Never trust a neo-Nazi claiming overnight ‘reformed’ while facing legal charges, especially those who use that claim for sweet, sweet ‘deradicalization’ money.
Another tell:
True ‘formers’ don’t expect you to believe or accept them, and don’t seek rewards for doing the work.
I’ve been the target of neo-Nazi violence for many, many years, so I’m more skeptical of ‘formers’ than most.
Two of the best people I know: @_Shan_Martinez_ & @LA_Kings_67. They do the work everyday out of moral duty, not for acclaim or reward.
Matthew Heimbach does...not.
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We could all use some hope at the moment, so I wanted to share a (very unexpected) message I just received.
People can change.
And we can’t afford to forget that, especially right now.
That particular kill list cost me nearly everything, quite literally.
I’m a lot angrier at the non-Nazis who punished me for risking my life than I am at the Nazis that made it.
And I’m thankful to the person who wrote this apology, and immensely thankful they got out.
I’m actually a bit emotional now, given what that kill list did to my life, so I’m going to log off.
But:
I’m so grateful for the desperately needed reminder that what we do is worth the personal toll and high cost. Someone broke free - and that’s the best gift I could get.
Thankfully, Tom Metzger died in 2020. Great day at our house. He was one of the worst human beings imaginable.
Lest you think skinheads aren’t still a thing, to cite just one example: the perpetrator of the Oak Creek massacre at a Sikh temple was a Hammerskin (and a veteran).
Tom Metzger also - see the infiltration thread lower down on the timeline - was one of the white supremacist leaders who advocated infiltration as strategy.
He ordered boys to avoid tattoos, join law enforcement, the military, law, etc.