Rise Above Movement
The Rise Above Movement (RAM), also formerly known as the D.I.Y. Division, is an alt-right organization located in Southern California.[1][2][3]
The group gained significant attention for physical fights that have been allegedly generated by the group, though members claim they were acting in self-defense against Antifa counter-demonstrators, along with a beating of a protester during the white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The group is a strong supporter of the Fourteen Words slogan originally coined by David Lane, and has been described by supporters of political correctness as "a loose collective of violent neo-Nazis and fascists", as well as white nationalist, white supremacist, and far-right. The group and its links to violence and white power skinheads led to significant press attention.[4][5][6][7]
Both RAM and the Proud Boys allegedly have roots in the violent neo-Nazi white power skinheads of the 1980s and white supremacist prison gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood.[8] Their events have been streamed by the alt-right media collective The Red Elephants.[9]
Contents
History
Beginnings
The group was founded by an unidentified leader. He was described by ProPublica as being a supporter of President Donald Trump, but argued that Trump's politics were not revolutionary enough for the current political climate. He was reported to have started the group with two active duty United States Marines, and founded the organization sometime in early 2017.
Early 2017
On March 25th and in an event described by ProPublica as their "public debut" - around a dozen members of the Rise Above Movement held antisemitic signs and one reading "Defend America". The scene was reported to have escalated into physical violence, with members fighting with ANTIFA members in the crowd. Rise Above Movement has also held signs saying that "the goyim know", claimed by some to be a reference to a racist conspiracy theory. On April 15th, various members traveled to the 2017 Berkeley protests. In June 2017, they made appearances at an event for Act! for America, an anti-Islamist organization led by Brigitte Gabriel.
Unite The Right rally and National Attention
The group gained significant media attention by a beating by one of its members. Members marched in the 2017 Unite the Right rally, where they chanted white nationalist slogans.[10][11] The organization stated that it regretted the violence that occurred at the event, but that the altercations were instigated by extreme left-wing agitators.
Membership
The group has been described as made up mostly of 20-30 year old white men, with members clothes being described by ProPublica as "close-cropped hair, clean-shaven faces, T-shirts and jeans." The group is also known for regularly having members appear in skull masks, goggles, and American flag bandannas to conceal identities.
The group has taken members from the Hammerskin Nation and Identity Evropa. Some members of RAM have been identified as having criminal records. Former FBI agent Michael German has described the group's violent clashes with opposing groups at protests as "organized criminal activity."[12]
References
- ↑ "Rise Above Movement". YouTube.
- ↑ Blades, Lincoln Anthony. "White Supremacists Don't Deserve Hugs". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
- ↑ Yousafzai, by Salman (2017-08-23). "Southern California alt-right group involved in Charlottesville rally — Jewish Journal". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
- ↑ "Racist, violent, unpunished: A white hate group’s campaign of menace — ProPublica". ProPublica. A.C. Thompson,Ali Winston,Darwin BondGraham. 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2017-10-20. "Oren Segal of the ADL said RAM could prove durable or fizzle out in a matter of months. It’s too soon to tell. But in both their short-term menace and their uncertain long-term future, Segal said RAM is quite representative of what he called the “new alt-right youth brigades.”" "Racist, violent, unpunished: A white hate group’s campaign of menace". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
- ↑ France-Presse, Agence. "New generation of white nationalist groups flourish under Trump". Retrieved 2017-10-20.
- ↑ "Grupos de extrema direita ganham visibilidade nos EUA após protesto". Folha de S.Paulo. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
- ↑ Roman, Gabriel San (2017-10-20). "Hate Group's Violent Actions in OC and Beyond Exposed in ProPublica Feature". OC Weekly. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
- ↑ AFP. "A new generation of white nationalist groups flourish under Trump". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 2017-10-20. Rebirth of the alt-right, Global Times, 16 August 2017
- ↑ Tristan, Frank John (31 August 2017). "How Lake Forest's Alt-Right Media Collective The Red Elephants Twists Truth to Make Fake News". OC Weekly.
- ↑ Tristan, Frank John (2017-08-31). "How Lake Forest's Alt-Right Media Collective The Red Elephants Twists Truth to Make Fake News". OC Weekly. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
- ↑ Fausset, Richard; Feuer, Alan (2017-08-13). "Far-Right Groups Surge Into National View in Charlottesville". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
- ↑ Harrington, Rebecca (20 October 2017). "White supremacists who beat people up at rallies are escaping police custody — so media outlets are unmasking them". Business Insider.
