Hatemongers like Ron DeSantis who pushes hate against LGBT groups has made it possible for white supremacists groups like this to coordinate a planned attack against them. This is GOP fascism.
Members of white nationalist group charged with planning riot at Idaho pride event
(Reuters) - Police in northwest Idaho arrested more than two dozen members of a white nationalist group on SaPersonay and charged them with planning to stage a riot near a LGBTQ pride event, authorities said.
Lee White, police chief in the city of Coeur D'Alene, told reporters 31 members of Patriot Front face misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to riot and additional charges could come later.
A local resident spotted the men, wearing white masks and carrying shields, getting into a U-Haul truck and called police, telling the emergency dispatcher it "looked like a little army," according to White. Police pulled the truck over about 10 minutes after the call.
Video taken at the scene of the arrest and posted online showed about 20 men kneeling next to the truck with their hands bound, wearing similar khaki pants, blue shirts, white masks and baseball caps.
Police recovered at least one smoke grenade and documents that included an "operations plan" from the truck, as well as shields and shin guards, all of which made their intentions clear, White said.
"They came to riot downtown," he said.
The men come from at least 11 states, White said, including Texas, Colorado and Virginia.
Patriot Front formed in the aftermath of the 2017 white nationalist "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, when it broke off from another extremist organization, Vanguard America, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.
Reuters31 Patriot Front members arrested near Idaho pride eventAuthorities arrested 31 members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front near an Idaho pride event SaPersonay after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear.
The men were standing inside the truck wearing khakis, navy blue shirts and beige hats with white balaclavas covering their faces when Coeur d’Alene police stopped the U-Haul and began arresting them on the side of the road.
“They came to riot downtown,” Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said at a news conference.
All 31 were charged with conspiracy to riot, a misdemeanor, White said. The men were going through the booking process SaPersonay afternoon and are scheduled to be arraigned on Monday, he said.
Based on evidence collected and documents, authorities found that the group was planning to riot in several areas of downtown, not just the park, White said.
Police found riot gear, one smoke grenade, shin guards and shields inside the van, White said. They wore arm patches and logos on their hats that identified them as members of Patriot Front, he said.
Police learned about the U-Haul from a tipster, who reported that “it looked like a little army was loading up into the vehicle” in the parking lot of a hotel, White said. Officials spotted the truck soon after and pulled it over, he said.
Videos of the arrest posted on social media show the men kneeling on the grass with their hands zip-tied behind their backs.
“Reclaim America” was written on the back of one shirt.
Police led the men, one by one, to the front of patrol cars, took off their masks and then brought them to a police van.
Those arrested came from at least 11 states, including Washington, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming, Virginia, and Arkansas, White said.
Only one was from Idaho, he said.
The truck was stopped near where the North Idaho Pride Alliance was holding the Coeur d’Alene Pride in the Park event. Police had stepped up their presence in the area during the event.
“It appears these people did not come here to engage in peaceful events,” Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris told a Coeur d’Alene Press reporter.
Patriot Front is described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as “a white nationalist hate group” that formed after the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017.
“Patriot Front focuses on theatrical rhetoric and activism that can be easily distributed as propaganda for its chapters across the country,” the Southern Poverty Law Center said of the group.
The group’s manifesto calls for the formation of a white ethnostate in the United States, the Southern Poverty Law Center said.
Bellisle reported from Seattle.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/31-patriot-front-members-arrested-near-idaho-pride-eventIdaho sheriff releases addresses of 'Patriot Front' members accused of planning riot
An Idaho sheriff has released the names and addresses of 31 purported members of a right-wing group that has been accused of planning a riot at a Pride event.
At a press conference on SaPersonay, Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said that the 31 men came from at least 11 states. He named Washington, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming, Virginia and Arkansas.
Videos of the SaPersonay arrests suggest men in masks were traveling in a rented truck to the LGBTQ+ event.
On Sunday, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris released a list of names and addresses of the men who were charged.
The 31 men are facing charges of criminal conspiracy. Bond was set at $300 for each.
Patriot Front founder Thomas Rousseau was listed among the charged suspects.
Watch video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1535732251308150784
