wiley cope

@wileycope.bsky.social

open source researcher & occasional investigative reporter (allegedly); bylines @theguardian.com wileydcope@proton.me | signal: @wiley.50

The Active Club founder has described such organized fights a “tip-off point for a fascist cultural revolution.” He added, “Every victorious nationalist movement was forged by hardened men who already tasted real danger.” www.hatecomestomainstreet.com/p/inside-the...

‘Neo-Nazi Militia’: Inside the Fascist Fight Clubs Preparing Men for Battle

“Every victorious nationalist movement was forged by hardened men who already tasted real danger," says avowed fascist Robert Rundo.

hatecomestomainstreet.com

New from me: The Trump administration's NSPM-7 case against 15 anti-ICE activists in Minnesota largely amounts to attending meetings and participating in Signal chats. "Once you gather, this government thinks you’re committing a crime," — Xavier de Janon (paywall) www.rawstory.com/raw-investig...

Trump is trying to imprison Americans for joining internet chats he doesn't like

The 94-page indictment unsealed against 15 anti-ICE activists in Minnesota last month as part of the Trump administration’s latest “antifa” prosecution includes page after page of accusations that def...

rawstory.com

New, for @talkingpointsmemo.com, my look at the history of the term "remigration," a euphemism for ethnic cleansing (a euphemism in of itself); & how Thomas Rousseau, leader of Patriot Front, used it in private Nazi chat 8 years ago. Now it's official US policy. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/when-yo...

When You Hear ‘Remigration,’ Know That It Means Ethnic Cleansing

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis....

talkingpointsmemo.com

humbly, i think labeling everyone to the right of Chuck Schumer as nazi might feel good but it muddies how far-right social movements work which then limits how to respond. Lots of space between MAGA chuds and PF chuds to analyze. Doing so provides more informed responses.

Post nicht verfügbar.

Always great to talk to the amazing @philinvestigates.com about the violent white nationalists who join Active Clubs and what they are planning for our communities. Members of Active Clubs want more race riots in our world and they're learning that GOP officials want them too.

A screenshot of the article that quotes me. “Members of Active Clubs have a few key reasons to paying attention to what is going on in Belfast. First, white nationalists spend a lot of their time trying to make White people afraid of non-White groups. White nationalists do this by claiming non-White groups are more prone to act violently, which is what I’ve seen from Active Club channels on Telegram responding to the race riots in Belfast. White nationalists in Active Clubs connect individual acts of violence against White people that occur anywhere in the world to a perceived anti-White system. It’s all lies and bigotry. In reality, white-on-white violence is a bigger threat to White people. For example, I know of several Active Club members who are currently in jail for domestic violence in which they beat their partners, all of whom were White women. Leaders of Active Clubs don’t want anybody to know this because it will destroy their narrative about who commits violence.”
Phil Williams@philinvestigates.com · 2mo ago

A warning for America: White nationalist groups—including one recently platformed in a light-handed 60 Minutes report—are openly celebrating the violent attacks on immigrants in Belfast and suggesting their followers can learn from the rioters’ tactics. (Link below.)

A warning for America: White nationalist groups—including one recently platformed in a light-handed 60 Minutes report—are openly celebrating the violent attacks on immigrants in Belfast and suggesting their followers can learn from the rioters’ tactics. (Link below.)

Bild

The teenagers behind a shooting at a San Diego mosque last week wore patches associated with Atomwaffen Division, a defunct neo-Nazi group, and drew clear inspiration from "Terrorgram," a loose network of neo-Nazis that supports the use of terrorism. Latest: www.splcenter.org/resources/ha...

Document by San Diego mosque shooters reveals neo-Nazi beliefs

Two teenagers in San Diego appeared to have been inspired by leaders and figureheads associated with the now defunct Atomwaffen Division.

splcenter.org

I'll have something coming out about this eventually but to say this killer was motivated by just "nihilism" is wrong: The killers glorified neo-Nazis They promoted Siege and ideas like "accelerationism" Their influences were ripped out of a "Terrorgram" documentary. www.cbsnews.com/news/san-die...

Teen attackers in San Diego Islamic Center shooting were wallowing in nihilistic hate, investigators say

"These subjects did not discriminate in who they hated," said Mark Remily, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Diego Field Office.

cbsnews.com

a member of the white nationalist Lone Star Active Club, Jason Lee Van Dyke, who is a Texas-based lawyer, lost a fight May 2. Van Dyke is pictured in the middle, next to Patriot Front ringleader Josiah Buster aka Swolercaust and LSAC members. A video of Van Dyke tapping out is in this thread 🧵

Five members of the Lone Star Active Club. Four faces are blurred but the person in the middle is clearly Jason Lee Van Dyke. The person in the middle is wearing the same Black gi, red shirt, and red belt as we see in the other picture in this post. Van Dyke is standing next to Josiah Buster, who is the only person in this photo without a blurred face. Three others are in the photo. All three appear in the video below to watch Van Dyke fight.Jason Lee Van Dyke is standing on a wrestling mat and is wearing a black gi, red shirt, and red belt. He looks winded. Van Dyke is standing next to the ref who is holding up the hand of Van Dyke's opponent because Van Dyke lost.

Extremism expert Alexander Ritzmann warns about the Active Clubs popping up around the world. “This is not just a nationalist sports club. It’s the strategy to build a neo-Nazi militia.” You can watch my entire interview at the link below. www.hatecomestomainstreet.com/p/extremism-...

Extremism Expert Warns of Plan to 'Build a Neo-Nazi Militia'

Alexander Ritzmann warns about the Active Clubs popping up around the world. “This is not just a nationalist sports club. It’s the strategy to build a neo-Nazi militia.”

hatecomestomainstreet.com

Wolves of Vinland member Marston Sneddon was identified by WoV founder Paul Waggener in a blogpost as one of the main organizers of #ForestFights. Social media shows Sneddon has also refereed cage fights around Lynchburg involving local teenaged boys, appearing to act as a mentor.

Undated image of Marston Sneddon (left) posing with Avery Ross Ruiz (right) in the private Lone Star Active Club gym in Texas.Marston Sneddon (left) referees a youth cage fighting match in rural Virgina.
wiley cope@wileycope.bsky.social · 4mo ago

This investigation identified more than a dozen participants including a Georgia-based licensed school teacher, a former West Virginia cop who runs a grappling school for children, a licensed EMT in Tennessee, a Vermont dog-walking business owner, and the son of an anti-abortion activist from Maine.

March 6, 2026 group photo of the “Koryos” team. Back row L to R: Caleb Johnston (Wolves of Vinland), Russell Coleman (Hammerskins), Gentry Martell (Wolves of Vinland), Marston Sneddon (Wolves of Vinland). Front row L to R: Avery Ross Ruiz (Lone Star Active Club), Jahnu Gibbs (Wolves of Vinland), unknown.

Another Forest Fight was held at the Lynchburg compound in March 2026. Among those in attendance was Joshua Hunt, a former Charleston, WV police officer who fought on a team billed as the "Confederation of American Natives" and later called the brawl the "most fun I've had in my life." #ForestFights

Screenshot of Joshua Hunt's Telegram profile where he goes by the username "WVJosh." The profile photo is a group pic of the "Confederation of American Natives" team from Forest Fights. In the black tanktop is Joshua Hunt. Next to him is Maurice Michaely, a Wolves of Vinland member who was convicted in 2013 of felony arson for burning down a historic Black church in Gainesville, VA.March 8, 2026 post from WoV's Devotion Jiu-Jitsu Instagram account. Pictured is Joshua Hunt kneeling in the center. From L to R are Marston Sneddon (WoV), Caleb Johnston (WoV), Russell Coleman (Hammerskins), Graham Whitson (Patriot Front), and Jeffrey Fitzgerald.
wiley cope@wileycope.bsky.social · 4mo ago

ICMYI: As part of a Guardian investigation, Sean Craig & I looked into clandestine neo-nazi "Forest Fights" — hooligan-style brawls on a secretive Lynchburg, VA compound hosted by neopagan hate group Wolves of Vinland, with fighters from the active club network, Patriot Front, and the Hammerskins. 🧵

#ForestFights In December 2025, active club members from Tennessee and Texas took part in an 8-vs-8 brawl on the Wolves of Vinland's Lynchburg, VA compound. We identified one of the fighters present as Logan Florence, a personal trainer and licensed schoolteacher in Georgia.

A video screenshot shows Logan Florence, left, participating in a combat event with active club and Wolves of Vinland members.

ICMYI: As part of a Guardian investigation, Sean Craig & I looked into clandestine neo-nazi "Forest Fights" — hooligan-style brawls on a secretive Lynchburg, VA compound hosted by neopagan hate group Wolves of Vinland, with fighters from the active club network, Patriot Front, and the Hammerskins. 🧵

March 6, 2026 group photo from the Wolves of Vinland compound in Lynchburg, VA showing participants of "Forest Fights."
Guardian US@us.theguardian.com · 4mo ago

Licensed school teacher and one-time police officer among those participating in riot-style gatherings as experts warn of threat to public safety

Our latest from @kylebazgo.bsky.social: a look at 8 of the most insane fascist and antisemitic accounts JD Vance follows on X. No idea why mainstream outlets don’t think it’s notable he follows people who joke about Holocaust denial and an account that says Hitler was “the lesser evil.”

Decoherence Media@decoherence.media · 4mo ago

NEW: Vice President JD Vance follows fascists and antisemites on X. Several accounts joke about Holocaust denial, one has called himself a “fascist,” another a “national socialist,” and a third says Hitler was “the lesser evil.”