Thread by @crohlv

Meet Gerard Stezelberger — prolific Nazi memorabilia dealer & owner of Lehigh Valley gun shop "Relic Hunter Firing Line". Gerard chartered a bus and transported dozens of Lehigh Valley residents to the #J6 #CapitolRiot. (Content Warning: Nazi imagery) (1/15)

In this thread we'll cover Relic Hunter's origins as a major online Nazi memorabilia dealer, RH's role in Lehigh Valley far-Right organizing, & Stezelberger's bus charter to the J6 Capitol Riot. First, an Internet Archive capture of RelicHunter .com from 2006. (2/15)

A deeper dive into the Internet Archive reveals Relic Hunter was a high-volume online store. Old Nazi memorabilia constantly went out the door, and was quickly replaced by more. This occurred from at least 2003-2016. Below, a capture from RelicHunter .com in 2016. (3/15)

In 2014, Stezelberger used his nest egg to open Relic Hunter Firearms & Military, a physical store on MacArthur Road in Whitehall, Pennsylvania. Rather than using his well established Nazi memorabilia website, Stezelberger created RelicHunterFirearms .com. (4/15)

This move created a level of separation between Stezelberger's old Nazi business and his new Firearms/military surplus business. Perhaps Stezelberger recognized that LV residents would rightly question the integrity of a man sells actual, literal, Nazi keepsakes. (5/15)

In Sept 2017, Stezelberger closed the MacArthur Road shop & reopened at the current Relic Hunter location on Egypt Road in Coplay. At this juncture Stezelberger *finally* removed his Nazi memorabilia website from the internet. All traffic now directed to firearms website. (6/15)

Relic Hunter's social media is littered with the far-Right's favorite memes, imagery, and messaging. In a small sample below, Stezelberger mocks Parkland shooting survivors, calls racial justice activists "ANIMALS", and admits his shop does not comply with mask mandates. (7/15)

Relic Hunter is where the whole spectrum of LV's right wing rub elbows. Stezelberger engages in "normal" political activity like 2A events & GOP meet-and-greets. But he also rallied the local far-Right to harass local teens holding a press conference & pick-up b-ball game. (8/15)

Stezelberger is treated like a "normal" business owner, penning op eds in the @mcall & @69News. But he also uses his business to spread Trump's big lie about election fraud. A delusion that climaxed in Stezelberger bussing dozens of LV residents to the deadly Capitol Riot. (9/15)

Stezelberger's connections to GOP elites, Tea Party activists, local media outlets, and full-on Qanon conspiracy theorists (such as fellow J6 attendee Steve Lynch) creates fertile ground for these groups to work in effective collaboration toward fascist ends. (10/15)

In the weeks leading to the Capitol Riot, the Relic Hunter FB page invited customers to join their bus for the J6 "Stop the Steal" rally in DC. On Jan. 5th, Stezelberger was featured in a WFMZ segment, further confirming his intention to bus dozens to DC for J6. (11/15)

Tea Party activist "Mo" Gyory joined Stezelberger on his bus charter. In a Dec 26 FB post, "Mo" and her husband's violent intentions for J6 are quite clear. & in another screenshot from Gyory's FB profile, Mo confirms that her friends breached the Capitol Building. (12/15)

Gerard Stezelberger built a comfortable life selling Nazi relics to private buyers. He used his platform to intimidate and endanger our community's children. So far, his reputation as "successful Lehigh Valley business owner" has been a shield for criticism. (13/15)

But the events of J6 have dispelled any lingering debate about the fascist character of the MAGA movement. Gerard Stezelberger did everything in his power to strengthen fascist numbers in DC for the deadly Capitol riot. (14/15) newsweek.com/robert-paxton-…

As a result, Stezelberger bears responsibility for the predictable violence that his peers carried out. In the interest of community safety, we compiled this information. Follow the link in our profile for more info about Gerard Stezelberger & Relic Hunter. #WeKeepUsSafe (15/15)

@mcall @mcallguild @ssigafoos @TShortell @kayla_dwyer17 @michellejmerlin @jenwsheehan @Sarah_M_Wojcik

Maybe consider not giving Gerard Stezelberger and Relic Hunter a platform anymore? We have receipts for all of our claims.

@LVStandsUp @MakeRoadActPA @MakeTheRoadPA @BLMlehighvalley @DSALehighValley @lehighvalley @LVwithLove