MEET THE OREGON CHAPTER OF AMERICAN FREEDOM PARTY

The American Freedom Party (AFP) is a nationwide white supremacist organization that markets itself as an upstanding, family-friendly, and nonviolent political party by portraying white people as an oppressed group, and themselves as an advocacy organization similar to the NAACP. However, locally, they have embraced a number of white power veterans with histories of race-based violence and murder, such as Kyle Brewster. Scratch the surface and it is apparent that AFP is a fascist party with an extermination agenda.    

AFP uses tactics and rhetoric borrowed from the activist left and libertarian right as part of their work to build a white nationalist political party. AFP is part of a fascist tradition known as Third Positionism. Third Positionism presents itself as a new, ‘third” alternative to both right and left-wing politics by advancing hard-right ideas through adopting and deploying radical left signifiers in ways that confound mainstream expectations for what the right looks like; an example of this is utilizing environmentalist framing to promote neo-Eugenicist policies. However, rather than being a new dimension of political thought, Third Positionism actually harkens back to the very origins of fascism–in Mussolini’s Italy, populist trappings were paradoxically used to crush the working class.

The American Freedom Party models itself after large, contemporary European fascist parties such as Golden Dawn in an attempt to build similar broad bases of support. Part of that strategy is creating an activist wing called Free America Rally (FAR). FAR and AFP have built momentum locally by doing low risk, short duration forms of activism that they then document. They are efficient propagandists and have created a wealth of online videos and photos to promote their organization from these frequent, short events. Their recent ventures into Portland show that they are emboldened by their successes in the surrounding suburban and rural areas. AFP’s primary target audience is Ron Paul libertarians and racist paleoconservatives. The local branch of American Freedom Party has, however, attempted to make inroads at liberal left events such as at an anti-war rally in Portland. This tactic has precedent–both the anti-globalization and Occupy movements were used as recruiting grounds by the racist right. Racist groups incorporated these movements’ populist messages into their own propaganda, added a hefty dose of anti-semitism, and produced distorted fairy-stories about a dwindling and oppressed white race.

Antifascists must crush AFP now before they are able to grow stronger. There are many ways that AFP can and should be confronted here in Portland. As militant Antifascists, we believe in taking the fight to them, which means not waiting to pounce on them when they have events. While they certainly should be confronted at their events, we believe that this strategy is insufficient for damaging and halting their organizing. Waiting until AFP stages demonstrations affords them control of the timeline and opportunities to prepare for confrontation. We therefore believe that other strategies need to be used in tandem with counter-demonstrations: specifically, that they should be deprived of income and peace of mind at all times until they capitulate.

How It Began : The Short Con

The groundwork for the American Freedom Party was laid in May of 2009 by a Southern Californian racist street gang called Freedom 14. The number “14” is used widely by white supremacists as it refers to the fourteen words, “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for White Children,” a phrase originally coined by the late white supremacist and author, David Lane. Freedom 14’s initial attempt at forming a popular political party for white nationalists was called the Golden State Party (GSP). According to their old Facebook page, GSP stated that they were “a political protest-party” whose goal was “to win political representation for European-Americans.” Merely four months after its inception, in September of 2009 the Golden State Party fell apart when it came to light that their chairperson, Tyler Billington Cole, had been using aliases such as “Eugene Cameron” and “Tim Robbins” to conceal his criminal past. Cole had served a 5 year sentence in Arizona for a felony conviction of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2001. He was also convicted in 2008 of possessing an illegal machete in California.

Extreme Makeover: Nazi Edition

Shortly after the collapse of the fleeting Golden State Party, on October 15th of 2009, Freedom 14 held a meeting to elect a new leader and a new party name. The leader they chose was William Daniel Johnson and it was then that they became known as American Third Position (A3P).  Officially launched on January 4th, 2012 A3P’s website stated that they were, “both a political party and activist organization dedicated to the interests vital to the preservation and continuity of ethnic European communities within the United States of America.” This new description was a more focused and sophisticated version of GSP’s original statement of purpose.

In February of 2012, as a part of #OpBlitzkrieg, which targeted various Neo-Nazi organizations around the world, members of the Anonymous Movement hacked A3P’s website as well as forums and email accounts connected to the group. One year later, on February 1st, 2013, A3P announced that they would be changing their name to the American Freedom Party, though their “passionate defense of freedom,” as well as their platform and values would remain the same.

Even though the Golden State Party has changed their name and leadership multiple times, their affiliations have remained the same. In a photo posted on October 31st to AFP’s Facebook page, Tyler Cole (left) is seen standing next to current party directors Tom Sunic (center) and Kevin B. McDonald (back) at a conference in Washington D.C. for the National Policy Institute (NPI), a white nationalist think tank “dedicated to the heritage, identity, and future of European people in the United States, and around the world.”
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White Victimhood: The Zero Sum Game of Human Rights

AFP ideology revolves around the idea that white people are in danger due to large oppressive anti-white forces at work in the world. AFP talks about a “white genocide”, an appeal to deeply held racist fears and beliefs. The power of this idea should not be underestimated. Many white people believe that the historical scales have turned and that reverse racism is an actual phenomenon. For example, a study conducted by researchers from Tufts University’s School of Arts and Sciences and Harvard Business School found that self-described white Americans believe they have replaced blacks as the primary victims of racial discrimination in contemporary America. The study finds that the majority of whites believe that anti-white racism is a bigger problem than what blacks face. 11% of white respondents assigned the maximum rating of 10 to the seriousness of anti-white discrimination while only 2% reported the same of anti-black racism. Eleven percent of white Americans joining a fascist party is bone-chilling.

Many people do not understand the difference between institutional oppression and interpersonal discrimination. Institutional or structural racism refers to large patterns of white supremacy that are replicated and enforced by institutions such as the criminal justice system and schools. It is buttressed by widely held beliefs, values, and historic relationships within a culture.

One contemporary manifestation of racism is the belief that it no longer exists. In our society, most white people do not have a critical analysis of white supremacy, nor any awareness of how central it is to the way our society is structured. Pervasive forms of white supremacy are largely invisible to the white American– for example the creation of a large, permanent underclass via the systematic, mass criminalization of black men went largely unnoticed by whites. Racism is not understood beyond individual interactions. So despite empirical realities such as better outcomes for whites in areas like income, home ownership, health, and employment, the subjective feelings of indignation, persecution, fear and so on that white people have are considered evidence of the growing problem of reverse racism.

Worsening economic hardships, the disappearance of the middle class, unemployment, and environmental collapse are all tied in many white minds with the advancement of other races. Many whites see human rights as a zero sum game, where in order for one group to get human rights, they must be taking them from elsewhere.

Circular Logic: “Anti-Racist is a Code for Anti-White”

“Anti-Racist is a Code for Anti-White” is the mantra of the American Freedom Party. AFP promulgates the idea that people that oppose racism are actually trying to destroy the white race. This idea alchemizes anyone promoting anti-racism into an enemy bent on destroying whites, which proves the existence of the anti-white conspiracy. The use of the word ‘code’ is deliberate–it implies dishonesty and a secret agenda, and portrays anti-racists as liars, misinformation agents of the imaginary “Zionist Occupational Government,” or ZOG, an ever-popular theory among white supremacists.

Conspiracy theories have their origins in very old antisemitic narratives. Jews are called “bankers,” “Rothchilds,” or “Illuminati” in contemporary adaptations. The 911 Truth Movement and swaths of the Occupy movement both disseminated narratives that blended populism with antisemitism. Conspiracy theory catches hold where there is a twinkle of political consciousness, but still a strong incentive or desire to maintain the existing order. In the case of AFP, the hope is that white men will once again have easy access to decent, middle class lifestyles once the underhanded oppressors are overthrown. The truth is that poor white people are being exploited and screwed over, but it isn’t by a secret anti-white cabal. Poor white people are being screwed over alongside everybody else by the horrors of a capitalist system which sees people only as resources to use up and throw away. People sense that they are being lied to in the mass media, and that there is some hidden danger lurking. Unfortunately this gets redirected by white nationalists onto people they view as enemies, rather than at the systems that are actually oppressing them.  

The Free America Rally

The Free America Rally (FAR) is the activist wing of AFP. It originated as a nationwide anti-immigration protest and morphed into a subdivision of AFP. FAR tends to look more like your stereotypical bonehead crowd with flight jackets, white pride t-shirts, and white-laced boots. FAR seems to have developed as a way to maintain a role for the edgier white supremacist types without marring the wholesome, family-centered aesthetic of AFP. FAR gives a flavor of militancy and subculture to the organization. It is also a good place for the orphaned remnants of white power crews past to find a niche. This strategy of creating nominally separated branches appears to attempt to reconcile the age-old conflict in the hard right between mass movement party-builders and insurrectionary militants.

For long-time white supremacists, one advantage of FAR is that the organization is not yet subject to the same hazards and risks associated with white power gang lifestyle. Local old timers with prior convictions often have probation and parole restrictions which prohibit them from fraternizing with other white supremacist gang members, so FAR functions as a loophole, a space where they can maintain contact with other dangerous white supremacists. In areas where convicts are prevented from voting, FAR acts as a way for racists with records to participate in electoral politics. However you look at it, FAR’s identity as a political protest movement lends them an air of legitimacy. Finally, members of FAR get to be heroes to a new generation of bigots. The combination of militant aesthetic and direct action rhetoric, minus the gang baggage, is attracting a younger set of recruits as well. Meanwhile, maintaining  AFP as a somewhat separate entity reduces the risk of losing appeal for racists who are interested in appearing more mainstream and
do not want the stigma of being viewed as extremists or thugs.