This week marks the 6th anniversary of the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA.
It also marks a year of Ignite the Right, a project created by anti-fascist researchers intent on identifying participants so they can be held accountable. 🧵
While many participants of UTR had been identified by anti-fascists before Ignite the Right launched last year, there were still hundreds who had never been named. Ignite worked to catalogue existing documentation and track down new and old info wherever they could find it.
Since launching one year ago, Ignite the Right has expanded their database to over 600. This includes 250 new identities for previously unnamed participants, bringing the total to 320. And those are just the identities that have been made public.
Ignite the Right is comprised of over a dozen anti-fascist groups and individuals, many of whom are at the forefront of identifying various fascists and white supremacists and have had their work verified and cited by major news outlets. With nearly 1 Terabyte of video and
photos that were taken at the rally, rely on OSINT methods to track and confirm the identities of Unite the Right participants. The public has also lent a helping hand by sending in anonymous tips leading to several identifications now featured on the group's website and Twitter.
In 2023 we have seen new development in which individuals are now being arrested for their actions at the Unite the Right torch rally.
John Joseph Donnelly aka Johnny O'Malley, Woburn, MA Cop and neo-Nazi security for Richard Spencer at the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally identified by @UnmaskUTR and @letsgomathias
June 30, 2023 - Sean Clayton Spaulding #BlackBristlesUTR
Sean Clayton Spaulding of Carlsbad, CA - Unite The Right Participant Has Years - Long History of Hate Group. Identified by @SCResearchClub and @SunlightAFA
Last week Tyler Bradley Dykes of Bluffton, SC, pleaded guilty to burning to intimidate at the UTR torch march in 2017. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison, with 6 months active sentence and 4.5 years suspended.
NEW: Unite the Right attendee #BloodyFlagUTR has been identified as Traditionalist Worker Party member Jonathan Alan Holderfield of Birmingham, Alabama.
Jonathan Holderfield was originally identified in part to having his photo and name dropped into Discord by Tristan Bass (#BloodyKKKUTR).
In the Discord server Tristan said "He's TWP now. We all are."
Holderfield can also be found in photos of Nazi rallies alongside Traditionalist Worker Party, National Socialist Movement, and League of the South members.
An article from The Guardian has him listed as a KKK member. #BloodyFlagUTR
Nathaniel Menefee is an Alt-Right fanboy who is proud of his participation in Charlottesville, so proud that he has posted it across multiple social media sites.
Nate also uploaded a video of himself in the crowd of Nazis chanting "You will not replace us" at the Unite the Right torch rally.