The U.S. military has put four more of its members under investigation for alleged ties to white nationalist groups, a month after launching an investigation into seven of its members, the Huffington Post reported.
The individuals reportedly belong to the Marines, the Army, the Air Force, and also includes a private from the Minnesota National Guard. They are reported to have ties to Identity Evropa—now known as the American Identity Movement—which has been classified as a white nationalist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center as well as the Anti-Defamation League. It was founded in 2016 by white nationalist Nathan Damigo, himself a veteran. The group says its ideology is focused on reclaiming the West’s identity.
The investigations could take a few months, the Huffington Post reports, and could result in various kinds of disciplinary measures, ranging from being dismissed from the armed services to prison time.
The investigations by Huffington Post began after Unicorn Riot, a media collective that covers the far right, white supremacy, and racism, posted leaked messages of the group’s chat logs on the messaging platform Discord. The Huffington Post then verified the identities of seven members of the military who were participating in the chat, and in other activities of the group, such as putting up white nationalist and propaganda posters on college campuses. The group operates in a manner that’s appealing to younger people, with meme-able posters and campaigns.
The group’s members, including Damigo, played a key role in the deadly Charlottesville protests in 2017, according to the SPLC. Though Damigo left the group shortly after, he has reportedly said his mission was inspired by former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke’s book My Awakening.
H/T Huffington Post
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