Citizens for a Better Helena

Citizens for a Better Helena is a group which claims to be "intended to keep the residents of Helena, MontanaFile:Wikipedia's W.svg informed on issues coming before their town council",[1] but is in fact a hate group that regularly shares articles and content authored by nationally recognized extremists and hate groups, many with prominent ties to recognized white nationalist. Organized by Jim Butterball Buterbaugh (of Whitehall, MontanaFile:Wikipedia's W.svg) and Gina Satterfield, this group has become a hotbed for members of the Helena, Montana and surrounding area's anti-immigration movement. Other local pages closely tied to this group include The American Security Rally of Montana[2] and Montana Citizens against Terrorism Both Foreign and Domestic.[3]

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Background

Founded in 2016 by anti-immigrant activists Jim Buterbaugh and Gina Satterfield, Citizens for a Better Helena has served to advocate and promote content authored by nationally recognized hate groups and extremists, racist bloggers, and other anti-immigration wingnuts. The primary focus of this movement has been to impede the resettlement of refugees of war, who happen to be Muslim, into Montana.[4] Gina Satterfield routinely participates in organized rallies, protests,[5] and speeches.[6] Most of these functions are founded upon fears invoked by debunked stories, tabloids, inaccurate statistics, conspiracies like the New World Order, and ultimately religious intolerance.

Like many other anti-immigration hate groups, Citizens for a Better Helena hides their religious intolerance under the thin guise of patriotism. Articles and content promoted by this group are almost exclusively limited to scare quotes, with plenty of content by:

  1. Refugee Resettlement Watch,[7] founded by extremist Ann Corcoran, a popular figure among white nationalist and racist websites and blogs. Racist groups that regularly share Corcoran’s work include the white nationalist group "Council for Conservative Citizens" and racist website VDARE.
  2. Bare Naked Islam,[8] an anti-Islam hate blog with a very racist reader and fan base that was briefly shut down by Wordpress for policy violations. Catholic apologist Robert Spencer has defended the website Bare Naked Islam, as well as defending open calls to Muslim genocide. The site is so extreme not even Debbie Schlussel could stand it.[9]
  3. Pamela Geller,[10] a prominent extremist and figurehead of anti-Islam ideologists. Her website has been the source of many debunked conspiracy theories, ranging from "Obama is a Muslim beholden to Islamic overlords" to "Obama is the love child of Malcolm X."
  4. FrontPage Magazine,[11] founded by anti-black and anti-Muslim neoconservative conspiracy theorist, David Horowitz. Horowitz is often touted by the racist and white supremacist communities.
  5. Shoebat.com,[12] led by Walid Shoebat, a self-titled "peace activist", Obama birther, and fraud who charges thousands of dollars to give fear-mongering anti-Islam speeches. Notable statements by Shoebat's son Theodore include "hopes that future President Trump will turn the US into a "Christian Supremacist" society and execute Muslims."
  6. ACT! For America,[13] a prominent anti-Islam movement and source of extreme hate speech. ACT! For America is led by Brigitte Gabriel, described by the New York Times as a "radical Islamaphobe" and by publicists as "extreme". Gabriel's hate lies against the religion of Islam itself, not just "radical" Islam.

In its own words
“”Get familiar with this enemy of the New World Order that is here to indoctrinate you and your children with ISLAMIFICATION!!!
—Gina Satterfield, February 3, 2016
“”This is why we (so few) have big mouths and have to TOLERATE the ABUSE by tho$e that say we are bigots, racists and haters. There is no excuse for this stupidity. For every 12-14 welfare recipients = 1 resettlement refugee. How is this sustainable? Would you let Charles Manson out of prison, give him a furnished house (next to you or anyone), cash stipends, food stamps, Obamacare,…and take a chance knowing that he is a pedophile, rapist, mass murderer,…? WTH?!! WAKE UP MONTANA?!! IF YOU DON'T STAND UP, YOU WILL BE A VICTIM!
—Gina Satterfield – March 14, 2016
“”50% of the Arabs in the Muslim world are inbred. This is encouraged, allowed and practiced under the veil of Sharia.
—Gina Satterfield – February 9, 2016
“”Here in Montana, I called out on a microphone and a line array speaker on the steps of our State's Capital that it would be my "pleasure" for Christine Kauffman (D) SD40 to be the first inline, along with the other Feminazis (that all want to bring in the fuzzy muslim refugees) to lineup for their sharia compliant FGM (Female Genital Mutilation). Let me know how it works out for you…you hear?!!
—Gina Satterfield – Februrary 26, 2016
“”HELENA AND ALL OF MONTANA MUST DEMAND THAT WE WILL NOT ALLOW ISLAMIFICATION!!! START WRITING AND CALLING CITY & COUNTY COUNCIL TO STOP STEVE MALY OF WORLDMONTANA. NO REFUGEE$!!!
—Gina Satterfield – February 5, 2016
“”Islam is NOT A RELIGION. IT IS A POLITICAL AGENDA MEANT TO POPULATE COUNTRIES WITH MORE AND MORE MUSLIMS! Why don't people inform themselves better? Be armed and prepared to defend family, city, and Country. The storm is coming.
—Drew Taylor – March 31, 2016
“”This group is PUBLIC!!!!!!! All council meeting announcements, local news, concerns, anything goes here. Anyone!!!!! And I mean anyone!!!!! From Helena and surrounding county is permitted to join!!!!!!! Hate speach will not be tolerated. Everyone is entitled to an opinion! Not everyone is going to agree!!!!! This page is intended to inform! Not to force any opinion or take a stance. These members are your voters!!!!!!
—Group post
gollark: Probably.
gollark: It wouldn't be hot enough to *melt* if it stopped spinning like that.
gollark: If the Earth stopped moving, its trajectory would go directly toward the Sun. This would cause it to melt.
gollark: Except the REPEALED PENUMBRAE/NX-51 site.
gollark: All locations are locations for religious discussion.

References
  1. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1673398616266313/
  2. https://www.facebook.com/1amer2secur/?fref=ts
  3. https://www.facebook.com/Montana-citizens-against-terrorism-both-foreign-and-domestic-1693340960921002/?fref=ts
  4. http://helenair.com/news/local/helena-rally-promotes-acceptance-of-syrian-refugees/article_dcf0f449-16c5-5f07-9620-dbb77294da95.html
  5. http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2016/02/22/rally-urges-syrian-refugees-montana/80782054/
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RftJKBSJgwY
  7. https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2015/07/13/lauded-racist-groups-refugee-resettlement-watch-founder-ann-corcoran-moves-further-right
  8. https://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/bare-naked-islam-a-hub-for-the-deranged-right-wing-cognoscenti
  9. http://www.debbieschlussel.com/45728/bare-naked-islam-karma-nutjob-who-called-me-terrorist-supported-cair-lawsuit-v-me-gets-website-removed-by-cair/
  10. https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/pamela-geller
  11. https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2014/godfather
  12. https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2011/08/26/new-report-details-funding-sources-behind-anti-muslim-fearmongers
  13. https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2015/acting-out
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