The Rising Phoenix, the symbol of the Aryan Strikeforce

Aryan Strikeforce (ASF) is a neo-Nazi white supremacist group based worldwide established by Ian Davison. As of 2010, the group is estimated to have 350 members online, including members in Germany, Serbia, the United Kingdom and the United States.[1] The group is designated as a terrorist organisation by Canada.[2]

History

After Ian's arrest, the group's new leader was Joshua Michael Steever of New Jersey, U.S., who joined the group after being kicked out from Aryan Terror Brigade, another white supremacist group.[3][4]

In December 2009, 58-year-old Trevor Hannington and 42-year-old Micheal Heaton appeared in the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in London accused of inciting racial hatred, after they used their website to post antisemitic content encouraging others to kill Jews.[5]

In April 2010, 19-year-old Nicky Davidson, of county Durham, England, joined the group to please his father, who was the organiser of the group. Reports say that he was threatening to overthrow the "Zionist Occupied Government".[6]

In June 2017, Cameron Anthony, was arrested after threatening a Latino man with a baseball bat, while shouting "White power!", at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Eight months before his arrest, at least eight people have been arrested on varying charges, including money laundering and illegal weapons possession,[3][7] including an October 2016 arrest of Ronald Pulcher II, from Galeton, Pennsylvania, who was ASF's self-described "Vinland Division President".[3][8]

Around 2018, 4 members pleaded guilty, one of which was vice president Steven D. Davis. Steven, who pleaded guilty at the U.S. Middle District Court in Pennsylvania for his involvement in a scheme to transport weapons and drugs over state lines.[9] The other members, Henry Lambert Baird, Joshua Michael Steever and Connor Drew Dikes, were all involved of transporting crystal meth and weapons from Pennsylvania to Maryland.[10]

Also in 2018, the National Socialist Movement and ASF held a "white unity meeting" in Ulysses, Pennsylvania, to discuss their response to Donald Trump's presidency and plan joint action.[11]

ASF and other far-right groups and figures active in Canada were banned from having a presence on Facebook in 2019 following criticism of the platform for its refusal to remove a post by white nationalist Faith Goldy.[12][13]

The group was designated as a terrorist organisation by the Canadian government following the January 6 United States Capitol attack in 2021.[2][14][15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wainwright, Martin (May 14, 2010). "Neo-Nazi Ian Davison jailed for 10 years for making chemical weapon". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Currently listed entities". Public Safety Canada. December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "For Racist Skinhead Crew Aryan Strikeforce, 88 Stands for 8 Arrests in 8 Months". Anti-Defamation League. June 30, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  4. ↑ Barrouquere, Brett (July 20, 2020). "Aryan Strikeforce Leader Gets 20 Years in Prison as Neo-Nazi Gang Falters". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  5. ↑ "'Aryan Strike Force website administrators' accused of inciting racial hatred". The Telegraph. December 17, 2009. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  6. ↑ Wainwright, Martin (April 30, 2010). "Teenager convicted of ultra rightwing terror plot". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  7. ↑ Beauge, John (April 29, 2017). "Aryan Strikeforce charges no surprise in Potter County". PennLive. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  8. ↑ Schellhammer, Marcie (October 29, 2016). "White supremacist figure in Potter Co. jailed on gun and drug charges". Olean Times Herald. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  9. ↑ Beauge, John (August 11, 2018). "Aryan Strikeforce member pleads guilty to gun charge". PennLive. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  10. ↑ Beauge, John (May 10, 2018). "Third Aryan Strikeforce member pleads guilty". PennLive. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  11. ↑ Pogrund, Gabriel (July 28, 2018). "How white supremacists split a quiet Rust Belt town". The Washington Post.
  12. ↑ Stack, Liam (April 8, 2019). "Facebook Bars Faith Goldy and Other Far-Right Figures in Canada". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  13. ↑ Birnbaum, Emily (April 8, 2019). "Facebook bans white nationalist groups after criticism". The Hill. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Two more extreme right-wing groups join Proud Boys on Canada's terror list". CTV News. The Canadian Press. June 25, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Canada labels the Three Percenters a terrorist entity". The Washington Post. June 25, 2021.
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