Atomwaffen, US Neo-Nazi Group Linked to 5 Murders, Banned by Tech Firms

By teleSUR

10 March 18

'Atomwaffen' which means "nuclear weapon" in German, preaches Third Reich ideology and endorses hatred of minorities, gays, and Jews.

tomwaffen Division, a violent neo-Nazi organization, which has been linked to at least five killings across the United States in January, has been removed from at least five technology platforms, Pro Publica, a U.S. think tank, has reported.

The white supremacist organization's channel on Youtube, which is used to promote its racist, propaganda videos, was removed after the Daily Beast and Mother Board published stories incriminating the channel.

The hate group also used Discord, a video-game chatting service, and Inktale, an online t-shirt retailer, to fund its operations through the sale of Nazi-themed t-shirts, but after a Twitter backlash in late February, both companies cut with them.

Another San Francisco-based tech company, CloudFlare, which provided anti-hack protection to two Atomwaffen websites: AtomwaffenDivision.org and SiegeCulture.com, by obscuring the names of the host companies, also severed ties with the neo-nazi organization last year.

'Atomwaffen' which means "nuclear weapon" in German, preaches Third Reich ideology and endorses hatred of minorities, gays, and Jews.

According to the Washington Post, Atomwaffen Division describes itself as a "revolutionary national socialist organization centered around political activism and the practice of an autonomous fascist lifestyle."

The group’s “vile propaganda often promotes violence against minority communities, including LGBT people, Jews, Muslims, and African Americans," a source told the Washington Post.

In February, ProPublica said it acquired nearly 250,000 messages posted by members of the Atomwaffen Division, in a private chat room. The think tank revealed the secretive messages which were inherently anti-semitic, racist and homophobic also shed light on the violent white supremacist group.

In January, the Anti-Defamation League identified the leader of the organization as John Cameron Denton, a 24-year old from Texas.

Denton helped write a 563-page obscure, hyper-violent book, "Siege" which consists of monthly newsletters from the 1980s' by an old-line neo-Nazi activist James Mason. "Siege" is required reading and is part of the training program for the organization members, and it informs their viewpoint.

"Politics are useless. Revolution is necessary," Denton said in a chat post expressing the Atomwaffen worldview.

The white supremacist group which has been accused of violent crimes, used Discord, an online chat service used by video gamers, to engage in its confidential online discussions.

The group members have also praised the Charleston church shooter, Dylann Roof, and Anders Breivik, the Norwegian extremist who massacred 77 people.

According to the Pro Publica, Atomwaffen could have a presence in 23 states in the U.S. and Canada, with small groups rooted in Texas, Virginia, Washington, Nevada and elsewhere.

"Each chapter operates independently," the recruiter told Pro Publica. "We want men who are willing to be the boots on the ground. Joining us means serious dedication not only to the Atomwaffen Division and its members but to the goal of Total Aryan Victory."

The armed group has been training for nearly two years, most recently being in January at a three-day weapons training camp, called the Death Valley Hate Camp.

"We haven’t seen anything like Atomwaffen in quite a while," said Keegan Hankes, a researcher who tracks the group for the Southern Poverty Law Center, according to Pro Publica. "They should be taken seriously because they’re so extreme."