Anti-Communist Action

Anti-Communist Action (or Anticom for short) is a right-wing to far-right[lower-alpha 1] organization based in the United States and Canada.[1][2][3] The group has described itself as "the right’s response to antifa."[4] Anticom has espoused neo-Nazi ideology, and members have attended neo-Nazi events.[5][4][6] The group has done security for various alt-right and white supremacist rallies.[6] Anticom has overlapping membership with the neo-Nazi terrorist group Atomwaffen Division, and the groups have shared information on combat and bomb-making.[6]

Anti-Communist Action
FounderSeth Vitco
Founded2016
IdeologyAnti-communism
Alt-right
Neo-Nazism
Ultranationalism
White nationalism
Paleolibertarianism
Political positionRight-wing to Far-right

According to the Seattle Patch, the organization is not specifically aligned with white supremacists.[7] The group has stated that it accepts members of all races.[8] Leaked chat logs included violent rhetoric against minorities in the organization.[6] A chat log from the 2017 Berkeley protests promised the event would turn into a "bloodbath".[6]

The group was lead organizer of the 2017 White Lives Matter rally alongside the neo-Nazi groups National Socialist Movement, Traditionalist Workers Party, Vanguard America, the Southern nationalist League of the South, and the Ku Klux Klan.[9][10][11] The group was also a lead member of the Unite the Right rally.[2][12] In September 2017, members planned an event similar to the Unite the Right rally titled "March Against Communism" in Charlotte, North Carolina on December 28, 2017 with speakers including white nationalist Richard B. Spencer and Augustus Sol Invictus (aka Austin Gillespie) and a representative of the white supremacist organization Vanguard America.[13] Anticom later cancelled the event due to safety concerns.[14]

Some members of the movement have promoted mass killings against minorities and the overthrow of the government.[6] Propublica has estimated the organization as having 1,200 participants in its chat room.[6] The organization uses yellow and black flags and symbols as a reference to Libertarianism. Some flags also depict people being thrown from helicopters, which is a reference to executions during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship of Chile.[2][6]

A Propublica report detailed leaked chat logs from the organization calling for violence. A representative for the group stated that the report was true, but that it was not encouraged by leaders of the organization.[6]

Notes
  1. Sources which describe the group as far-right include
    Sources which describe the group as right-wing include

References
  1. Ebner, Julia (October 24, 2017). "The Fringe Insurgency" (PDF). Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
  2. "Here's a guide to the white nationalist groups involved in the Charlottesville demonstration". Newsweek. 2017-08-13. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  3. Merelli, Annalisa (October 27, 2017). "What to expect when white supremacists rally in Tennessee this weekend". Quartz. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  4. Ackerman, Spencer; Weill, Kelly (24 October 2018). "Army Parrots Racist Right's Talking Points on Antifa". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  5. Bullock, Tom (28 December 2017). "Antifa Makes Presence Known At Charlotte Demonstration". WFAE. NPR. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  6. Thompson, A.C.; Winston, Ali (2 November 2017). "White Supremacists Share Bomb-Making Materials in Online Chats". ProPublica. A.C. Thompson,Ali Winston. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  7. "A Guide To The Right-wing Groups In Seattle On Sunday". Seattle, WA Patch. 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  8. "The many groups making noise on the far-right". Axios. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  9. Landers, Jackson (2017-10-27). "White Supremacists Come to Terrorize Refugees in Tennessee". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  10. Mathias, Christopher (28 October 2017). "'White Lives Matter' Rally Canceled After Meeting Heavy Resistance In Tennessee". Huffington Post.
  11. Hauslohner, Abigail (27 October 2017). "Residents and organizers worry about violence at Tennessee Rallies". The Washington Post.
  12. Guilford, Gwynn. "The complete story of what happened in Charlottesville, according to the alt-right". Quartz. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  13. "Anti-communist group says it is planning Charlotte torch march, rally in December". charlotteobserver. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  14. "Controversial right-wing group says it won't hold torch march at Marshall Park". charlotteobserver. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
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