Source: Anadolu Agency / Getty
Over the weekend, 31 members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front came from at least 11 different states to gather in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, allegedly, to disrupt a Pride event in the city.
To put that another way, a group of disgruntled white men in tactical gear stuffed themselves in a U-Haul truck and were stopped by police on their way to a peaceful event and arrested on misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to riot.
“It is clear to us based on the gear that the individuals had with them, the stuff they had in their possession, the U-Haul with them along with paperwork that was seized from them, that they came to riot downtown,” Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White said during a news conference, CNN reported. White also said the suspects had “shields, shin guards and other riot gear with them,” along with documents “similar to an operations plan that a police or military group would put together for an event.”
On Sunday, the identities and mugshots of all 31 men were released. Since then, they have all bonded out of jail, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.
Now is a good time to mention that the Anti-Defamation League describes the Patriot Front as “a white supremacist group whose members maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it to them, and no one else.” (Yes, those are a lot of words just to say, “Make America white again.”)
Reuters reported that the arrests came after a resident called 911 to report the large group of men in the U-Haul a short distance away from the “Pride in the Park” event that was taking place in Coeur d’Alene.
“As a small community nonprofit, North Idaho Pride Alliance is taking a much-needed day of rest after successfully organizing a momentous, joyful, and SAFE Pride in the Park community celebration under the most challenging of circumstances,” the event organizers said in a statement Sunday, according to CNN. “We are deeply grateful to law enforcement agencies who were present and professionally responded throughout the day to keep our community safe.”
In fact, according to the Idaho Statesman, White said during a news conference Monday that Coeur d’Alene police officers were receiving death threats for arresting the 31 men.
White confirmed that users on far-right social media platforms have doxxed Coeur d’Alene officers, publicly identifying them and publishing personal information about them online.
“The other 50%, who are completely anonymous, who want nothing more than to scream and yell at us and use really choice words, offered death threats against myself and other members of the police department merely for doing our jobs,” White said.
In other words: White nationalists in America continue to be out of control. Surprise, surprise, amirite?
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