Author: Torch Antifa Network

  • Matthew Heimbach Joins the Nat’l Socialist Movement

    Matthew Heimbach Joins the Nat’l Socialist Movement

    via Idavox.com

    A split-screen composite image showing two halves of a man's face joined down the middle, identified as Matthew Heimbach. The left half shows a clean-shaven man with short dark hair, and the right half shows a man with short dark hair and a full beard and mustache. The mismatched halves create a jarring effect, suggesting two different photographs of the same person from different periods. Behind the face is a red, white, and black flag design featuring a white circle with a black symbol, resembling the flag of the Traditionalist Worker Party.

    The currently incarcerated Bill White is probably killing himself watching all the fash do what he was doing when he was on the street, but now he can see Matthew Heimbach returning, and taking his old job!

    Matthew Heimbach, who’s Traditionalist Workers’ Party (TWP) fell apart after he was arrested for assaulting his wife and father-in-law after the two of them caught him in an affair with his father-in-law’s second wife, has announced he has joined the National Socialist Movement (NSM) invoking memories of another who had taken on a similar role that he currently fills.

    According to a press release, Heimbach is joining the NSM as its Director of Community Outreach, which is supposed to handle public and international relations as well as a number of community outreach programs. This is a continuance of the relationship Heimbach has had with the organization, which has been building ever since the NSM and TWP with other groups, many of them Klan based, formed the Nationalist Front. It was that coalition that observers say sparked the violence during the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA on Aug. 12, 2017, that cost the life of counter-protester Heather Heyer.

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  • Cop and Klan: East Ellijay Police Officer Supports the United Northern & Southern Knights

    Cop and Klan: East Ellijay Police Officer Supports the United Northern & Southern Knights

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  • #AllOutAugust: One Year Later, Far-Right Is Again Attempting to Unite

    #AllOutAugust: One Year Later, Far-Right Is Again Attempting to Unite

    from It’s Going Down

    Almost a year has past since the death of Heather Heyer, and once again, a variety of racist and fascist groups are attempting to “Unite the Right” in a series of demonstrations across the US, bringing together the most violent sections of the militia movement, the Alt-Right, neo-Nazis, the “Patriot” movement, and the Alt-Lite.

    Starting in Portland, Oregon on the 4th, Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys will rally behind Joey Gibson, who will then bus down to Berkeley, California for a rally the very next day on August 5th. Then in Washington DC on the 12th, original Unite the Right organizer Jason Kessler will host a rally featuring neo-Nazis and former KKK speakers like Patrick Little and David Duke. Then, on August 18th, Boston based Alt-Right group ‘Resist Marxism’ is calling for far-Right demonstrations across the US to stand against “Far-Left Violence.”

    In the face of a growing street movement against ICE and prison slavery and stumbles from within the Trump administration, the goal of the current far-Right street movement is to build a large, big-tent street fighting force which can not only act as a violent auxiliary to the State, but also go on the offensive and attack the Left in the broadest sense possible.

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  • #DanAndSpit Action Round Up

    #DanAndSpit Action Round Up

    We put out the call, and you responded! Below is a round up of actions that took place across the country and the world in solidarity with Dan and Spit, the two Las Vegas Anti-Racist Action members murdered 20 years ago by neo-Nazis.

    Flat bronze grave marker set in a bed of gravel and bare earth engraved with the name "LIN 'SPIT' NEWBORN" across the top, the phrases "LOVE THY NEIGHBOR" and "TEACH THY ENEMY" beneath it, the letters "ARA" centered above a small circular emblem, and the dates "1974" and "1998" flanking the emblem at the bottom corners.
    Spit’s headstone, ARA in life and death!

    Charlottesville, Virginia

    Comrades in Charlottesville started things off with a release of contact information exposing organizers of Unite The Right 2.0, scheduled to take place August 12, 2018 in Washington D.C.

    Twitter post by @stopthenexttrut dated July 3, 2018 at 21:00 with header "Stop the Next 'Unite the Right'" and a "Volgen" button, containing text that reads "On the 20th anniversary of the murders of Dan & Spit by Nazi scum, anti-fascists continue exposing Nazis to ensure their ideology doesn't creep on us. #DefendCVille & all communities from fascism and the horror that it brings. tinyurl.com/yay6kxwe #NeverForget #DanandSpit" with an embedded graphic below showing the text "CALL TO ACTION! JULY 4, 2018 DAY OF ACTION IN MEMORY OF DAN AND SPIT" alongside black-and-white portraits of two men and a megaphone icon on the left side.

    Richmond, Virginia

    Antifa Seven Hills handed out memorial flyers and sparklers to spread the word about Dan and Spit in their local community. Later that night they unveiled a solidarity banner complete with fireworks to celebrate the day of action.Tweet by @ash_antifa (AntifaSevenHills) posted at 01:00 on July 5, 2018 from Richmond, VA with text reading "Today we honored the lives of #DanAndSpit by handing out memorial fliers and sparklers to families. The we played together while holding this beautiful banner and setting off fireworks! Remember to love your people. ✨🖤#FuckTheFourth." Below the text is an embedded black and white photograph showing a group of people with flame emoji overlays covering their faces holding a large black banner with white text that reads "REMEMBER SPIT & DAN" at the top, "1998 - 2018" on either side of a white fist graphic in the center, and "MARTYRS NEVER DIE" at the bottom, standing in front of a graffiti-covered brick wall with spray-painted tags including "MAZE" and "ZONCO" visible.

    And of course an obligatory flag burn from some other friends 😉

    Tweet by @burningrichmond (display name "richmond is burning") posted at 21:10 on July 4, 2018 with a "Followen" button in the upper right, reading "Sent to us in commemoration of the anniversary of the murders of #danandspit and because #fuckthefourth" followed by "This summer we remember our dead." Below the text is an embedded image showing a dark scene with an American flag hanging on the right side and a shadowy human figure silhouetted in the foreground, with an "InShot" watermark in the lower right corner of the embedded image.

    Portland, Oregon

    Anti-fascists in Portland honored Dan and Spit with an impressive banner drop and messages of solidarity across the city.

    Banner commemorating July 4th, 1998 with the text "Gone, but not Forgotten" prominently displayed in dark lettering on a light background, featuring illustrated portraits of two men—one with short dark hair and one Black man smiling—and hashtags "#NeverForget" and "#DanAndSpit" at the bottom alongside a stylized black and red graphic resembling a raised fist or flame design on the right side. Banner commemorating July 4th, 1998 with the text "Gone, but not Forgotten" prominently displayed in dark lettering on a light background, featuring illustrated portraits of two men—one with short dark hair and one Black man smiling—and hashtags "#NeverForget" and "#DanAndSpit" at the bottom alongside a stylized black and red graphic resembling a raised fist or flame design on the right side.

    Tweet by @PNWAWC (PNWAWC logo with American flag motif) posted at 13:16 on July 4, 2018 with text reading "Looks like some Portland Activists were out putting up posters for #Danandspit today. #NeverForget #NeverForgetNeverForgive" Above a five-panel photo grid showing hand-written protest signs posted on street poles. The left panel shows a large poster on a pole reading "SAY THEIR NAMES DAN SHERTSY JR 'SPIT' NEWBORN MURDERED BY WHITE SUPREMACY EXECUTED IN A LV. DESERT SUN JUNE 1998 NEVERFORGET #DANANDSPIT" attached below a green parking sign reading "PAY METER Blue-Hour WORKER" with storefront windows reflected in glass behind it. Four smaller images on the right show additional posters with varying legibility including text referencing "MAY 27 1998," "DAN SHERTSY JR," "SPIT NEWBORN," "WHITE SUPERMAN," and "RESIST WITH PRECISION AGAINST WHITE FASCISTS AND ITS SET #DANANDSPIT" posted on poles at street corners with buildings and pavement visible in the backgrounds.

    New York City, New York

    Comrades from the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement in NYC put up graffiti in solidarity with the call to action.

    Tweet by @RevAbolitionNYC posted at 15:06 on July 4, 2018 reading "On this 20th anniversary of the murders of ARA comrades #DanAndSpit by fascists, we want to tribute these fallen fighters. Honor the dead and fight like hell for the living. #NeverForget #SupportOurTroops #Antifa #SmashTheFash" with an embedded photograph below showing three people in a concrete stairwell in front of a cinderblock wall spray-painted with large black letters reading "RIP DAN & SPIT." Two figures crouch on the left holding a black banner bearing a large red star with crossed hammer and sickle and red text along the bottom edge reading "REVOLUTIONARY ABOLITIONISM," while a third person kneels on the right wearing a black New York Yankees cap and a dark bandana over the lower face, holding up a framed black-and-white portrait of a person. All three individuals have their faces obscured by masks, balaclavas, and goggles, and the image carries a watermark reading "RevAbolitionNYC" in the lower left corner.

    Sydney, Australia

    Comrades in Sydney brought the day of action down under with a powerful mural commemorating Dan and Spit.

    Tweet by @IGD_News (It's Going Down) posted at 12:59 on July 4, 2018 reading "Check out this beautiful mural painted by comrades in #Sydney that was submitted to IGD in memory of #DanandSpit, two members of Anti-Racist Action who were murdered in Las Vegas 20 years ago by neo-Nazis. itsgoingdown.org/memorial-graff..." with an embedded photograph below showing a graffiti mural on a brick wall painted in large bubble letters reading "REST IN POWER DAN & SPIT" in gray and white with black outlines, flanked by red and black antifascist flag motifs, while three people in black hoodies with their faces obscured crouch in front of the wall holding a black banner displaying a circular logo with red and black sections and the text "ANTIFASCIST ACTION."

    Sacramento, California

    Antifa Sacramento put up a banner in honor of Dan and Spit, and anti-racist activists lifted up their names while taking to the streets for an anti-4th of July party that included an action at the local ICE building and a noise demo at the county jail.

    Tweet by @berkeleyantifa (Berkeley Antifa) posted at 17:03 on July 4, 2018 reading "In remembrance of #DanandSpit a banner was hung in #Sacramento today. Check out Antifa Sacramento for more information: facebook.com/12073469793595..." with an embedded photograph below showing a large white banner hanging on a chain-link fence outdoors against a clear blue sky, with trees and foliage visible behind the fence. The banner bears hand-painted black text reading "WE REMEMBER SPIT & DAN RESIST WHITE TERROR" with the ampersand symbol highlighted in red paint.

    Hand-painted white sign propped on a concrete sidewalk reads "REMEMBER DAN & SPIT" in thick black marker lettering with "SMASH WHITE SUPREMACY" written below in red marker, leaning against a black Magnavox boombox whose twin speakers glow purple and whose digital display shows red numbers, with a light wooden stick resting across the top left of the stereo, a green plastic bag and a tan canvas tote bag behind it, and the legs of a person in black pants and black sneakers visible in the upper left corner against cracked paving stones.

    Nighttime photograph of a fountain-style firework erupting in a parking lot, sending golden and white sparks shooting upward in multiple directions with smoke billowing around it. A person wearing a yellow shirt stands to the left near a white sedan, while a modern building with illuminated windows through large glass panels forms the background. The asphalt ground shows white painted parking space lines and some scattered debris in the foreground.

    San Diego, California

    Lexington, Kentucky

    Lexington ARA created a write up for the day of action.

    Seattle, Washington

    Comrades in Seattle showed up with an anti-fascist graffiti mural celebrating Dan and Spit.

    https://twitter.com/NAmirite/status/1014688899170369536

    Bloomington, Indiana

    Friends in Indiana are gearing up for their memorial dance party tonight!

    Flyer with a gray and white sunburst ray background announcing a "DAN AND SPIT DANCE PARTY," topped by a circular "ROCK AGAINST RACISM" logo reading "YOUR MUSIC, YOUR SCENE, YOUR COMMUNITY, YOUR NATION" around a star, with two black-and-white portraits below the title showing a young man with short dark hair on the left and a smiling young man with short hair wearing a shirt bearing a circled-A anarchy symbol on the right, above a black band reading "JULY 5, 10PM-3AM @ THE BACK DOOR" followed by "FT. LUTHER BLISSETT & DJ RICK3Y • SUGGESTED DONATION $5-7" and a paragraph of small white text stating that the year marks 20 years since comrades Daniel Shertsy and Lin "Spit" Newborn, fondly remembered as Dan & Spit, lost their lives in the fight against white supremacy in conjunction with Torch Network's Day of Remembrance/Call to Action, and that organizers wish to continue building solidarity within their community, honor their legacy, dance, and continue their fight.

    Remembrance in History

    Tweet by @uadh_x (Mr Red X) posted at 7:26 on July 4, 2018 reading "20 years ago. Anti-racist skinheads Lin 'Spit' Newborn and Dan Shersty were kidnapped, tortured and murdered by Nazis in Las Vegas. Anti Racist Action groups from Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, Portland, LA, San Diego, Toronto all converged in LV against the Nazi's." Below the text is an embedded color photograph showing three people at an outdoor Anti-Racist Action event in Las Vegas on June 27-29, 1994, with one person on the left holding up a document while wearing a white t-shirt with a black graphic and dark shorts and speaking into a megaphone mounted on a stand in front of them, another person seated in the center wearing a black cap, and a third person standing on the right in a white t-shirt, with a large ARA sign reading "ANTI-RACIST ACTION LAS VEGAS 6-27-29-94" on a checkered background, a black and red flag on a pole behind the sign, and a partly cloudy blue sky above with utility poles and wires visible in the distance.

    Anti-Racist News newspaper page from December 1998 published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism, featuring a masthead with radio tower illustration and contact information listing po box 82097, columbus, ohio 43202, 614.424.9074, and ara@coil.com. A table of contents on the left lists articles including Leaving Las Vegas on Page 2, Matthew Shepard 1977-1998 on pages 4-5, Ska Against Racism on Page 7, Radio Sucks! on pages 8-9, Do Something on Pages 12-13, and Isn't Prejudice Weird? on Pages 14-15. The main headline reads "Death in the Desert" above an article about Lin "Spit" Newborn and Dan Shersty being kidnapped, tortured, and murdered in Las Vegas, with two grainy black-and-white portraits captioned "Lin 'Spit' Newborn" and "Dan Shersty." The multi-column article includes quotes from friends and family, mentions of the Unity Skins and Las Vegas chapter of Anti-Racist Action, references to local neo-nazi John Edward Butler being charged, and discussion of political assassinations by members of the modern U.S. fascist movement. Additional text covers the James Byrd killing in Jasper, Texas and David "Gypsy" Chain's death in northern California, with a notation "(continued, page 2)" at the bottom right indicating the article continues elsewhere.

    A 1998 ARA News article on their killing

    Many thanks to everyone who participated in the day of action in remembrance of Dan and Spit. Our comrades may be gone, but they will never be forgotten. We will keep up the fight against white supremacy and oppression with their memory in our hearts!

  • Remembering Charlottesville: August 11-12, 2018 Call for a Weekend of International Solidarity

    Remembering Charlottesville: August 11-12, 2018 Call for a Weekend of International Solidarity

    Torch Network Endorses and Promotes the following call for international solidarity By CrimethInc. Ex-Worker’s Collective

    Along with comrades in Charlottesville and around the Southeast, we are calling for a weekend of international solidarity for August 11-12, 2018 to celebrate the courage and sacrifice of those who fought the rise of fascism in Charlottesville last summer. This is an important time to renew the visibility of the struggle for real freedom and equality. The organizers of last summer’s far-right fiasco are attempting to organize “Unite the Right 2” rallies in Charlottesville and/or Washington, DC. While many in the Virginia area prepare to confront them, we invite you to join us in organizing local actions to spread the fight to every corner of the globe.

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  • Remember Dan & Spit!

    Remember Dan & Spit!

    This year, the TORCH Network is calling on antifascists everywhere to take back July 4th from this legacy of white supremacy and instead fight back against fascism and oppression in celebration and remembrance of Dan and Spit’s life work. We urge you to join us in lifting up their names and making sure that their sacrifice isn’t forgotten. Drop a banner, table at a show, host an anti-fascist reading group, provide outreach and support to oppressed communities, write letters to anti-racist prisoners, burn an American flag, put up anti-fascist posters, organize a solidarity demo, or take action against local fascists in Dan and Spit’s names. The list goes on- get creative, get in the streets, and take action this July 4th! Dan and Spit may be gone, but we will continue to carry on this work without them. They will not be forgotten.
    #DanAndSpit #NeverForget

  • Harris Media Designer Ariel Gherman Tied to Alt-Right White Supremacists

    Via Screwston Antifascist Committee

    Summary: Ariel Michelle Gherman is a 24-year-old white supremacist living in Austin, Texas. In August 2017 she participated in the white supremacist “Unite the Right” demonstrations in Charlottesville, Virginia, where fellow white supremacist James Fields murdered anti-racist protester Heather Heyer. She also helped organize logistics for the group of Texas fascists and white supremacists who traveled to the “Unite the Right” demonstrations, and is connected to numerous Texas neo-Nazis and white supremacist organizations on social media. She works at a mainstream conservative graphic design and media strategy firm in Austin called Harris Media LLC.

    Ariel Michelle Gherman (aka “Ariel Sherman”)

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  • Oppose the Nazi Rally in Newnan, GA, April 21!

    via Atlanta Antifascists

    The National Socialist Movement, a neo-Nazi organization, is having its national meeting in Georgia on April 20-21. While most of the meeting will be in Temple, Georgia (almost certainly at Patrick Lanzo’s Georgia Peach Oyster Bar), the Nazis are also having a public rally in Newnan, Georgia on the afternoon of Saturday, April 21. (Newnan is part of the Metro Atlanta area and is approximately 45 minutes southwest from Atlanta.) The Nazis are expecting 50-100 people to attend their rally at the Greenville Street Park in Newnan.

    no nazis in newnanNeo-Nazis often believe that smaller cities (such as Newnan) will be more receptive to their racist message, and that they can come in and recruit. Let’s show the Nazis that they’re wrong and that they are not welcome!

    Gather in downtown Newnan, 2PM, April 21st. Follow Atlanta Antifascists’ social media and the #nonazinewnan hashtag for updates.

    Please spread the word! Print and distribute posters (download here) and half-sheet flyers (download here)!

    Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/210807106182953/

    If your organization wishes to endorse this mobilization, get in contact and we will add you to the list of endorsers.

    Protest endorsers:

    • Atlanta Antifascists
    • Atlanta General Defense Committee
    • Atlanta Industrial Workers of the World
    • Northeast Georgia Democratic Socialists of America
    • Workers’ Solidarity Alliance – Atlanta Local

  • CORRECTION: Jack “Pale Horse” Corbin Previously Falsely ID’d

    In October 2017, members and affiliates of the TORCH Network believed we had identified the individual known as Jack “Pale Horse” Corbin in the wake of active post-Charlottesville doxxing campaigns by alt-right trolls, especially on the 8chan /pol/ message board.

    The person previously thought to be Corbin (Jake Loubriel), while incorrect, is still an alt-right troll helping to doxx antifascist comrades.

    The real “Pale Horse” is Daniel W. McMahon of Brandon, FL as outlined in the original correction by Philly Antifa, which can be read here.

    Thanks to the diligence of antifascists, McMahon’s internet activity (specifically doxxing efforts) has decreased significantly according to a recent report on Philly AntiCapitalist, and that McMahon has fled the continent and was summarily assaulted and/or mugged in a European red light district.

     

     

  • STATEMENT OF SEPARATION FROM GREAT LAKES ANTIFA

    STATEMENT OF SEPARATION FROM GREAT LAKES ANTIFA

    Due to consistent dangerous behavior incompatible with the antifascist movement, this is a declaration of separation from the group known as Great Lakes Antifa (also known as Nashville AntiFa).
    These demonstrated behaviors include the following:
    • Spreading false statements and narratives to the media and public, both in person and on social media.
    • Claiming false relationships to individuals and groups to gain entry to trusted spaces.
    • Claiming other groups’ work as their own.
    • Creating ghost or sock social media accounts for chapters of established organizations that they do not belong to, such as ABC and ARA, in order to gain influence. 
    • Attempting entryism by sending GLA members to join other antifascist and activist groups, to make those groups more sympathetic to GLA.
    • Employing highly suspicious tactics typical of infiltrators (offering groups and individuals large quantities of money or resources) in order to gain influence.
    • Attempting to silence and discredit anyone who questions these misleading and suspicious statements and actions.
    • Spreading negative rumors about individuals and organizations with no basis or proof.
    • Starting public fights and feuds with activists, leaving actions and organizations exposed to attack by the state and fascists, rather than seeking non-public resolution.
    • Placing other activists – including people of color – at risk of state and fascist oppression by exposing them and their personal information in the media.
    • Physical and verbal assault of marginalized people and antifascists.
    • General lack of security culture exhibited in their sharing of information.
    • Employing questionable vetting practices for membership.
    • Specifically recruiting individuals who have been kicked out of other organizing groups for bad behavior.
    • Failing to hold themselves accountable to any concerns of other antifascist and activist groups regarding these behaviors.
    As a movement, we now move to protect our organizations from these dangerous practices of Great Lakes Antifa. In solidarity with each other, those signed below will no longer work with GLA due to the above-mentioned behavior and regard GLA as unwelcome in our spaces and at our demonstrations in the future.
    ANTI-RACIST ACTION NETWORK, ALL CHAPTERS
    Lexington ARA
    Upstate ARA
    Cincinnati ARA
    Columbus ARA
    Nashville ARA
    TORCH NETWORK, ALL CHAPTERS
    Antifa Sacramento
    Western North Carolina Antifa
    Rocky Mountain Antifa
    Rose City Antifa
    Atlanta Antifascists
    Pacific Northwest Antifascist Workers Collective
    Antifa Seven Hills
    Pittsburgh AFA
    Central Texas Anti-Racist Action
    Northern California Anti-Racist Action (NoCARA)
    SOLIDARITY AND DEFENSE MICHIGAN
    Solidarity & Defense Lansing
    Solidarity & Defense Detroit
    Solidarity & Defense Grand Rapids
    Solidarity & Defense Flint
    HOOSIER ANTI-RACIST MOVEMENT (HARM), ALL CHAPTERS
    CLEVELAND ANTI-FASCIST NETWORK
    Cleveland Anti-Racist Action
    Cleveland Anti-Fascist Action
    Burning River Anarchist Collective
    Keystone Anti-Racist Action
    574 Antifa 
    Michiana Anti-Racist Collective
    Southside Chicago Anti-Racist Action
    Louisville Anti-Racist Action
    For additional information about GLA’s actions: