invictus wotan

Some FOAK members cast their participation in the group as part of a greater historical and even divine mission to protect the white race. For instance, Travis Pinkerton — who holds a leadership position in the Alt-Knights and acts as an administrator for nearly all of the organization’s Facebook pages where they vet new members — is also a member of the Wotan Network. A creation of Stephen McNallen, a longtime peddler of a racist brand of paganism, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifalyeaE8Oc" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 0.3s; background: transparent;">the organization’s mission</a> is to “awaken the European peoples from their sleep, and to empower them so that they have — now and forever — complete control over their destiny.” They worship the Norse god Odin, apparently, as Pinkerton does, by posting images of blonde children alongside the slogan “The existence of our people is not negotiable” — one that sounds remarkably similar to the white-supremacist <a href="https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/14-words" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 0.3s; background: transparent;">14-word slogan</a> coined by David Lane.Medieval references — like the armor crafted by one member — suffuse the language and imagery of FOAK. Indeed, they make numerous references to Christian warriors who fought against the Islamic Empire during the Crusades and, in addition to Based Stick Man’s headgear and facemask, the Medieval battle cry “Deus Vult” graces the crest of the Alt-Knights. It’s an attempt to turn themselves into the latest iteration of white, Christian warriors in an ongoing mythical battle against Islam.The same preoccupation with destiny pervades the rhetoric of FOAK’s former second-in-command, the 2016 Florida Libertarian Senate candidate <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/augustus-sol-invictus-austin-gillespie" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 0.3s;">Augustus Invictus</a>, who was known as Austin Mitchell Gillespie before changing his name to the Latin for “majestic unconquered sun.” Identifying as pagan, Invictus once slaughtered a goat after a spiritual quest through the desert and drank its blood as part of a ritual sacrifice. Invictus doesn’t identify as a mere worshipper, however, but as a god who is here on earth to restore the “Ancient Ways.” His demeanor is likewise ostentatious, delivering his speeches in a bizarre JFK-inspired accent often while donning a three-piece suit. When he attended the Charlottesville rally, his usual clean-cut uniform made him stand out among the other ersatz armor-clad attendees.Despite his transcendent pronouncements, Invictus is motivated by earthly prejudices: racism, sexism and antisemitism. Trained as an attorney, in 2012 he represented the white supremacist militia American Front against charges related to their preparation for a race war and, in a <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/future_or_ruin-the_argument_for_eugeni.gustus_sol_invictus_pulse_linkedin_0.pdf" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 0.3s; background: transparent;">law school essay</a> that shares its name with one of Hitler’s speeches and cites a number of racist academics, he defended eugenics. He’s also a Holocaust denier:<blockquote style="box-sizing: inherit; border-left: 4px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); font-style: italic; margin: 2em 68.7656px; padding: 0px 1em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“Do I believe that 6 million Jews were killed by evil Hitler? Is that what you’re asking me?” he asked during an interview with Hatewatch. “Okay, then I am still waiting to see those facts.”</blockquote>He is a prolific writer, and his fiction features frequent denigrations of women, including the graphic rape of a 14-year-old girl. Invictus himself has been <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/11/augustus-sol-invictus-self-proclaimed-%E2%80%9Cgod%E2%80%9D-who-kills-goats-and-has-serious-issues-women" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 0.3s; background: transparent;">accused of engaging</a> in violence against women, although he has not been convicted. In February 2016, a woman called 911 to report Invictus had threatened her with a gun and, in March 2017, a former girlfriend filed a report against Invictus accusing him with domestic abuse, including sexual battery. According to the <a href="http://independentpoliticalreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Augustus-Invictus-2017-police-report.pdf" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 0.3s; background: transparent;">police report</a>, in one incident “Mr. Invictus got angry, beat her until her eyes were shut, dragged her into the closet and put a gun to her head, asking her why he shouldn’t just kill her.” After breaking up with another woman, he concluded <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/onehw_ai_breakup-note_pg02.pdf" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 0.3s; background: transparent;">a rant about her on Facebook</a>, “Fuck you, ----. Kill yourself, worthless piece of shit.”Invictus’s violent ideation is extensive, seeing as he deems bloodshed necessary to conquer the nebulous forces seeking to destroy Western civilization. On “<a href="https://www.compoundmedia.com/shows/the-gavin-mcinnes-show-375/5953bb4d70e61c13ac00ef55/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 0.3s; background: transparent;">The Gavin McInnes Show</a>,” for instance, he called for journalists and lawyers to be hung from lampposts, and his writing is replete with calls for Westerners to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/augustus-invictus/letter-to-the-people-of-europe/229757527357350" target="blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 0.3s; background: transparent;">take up arms</a> against politicians who have forced Arab and African immigrants upon them. “You must execute the traitors,” he wrote in a longwinded letter addressed to the people of Europe.Invictus’s penchant for violence puts him in good company with FOAK’s leader in Indiana, <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/brien-james" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 0.3s; background: transparent;">Brien James</a>, who in 2003 helped found the racist skinhead gang Vinlanders Social Club. Before that, James belonged to the Outlaw Hammerskins and Hoosier State Skinheads – all organizations with extensive reputations for engaging in extreme violence. He now claims, however, that he’s left his racist past behind, and that both FOAK and his own organization, American Guard – based on the 19th-century nativist group the Bowery Boys and inspired by its violent leader, William “Bill the Butcher” Poole — are “civic nationalist” groups. Nevermind that James and his fellow Indiana American Guard members <a href="https://www.theindychannel.com/news/local-news/indianapolis/indiana-american-guard-among-protestors-at-charlottesville-unite-the-right-rally" target="_blank" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 0.3s; background: transparent;">marched alongside</a> neo-Nazis in Charlottesville.Invictus, too, was a member of American Guard, acting as Sergeant at Arms for the Florida chapter of James’s organization. But in late September 2017, Invictus found himself <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/09/22/american-guard-ousts-augustus-invictus-citing-his-support-poisonous-ideas" style="box-sizing: inherit; transition: all 0.3s; background: transparent;">ousted from the organization</a>. His attendance at "Unite the Right," it seems, had drawn bad publicity for American Guard. “He will no longer be allowed to discredit our organization, or its membership,” an official statement read. “We reject his claim that disagreement with Nazis, Socialists, and other totalitarians makes one a coward, ‘cuck’, or traitor.”Only a month later, Invictus also withdrew his FOAK membership — not due to any clear ideological disagreements between him and Chapman, but because of petty infighting. After California FOAK member Johnny Benitez was forced to step down (after evidently challenging Chapman’s authority by getting “way too into” the fraternity), cracks started to appear in the organization’s fragile foundation. Chapman gave a “Green light” on Benitez if he showed up at any more rallies and, when someone on a Facebook thread suggested he should “Just put a fucking bullet in him and move on,” Chapman concurred by liking the comment. Though Invictus had to admit that “Every time Chapman has attacked a communist, he’s done a great service to America,” the drama was too much for him. Since his departure, he’s embarked on new extremist ventures, including joining Kyle Bristow’s Foundation for the Marketplace of Ideas and growing his online store and video channel called The Revolutionary Conservative.slpc