Elliott Kline (born 1991), also known as Eli Mosley, is an American neo-Nazi and military impostor.[1][2][3] He is the former leader of Identity Evropa, and was a prominent organizer in the alt-right movement between 2017 and 2018. He was also a key figure behind the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which was one of several neo-Nazi rallies that Kline helped organize.

The New York Times revealed in February 2018 that Kline had lied about his military service. Specifically, Kline had pretended to be a combat veteran of Iraq when in fact he had been stationed in Pennsylvania throughout this time in the military.[3] Following the revelation of his lie, Kline withdrew from political activism.[4]

Early life

Kline grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania.[5] He graduated from Wilson High School in 2010 then attended several colleges before dropping out without obtaining a degree. He later joined the Pennsylvania National Guard, where he served for about six years.[3]

Alt-right activism

Kline's pseudonym of Eli Mosley was inspired by British fascist Oswald Mosley.[3] Kline joined the Proud Boys in 2016. He helped organize the 2017 white supremacist Unite the Right rally.[3] After Kline condemned a tweet by Jason Kessler, who wrote that the counterprotester killed at the rally in a car attack deserved to die, Kessler tweeted that, "There is an individual who has done a coordinated smear job on me, from within the movement; that person is Eli Mosley, Elliott Kline. From the beginning he was fucking things up."[5]

Kline became the head of Identity Evropa in August 2017.[3][5] At the same time, Kline took a position as a writer for the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer, for which he promoted racial hatred and conspiracy theories about Jews.[6]

In order to bolster his reputation, throughout his time in the alt-right movement Kline claimed that he had deployed to and fought in Iraq and Kuwait, when in fact his unit never left the state of Pennsylvania during his service.[3] The lie was exposed in a February 2018 New York Times report,[3] and Kline subsequently withdrew from political activism.[4]

In October 2017, Kline was named as a defendant in Sines v. Kessler, a case brought by nine Charlottesville residents against various organizers, promoters, and participants in the Unite the Right rally.[7] Kline was jailed in January 2020 for contempt of court after ignoring orders to produce records, including credentials for his email and social media accounts. He was held at the Albemarle–Charlottesville County Regional Jail for about a week.[4][8] The trial was originally scheduled for late 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] The trial began on October 25, 2021. During the trial, plaintiffs showed a video deposition of Samantha Froelich, an ex-girlfriend of Kline's, who described her experiences as a former member of Identity Evropa and the alt-right.[10] The jury reached a partial verdict on November 23. Kline was found liable on two claims: civil conspiracy under Virginia state law, and engaging in race-based harassment or violence.[11][12]

References

  1. ↑ Kuhn, Rick (October 22, 2017). "Fascists take power in Austria. Could they do the same in Australia?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  2. ↑ Kurmelovs, Royce (August 17, 2017). "How the Alt-Right Trolled Triple J to Advance Their Agenda". Vice. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cott, Emma (February 5, 2018). "How Our Reporter Uncovered a Lie That Propelled an Alt-Right Extremist's Rise". The New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Charlottesville rally planner jailed for contempt of court". AP News. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Kelley, Brendan Joel (November 27, 2017). "Identity Evropa's controversial new ringleader". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  6. ↑ Smolla, Rodney A. (2020). Confessions of a Free Speech Lawyer: Charlottesville and the Politics of Hate. Cornell University Press. p. 159. ISBN 978-1-5017-4967-4. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  7. ↑ Sines v. Kessler (W.D. Va.), Text.
  8. ↑ "Kline released from jail, could face criminal contempt proceedings". CBS 19 News. January 9, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  9. ↑ Sargent, Hilary (September 21, 2020). "How Christopher Cantwell crumbled". The Informant. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  10. ↑ Hammel, Tyler (November 1, 2021). "Plaintiff describes ongoing trauma as defendants push free speech arguments". The Daily Progress. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  11. ↑ Lavoie, Denise (November 23, 2021). "Jury awards millions in damages for Unite the Right violence". AP News. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  12. ↑ Silverman, Ellie (November 23, 2021). "Spencer, Kessler, Cantwell and other white supremacists found liable in deadly Unite the Right rally". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
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