posting platform originally designed to offer less restriction on speech than major platforms such as YouTube, but has reportedly become increasingly popular with extremists who have been banned from other platforms. They are also attracted by Odysee’s cryptocurrency-based monetization program.
Close up on one of Polhaus’ social media accounts, written in Norse runes, a common language appropriated by Nazis.
Another avenue they are using to raise funds is GiveSendGo. GiveSendGo is considered by many to be the far-right Christian alternative to GoFundMe. Many opponents see this platform as responsible for funding hate.
Pohlhaus and other extremists have used the site to fund several of their activities, Counter Extermism Project analyzed. As of recent reports, Pohlhaus has raised approximately $3000.00 on the platform for the upcoming Florida rally.
Why Florida?
The GDL relocated to Florida which might account for its increased activities there.
Florida has been attracting extremists for quite a while. According to a 2019 report by WGCU, the numbers of individuals and extremist groups has been growing.
According to Axios reports, white supremacist and extremist groups as well as hate-related crimes have continued to rise in Florida since 2022. In addition to the GDL, new groups like White Lives Matter, Sunshine State Nationalists and Florida Nationalists have begun recruiting and demonstrating, while more established extremist Florida groups like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys have been shifting their focus to local politics.
Florida has been the site of other Nazi rallies and demonstrations. In 2022 there was a Nazi rally in Orlando and another outside of Disneyworld in 2023.
Media reports analyzed that Florida is home to 68 extremist groups, second only to the much larger state of California.
For example, Stormfront, the first internet hate site for Nazis, white nationalists and the alt-right, boasted a membership of over 300,000 members in West Palm Beach alone. It is important to note that not all extremist groups in Florida are white nationalists and Neo-Nazis. Approximately 21 are considered “Black Separatists.”
Based on the statistical analysis given, it appears to be no coincidence that Florida has become such a popular destination spot for extremists. Some experts site Florida’s “war on woke”, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, changes to the education system, book banning, the removal of African American studies for AP students and a general hard-right political atmosphere.
Most white nationalist groups kept a low profile until the January 6, 2021 insurrection against the US Capital. It seems that after that tragic day many groups felt more empowered to act out.
Understanding Extremist Groups and Radicalized Veterans
Pohlhaus' transformation from a Marine to a leader of a hate-driven group highlights the complexities of radicalization and extremism. His history serves as a reminder of how individuals from diverse backgrounds can become drawn into dangerous ideologies that threaten social cohesion and security. He has disgraced the uniform by violating the Marine Corps Values.
Veterans bring skills and experience that extremists value in order to facilitate their own needs and goals. Research shows that many veterans, including combat veterans, have filled the ranks of far-right extremist groups. According to many, including the Rand Group, “extremist groups actively target military members and veterans for recruitment targets because of their training and operational, logistic, and leadership skills. The unique and often lonely experience of leaving the military has been hypothesized to make veterans susceptible to such recruitment.”
According to Vice News reports, one branch of the military that keeps popping up in relation to Neo-Nazi recruitment and membership is the United States Marine Corps. Marines are known as having a hard-core warrior culture and are normally trained at only two bases in the US, which isolates them to some extent. The Marine Corps is aware of potential issues and screens new recruits for gang or extremist related tattoos. The Marine Corps conveyed their concern in the following statement: "Our strength is derived from the individual excellence of every Marine regardless of background. Bigotry and racial extremism run contrary to our core values.”
Timothy McVeigh is one glaring example of an Army veteran that became engaged in “accelerationist” White Supremacist ideology which resulted in the tragic 1996 domestic terror attack on the Alfred E. Murrah building in Oklahoma City.
While this might appear to be an issue isolated to American soil, that is not the case. Americans, and Europeans, sharing far-right extremist beliefs have sought out connections and combat experience among likeminded people abroad. Christopher Pohlhaus is no exception.
This is apparent in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war. Russian militia groups such as the Russian Volunteer Corps, have attracted American Nazis into their ranks.