It is often difficult for people to tell the difference between run-of-the-mill Trump supporters and fascists at first glance. Fascists often exploit Trump supporters, by hiding in their midst at events, and disguising themselves with Trump apparel, rather than showing fascist flags and symbols. But additionally, the line between far-right groups and fascism can be hazy. Steve Shallenberger, a former neo-nazi skinhead who now attempts to pass himself off as simply a “patriot,” is a perfect example of how fascism can hide in plain sight in the far-right.
Update: “John” was identified as Jarl Rockhill by Eugene Antifa and PNW-AWC.
With a legacy of attacking anti-fascist protesters and inviting openly anti-semitic keynote speakers who encourage participants at his rallies to recite neo-nazi slogans, Joey Gibson has been running for cover from angry community members who are tired of having his events draw hate to their cities.
But Gibson is trying one last gambit to promote his franchise of far-right celebrity: martyrdom.
Update: we have received word that Vanderzanden has been fired from Serra. We’re waiting for confirmation.
Joel Vanderzanden, a member of the fascist group Operation Werewolf, is currently working as a manager at the Serra dispensary on Belmont. Join Rose City Antifa in telling Serra that our community will not tolerate white supremacists who threaten customers, neighbors, and co-workers!
Serra Belmont
2519 SE Belmont St
Portland, OR 97214
Phone: 971-544-7055
Local alt-right demagogue, Joey Gibson, refuses to stop his organizing activities despite the recent tragedy in Charlottesville. At this stage there can be no doubt that no matter what lip service Gibson pays to being a nice guy full of “love”, his actions demonstrate at best callous disregard, and at worst complete support for the violent impact of his rallies and those like it.
After our numerous articles exposing his white supremacist associates, and the opposition antifa have been consistently giving his hate fests, only a small circle of die hard bigots and zealots remain.
On August 6th, Joey Gibson stood with nazis while claiming not to stand with nazis.
On August 6th, Joey Gibson held another far-right rally in downtown Portland, In an effort to record the facts about this fascist-enabling activity and provide educational tools for those new to anti-fascist activism, we held a Fight the Fascist Creep Fundraiser Challenge. After outlining eight different types of fascist-enabling activity that had been seen at Gibson’s previous events, we asked those opposed to this sort of fascist creep to pledge donations to the National Network of Abortion Funds for every instance of this activity we counted.
Jacob Ott (aka Jake Von Ott, Jake Frank) is the Oregon regional coordinator for Identity Europa. We first began reporting on him when, along with several other white supremacists, neo-nazis, and white nationalists, he appeared at Joey Gibson’s April 29th “Free Speech” march in the immigrant Montavilla neighborhood of Portland. Multiple participants in Joey Gibson’s rally, including Jake, were seen throwing nazi salutes and posting white supremacist propaganda along 82nd Ave.
Allen Pucket begs the police for an escort to safety after hurling homophobic hate speech at Portland Pride 2017.
Over the last several months, Rose City Antifa has been tracking the way in which white supremacists use Joey Gibson’s events to recruit and organize from among the far-right. But it is not just the white supremacists pulling them closer– members of the far-right are themselves becoming more visibly radicalized through rubbing shoulders with white supremacists at these rallies.
Rose City Antifa has been tracking a number of white supremacists and fascists that show up to Joey Gibson’s rallies. Some of these we have written about, like Jeremy Christian, Jake Ott, Tim Gionet, Raul Gonzalez, The Traditionalist Workers Party, and the Proud Boys, as well as a number of others. Others, we continue to track, collecting as much useful information as possible on their activities and associates, before we expose them for what they are.
On August 6th, Joey Gibson will be hosting yet another rally at Portland’s Waterfront Park. Gibson, whose rhetoric is rapidly descending into paranoid conspiracy theorist word-soup, has taken to calling anti-fascists “terrorfa,” as he attempts to demonize local residents and activists alike by labeling the community’s opposition to his activities as terrorism.
Rose City Antifa is familiar with these tactics. Fascists throughout history have attempted to portray self-defense of the community as the activity of a mob of criminals.
Tim Gionet and Jake Ott displaying a hand-sign that is ‘totally not white supremacist’… except that white supremacists keep making it, to try to prove they aren’t white supremacist.
White supremacists often try to hide their racism, because their aborrent ideologies cause the communities in which they live to rise up against them. While it will surprise few people that racists are also often liars, it is important to not let the misdirections distract us from their true aims.
