Traditionalist Worker Party
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The Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) was a far-right neo-Nazi political party active in the United States between 2013 and 2018, affiliated with the broader "alt-right" movement that became active within the U.S. during the 2010s. It was considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center's list.[4]
Established by Matthew Heimbach under the name Traditionalist Youth Network (TYN), the group promoted white separatism and a white supremacist view of Christianity. As a member of the neo-Nazi Nationalist Front, the TWP held a number of protests and other local events. In 2015, the Traditionalist Workers Party changed into a political party so as to run in elections for local office.
In April 2018, The Washington Post reported that the TWP had been disbanded the previous month after group leader Matthew Heimbach's arrest for battery.[2] In July 2021, Heimbach announced his intention to reform the party along National Bolshevik lines.[5]
History
Traditionalist Youth Network
The Traditionalist Youth Network was established in May 2013 by
Traditionalist Worker Party
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which tracks extremist groups, has designated the Traditionalist Worker Party as a hate group and has written of Heimbach: "Considered by many to be the face of a new generation of white nationalists... Since graduating in the spring of 2013, he has entrenched himself further in the white nationalist movement and become a regular speaker on the radical-right lecture circuit."[7]
In January 2015 the TYN established the Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) as its
One element that separated the Traditionalist Worker Party from many other far-right organizations was its anti-capitalist positions "denouncing corporate interests and environmental degradation, endorsing worker unions and [supporting] nationalization of key industries."[9] Heimbach and other Traditionalist Worker Party leaders publicly supported organizations and such as the Nation of Islam, Hezbollah, and the governments of Bashar al-Assad, North Korea, the Russian Federation, and China, stating that "Our policy is, if you're a group that's dedicated to a political revolution through peaceful, legal and honorable means, then you're someone we can work with...They want independence for their communities; they want self-determination. [That's something] all nationalists can stand by."[10] The Traditionalist Worker Party endorsed the creation of a "Traditionalist International" so that nationalist organizations, under Russian leadership, could work to advance their far-right, separatist, and often homophobic and anti-semitic beliefs in global politics.[11]
The organization focused its attention on developing chapters in impoverished areas through charity events, following the model by the Greek fascist party Golden Dawn, and putting forward a message that "these are people that the establishment doesn't care about" and working to provide a political voice for.[12][13]
Nationalist Front
On April 22, 2016, the Traditionalist Worker Party formed a coalition with several other organizations called the Aryan Nationalist Alliance. The Aryan Nationalist Alliance later changed its name to
In April 2017, the group organized the white supremacist rally in Pikeville, Kentucky which attracted 125 to 150 supporters.[17] In August 2017, the affiliated groups participated in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.[18] In October 2017, the Nationalist Front was a key organizer of the "White Lives Matter" rally in Shelbyville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Participating groups included: NSM, TWP, League of the South, Vanguard America, The Right Stuff, and Anti-Communist Action.[19][20]
Internal conflict and disbandment
On March 13, 2018, Heimbach was arrested in
On April 5, 2018, the left-wing media collective
Ideology
Heimbach and his group advocated
The SPLC describes the group's ideology as being "virulently
The Traditionalist Worker Party rejected multiracial societies and the concept of civic nationalism, instead, it believed that "The ethnic community is the definition of a true nation. Shared blood, history, and traditions are what make a people and bind us together as an extended family."[32] The rejection of multiculturalism as organizational policy is a continuation of the group's virulent white separatist beliefs.
In 2016, Heimbach hailed the
Organization and activities
Traditionalist Youth Networks's only active university chapter is at the
In August 2013, the group protested a leftist bookstore in Bloomington, Indiana; in October 2013, the group held rallies protesting campus speeches by anti-racist educator Tim Wise.[6]
In September 2013, the group, as Traditionalist Youth Network, held an event in
In 2014, the group filed an
In July 2015, the group called for the filing of hate-crime charges in connection with the beating of a white man in Fountain Square, Cincinnati. The local prosecutor, Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, stated that there was no evidence of ethnic intimidation in the crime.[37]
At a March 2016, Donald Trump rally at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville,[38] Heimbach was filmed shoving a black woman who was protesting Trump.[26] Heimbach and two other men were initially charged with misdemeanor harassment with physical contact and were served with a criminal summons in April 2017.[39] The charge was later amended to second-degree disorderly conduct; in June 2017, Heimbach entered an Alford plea, a form of guilty plea.[39] Heimbach was fined $145, was ordered to attend anger management classes, and was sentenced to 90 days in jail; the jail sentence was suspended on the condition that Heimbach not commit another crime within two years.[39][40] In 2018, after Heimbach was charged with misdemeanor battery and felony domestic battery in Indiana in a separate case, Heimbach's probation in the Kentucky case was revoked and he was sent to jail for 38 days.[41]
In a separate civil case, Heimbach is being sued in federal court for assault and battery by the woman he accosted at the March 2016 rally, Kashiya Nwanguma, and two of her fellow protesters, Henry Brousseau and Molly Shah, who allege that they were also the victims of violence at the rally. Also named as defendants are Alvin Bamberger (who is accused of assault and battery) and Donald Trump and Trump's campaign (who are accused of incitement to riot, negligence, and vicarious liability).[42] In the case, Heimbach, who is representing himself, said that he "relied on Trump's authority" in order to oust the woman from the rally, citing Trump's directive to "Get 'em out of here" and promise to "pay for the legal fees" of supporters who expelled dissidents from rallies.[38] On this basis, Heimbach has filed court papers seeking indemnity from Trump.[43]
In November 2017, the group created an online crowdfunding platform called "GoyFundMe" for racists, white supremacists, and other extremists with the objective of advancing their causes.[44] The name is a play on the name of the GoFundMe crowdfunding platform, founded in 2010, and the word goy.
Twitter suspended the account of Matt Heimbach on January 3, 2017.[45] The account for the group itself was suspended from Twitter on December 18, 2017.[46]
See also
References
- ^ Staff "When the big tent collapses: private Discord posts offer an honest look at a perpetually dishonest movement" Southern Poverty Law Center
- ^ a b McCoy Terrence (April 20, 2018) "'Imploding': Financial troubles. Lawsuits. Trailer park brawls. Has the alt-right peaked?" The Washington Post
- ^ McAllister, Shay (March 13, 2018). "Indiana white nationalist leader arrested on assault charges". WHAS-TV. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- (PDF) from the original on October 28, 2020.
- ^ Greenblatt, Mark; Knapp, Lauren (July 20, 2021). "Extremist Heimbach To Relaunch Hate Group, Says He Supports Violence". Newsy.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Traditionalist Youth Network, Anti-Defamation League (February 7, 2014).
- ^ "Matthew Heimbach". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Keegan Hankes, Meet the New Wave of Extremists Gearing Up for the 2016 Elections, Southern Poverty Law Center (October 19, 2015).
- TheGuardian.com. June 4, 2017.
- ^ "I had lunch with a right-wing white nationalist group. Here's what I learned". Los Angeles Times. July 24, 2016.
- ^ Feuer, Alan; Higgins, Andrew (December 3, 2016). "Extremists Turn to a Leader to Protect Western Values: Vladimir Putin". The New York Times.
- TheGuardian.com. May 2013.
- ^ Fausset, Richard (November 25, 2017). "A Voice of Hate in America's Heartland". The New York Times.
- ^ Viets, Sarah. "Nationalist Front Chumming up to Klan Members Once Again". Southern Poverty Law Center.
- ^ "Nationalist Front Limps in 2016", Intelligence Report, Southern Poverty Law Center, August 8, 2017
- ^ Natalie Allison (October 25, 2017): "4 extremist groups that will be part of weekend's White Lives Matter rallies", USA Today
- ^ "White Supremacist Nationalist Front Plans Rallies in Tennessee", Anti-Defamation League blog, October 24, 2017
- ^ Jack Smith IV (October 11, 2017): "White nationalist alliance plans "White Lives Matter" rally for Tennessee", Mic.com
- ^ Mariah Timms and Natalie Allison (October 27, 2017): "White Lives Matter Murfreesboro rally: What we know now", The Tennessean
- Hatewatch
- ^ Weill, Kelly (March 14, 2018). "Neo-Nazi Group Implodes Over Love Triangle Turned Trailer Brawl". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ^ Barrouquere, Brett; Janik, Rachel (March 13, 2018). "TWP chief Matthew Heimbach arrested for battery after affair with top spokesman's wife". Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ^ Fischer, Jordan (March 13, 2018). "Indiana white nationalist leader Matthew Heimbach charged with domestic battery". RTV6. ABC News. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
- ^ Barrouquere, Brett (March 27, 2018). "Lawyer: Traditionalist Worker Party membership roll still exists, despite Matt Parrott's vow to destroy database". Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center.
- ^ "Visions of Chaos: Weighing the Violent Legacy of Iron March". Southern Poverty Law Center.
- ^ a b Joe Heim, This white nationalist who shoved a Trump protester may be the next David Duke, Washington Post (April 12, 2016).
- ^ Clashes at white-supremacist rally in Sacramento leave 10 injured, BBC News (June 27, 2016).
- ^ a b Sarah Viets & Ryan Lenz, Matt Heimbach's Traditionalist Youth Network is Cutting Deals with Holocaust Deniers, Hatewatch, Southern Poverty Law Center (July 11, 2016).
- ^ a b c d Bavis, Lauren (December 4, 2016). "White nationalist group seeks to form separate community in Paoli". The Hoosier Times. The Herald-Times. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- ^ a b Jon Schuppe, 'Garrulous and Polite': The White Nationalist Behind Violent California Rally, NBC News (June 27, 2016).
- Daily Progress. June 20, 2017.
- ^ "A tale of two movements: Run the Jewels 1, Traditionalist Worker Party 0". October 18, 2017.
- ^ Sarah Begley, Read the List of the 917 Hate Groups Identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Time (February 15, 2017).
- ^ MLive.
- ^ Ryan Lenz, Traditionalist Youth Network Takes on 'Culture Distorters' in Marriage Equality Debate, Southern Poverty Law Center (March 26, 2014).
- ^ Hatewatch Staff, Traditionalist Youth Network Files Another Amicus Brief, Southern Poverty Law Center (October 8, 2014).
- ^ Michael Baldwin (July 15, 2015). "Do "White lives matter?" Group calls for hate crime charges". WXIX-TV.
- ^ a b Nicole Hensley, Matthew Heimbach claims he acted on Trump's 'get 'em out of here' order to remove protester at Louisville rally, New York Daily News (April 18, 2017).
- ^ a b c Thomas Novelly & Matthew Glowicki, White nationalist pleads guilty to disorderly conduct at Trump rally in Louisville, Courier Journal (July 19, 2017).
- ^ White nationalist leader pleads guilty in Trump rally case, Associated Press (July 20, 2017).
- ^ Jason Riley, White nationalist who harassed woman at Trump rally ordered to serve 38 days in jail, WDRB (May 15, 2018).
- ^ Avi Selk, The violent rally Trump can't move past, Washington Post (April 3, 2017).
- ^ David Zucchino, A Trump Campaign Rally Led to Shoving, and Legal Wrangling, Too, New York Times (May 27, 2017).
- ^ Sommer, Allison Kaplan (December 1, 2017). "What Is GoyFundMe? The Alt-right's New Fundraising Tool, Explained". Haaretz. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- Washington Post.
- ^ Michel, Casey (December 18, 2017). "Here are all of the white nationalists suspended in Twitter's 'purge'". ThinkProgress.
Further reading
- Richard Fausset, "A Voice of Hate in America's Heartland," New York Times, November 25, 2017.
External links
- "In Pictures: Racists For Trump On Display At White Lives Matter Rally", a selection of photos from the Shelbyville rally, featuring TWP's members, via PoliticusUSA