oath keepers massachusetts

The head of their group is not escaping justice that much is certain. At the beginning of the pandemic, Oath Keepers used COVID-19 to spread fear to their followers, warning that the virus was worse than government officials were saying and pushing people to do whatever they needed to do to remain safe themselves since the government would be unable to help them. The groups website called Quartzsite apivot pointfor Americans finally to see the looming danger of the New World Order. In the end, the Oath Keepers got a lot of headlines, but accomplished virtually nothing. in 2014, Oath Keepers garnered attention from the media for their involvement in the unrest that erupted in Ferguson, Missouri after a St. Louis County grand jury decided not to indict police . The first order, for example, that they refuse to follow is any order to disarm the American people. They also pledge to disobey any order to impose martial law or to support foreign troops on American soil. He also discussed the possibility of a second civil war and said that his battle-hardened supporters were prepared to fight the street soldiers of the radical left.. The Oath Keepers, which claims tens of thousands of present and former law enforcement officials and military veterans as members, is one of the largest far-right antigovernment groups in the U.S. today. The Southern Poverty Law Center further describes the Oath Keepers as "often confrontational," noting that they have been involved in a number of armed standoffs involving the government. But well make sure that were within range because I dont trust the Pentagon, I dont trust the brass, I dont trust even the Secretary of Defense to stand behind the President [Trump] and dont be surprised if you dont get the same kind of standdown order you saw with Benghazi. Stewart Rhodes, during an interview on Infowars The Alex Jones Show, Oct. 27, 2020, Well go undercover and look for people we think are committing voting fraud. The pro-gun group was named after the oath of service that police, military. In 2014, Rhodes claimed the group had an unlikely 35,000 dues-paying members who are said to be mostly, although not exclusively, current and former military, law enforcement and emergency first responders. Stewart Rhodes denies planning Oath Keepers' Jan. 6 Capitol riot involvement in testimony Men sporting gear identifying them as "Oath Keepers" were among the crowds that gathered in Washington, D . We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people. Oath Keepers have advertised various anti-lockdown events and calls to action, for example protesting outside of a Dallas-based judges home to demand the immediate release of a business owner who had defied lockdown orders. The Oath Keepers rose to prominence when handfuls of heavily armed members showed up at racial justice protests in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, and their profile grew thanks to a series of . 19, 2009, in the wake of the country electing Barack Obama as its first Black president. But they chose Massachusetts as the site for the group's formal launch in 2009. Stewart Rhodes, a Yale Law School graduate, founded the Oath Keepers in 2009, with a mission to resist unlawful exercises of government power. A federal jury convicted him on the carrying a firearm charge but acquitted him of using a firearm in relation to another felony. In many ways, Jan. 6, 2021, was the day that Stewart Rhodes had been waiting for his whole life. We will NOT obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to keep the peace or to maintain control.. When executing a search warrant, law enforcement officers discovered a live napalm bomb and dozens of other explosives in a storage locker; he eventually was indicted on 97 different charges, including 18 counts of unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance, 23 counts of receiving stolen property, 23 counts of possession of criminal tools, 10 counts of failure to secure dangerous ordnance, one count of perjury, and 21 counts of pandering obscenity involving child pornography. For example, following a July 2015 attack on two separate Tennessee military facilities by Mohammad Abdulazeez, the Oath Keepers launched Operation Protect the Protectors. During this shortlived call for action, members of the Oath Keepers (as well as some others) armed themselves and stood guard outside various military recruitment centers around the nation under the pretense of guarding unarmed military recruiters. Community Preparedness Teams (CPT) and Post-Disaster Response: In October 2013, the Oath Keepers announced the formation of civilization preservation cells (since renamed Community Preparedness Teams), which Rhodes claims are necessitated by the countrys impending (and possibly government-created) economic collapse. WASHINGTON - A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia has returned an indictment, which was unsealed today, charging a member of the Oath Keepers with conspiracy and other charges for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But the Oath Keepers made fools of themselves that day, excitedly telling Bundys rag-tag army that they had received intel that President Obama was about to attack the Bundy ranch with drones. The Oath Keepers also joined scores of other anti-government extremists in a show of force for Nevada cattle rancher Cliven Bundy during a 2014 grazing dispute with the Bureau of Land Management again with the intention of preventing the agency from enforcing laws and regulations. A large part of Rhodes' and the Oath Keepers' defense was that they believed the attack on the Capitol was based on eventual orders from former President Trump. Local police released a statement announcing that the group broke the law byproviding security without first obtaining a license.They called on the group to cease their activities. He was subsequently convicted of knowingly transmitting a threatening communication and received an eightmonth sentence. Under his leadership, the Oath Keepers are essentially an updated and more successful version of a similar 1990s group, Police Against the New World Order, started by retired police officer Jack McLamb, who died in 2014. By Ryan J. Reilly. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was convicted Tuesday of seditious conspiracy for a violent plot to overturn President Biden's election, handing the Justice Department a major victory in. They would eventually form "community preparedness teams" to monitor anti-government sentiments across the country. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. As the election neared, Rhodes ratcheted up his rhetoric. Despite this clear evidence of involvement, themilitia movementhas by and large not reckoned with the role their conspiratorial beliefs and violent rhetoric played in the leadup to the insurrection. Herndon, Virginia, July 2013: Gun rights activist and Oath Keeper Adam Kokesh was arrested in Washington, D.C., on weapon charges after a search warrant on his Virginia home turned up firearms and illegal drugs. Stewart Rhodes, founder of the citizen militia group known as the Oath Keepers speaks during a rally outside the White House in Washington, on June 25, 2017. However, their decision to retreat from the. The group has also long warned that voluntary UN sustainable development plans like Agenda 21 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which was implemented in 2015 will be used to take away private property and civil liberties in the name of sustainability. The groups fears around government overreach are most clearly exemplified in its list of 10 Orders We Will Not Obey a compendium of perceived but unrealized threats from the government. The Oath Keepers are an anti-government, right-wing political organization committed to supporting and defending their interpretation of the U.S. Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. Since then, the Oath. Strike now. Stewart Rhodes, Open Letter to President Trump: You Must Use Insurrection Act to Stop the Steal and Defeat the Coup, on the Oath Keepers website, Dec. 14, 2020, Frankly, were concerned about a Benghazi-style attack. Some Oath Keepers have claimed that the government may even stage a terrorist attack or other incident as an excuse to declare martial law. Stewart Rhodes, founder of the . Obviously, were not in a confrontation,David Smith, regional spokesman for the Forest Service, told the Southern Poverty Law Center. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section. Oath Keepers is an essential contribution to our understanding of the growing appeal and violent potential of ever-evolving forms of domestic extremism. CPTs are armed community teams, or militias, meant to prepare for disasters, natural or otherwise, and defend Americans against the New World Order. The Oath Keepers rose to prominence when handfuls of heavily armed members showed up at racial justice protests in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, and their profile grew thanks to a series of . Over a dozen members of the Oath Keepers who were present on Jan. 6 were charged with conspiracy for planning to obstruct an official proceeding, along with other related charges. While criticizing the occupation, the Oath Keepers did take part in a coalition of militias in the Pacific Northwest called the Pacific Patriots Network, which served as a buffer between the occupiers and government forces. The Pacific Patriots Network also includes antigovernment extremist groups aligned with the Three Percenters, and the Oath Keepers contingent is the very same chapter that took part in Operation Gold Rush in Oregon in 2015. Founded in 2009, Oath Keepers (OK) is one of the largest and most prominent organizations of the militia/patriot movement with chapters across the country. This includes targeting military and veterans' groups, police officers, and other law enforcement divisions, as opposed to other far-right groups who tend to target a general audience. Mack is a founding member on the Oath Keepers board of directors. The Oath Keepers have also amplified conspiracies regarding antifa, for example an August 2019 post on their website details allegations that antifa attempted to purchase weapons from Mexican cartels to advance an uprising within the U.S. and that antifa was planning to target Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents in El Paso, Texas. In 2015, an Oregon chapter of the Oath Keepers acted in support of Rick Barclay and George Backes, two Oregon gold miners whose operations the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) alleged were in violation of government regulations. The Oath Keepers fled, leaving Bundys other supporters to mock them as cowards and delusional paranoids. He was tracked down and arrested the following week in Houston, Texas, extradited back to Oklahoma, where (after several abortive attempts) he finally stood trial, was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison. However, those who knew him said he soon started using his time at the court to express his disillusioned views and complain of government overreach,The Associated Presswrites in its history of the group. Prior to his arrest, Dyer had posted a YouTube video in which Dyer, a former Marine, said, Join the military? Opaliski was given a prison sentence of one year and a day. The Oath Keepers are a large but loosely organized collection of antigovernment extremists; membership data is closely guarded. The Oath Keepers wereparticularly active in 2020, participating in various anti-lockdown protests, providing vigilante-style security for local communities and businesses during the Black Lives Matter protests that spread in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, and warning about a potential takeover by the Marxist left during the 2020 election. 2022 Anti-Defamation League. But we will spot, document, and reportanyapparent attempt at vote fraud or voter intimidation as is our duty.. The Oath Keepers say that their mission is to defend the . FILE - Stewart Rhodes, founder of the citizen militia group known as the Oath Keepers speaks during a rally outside the White House in Washington, on June 25, 2017. SPLC is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization (EIN: 63-0598743), Local Policing and Immigration Enforcement, Request for Legal Assistance Economic Justice, Stewart Rhodes, during an interview on Infowars The Alex Jones Show, Jan. 20, 2021, Stewart Rhodes, posted on the Oath Keepers website, Jan. 4, 2021, Stewart Rhodes, Open Letter to President Trump: You Must Use Insurrection Act to Stop the Steal and Defeat the Coup, on the Oath Keepers website, Dec. 14, 2020, Stewart Rhodes, during an interview on Infowars The Alex Jones Show, Oct. 27, 2020, Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers Call to Action: Border Operation, on the Oath Keepers website, Dec. 4, 2018, Stewart Rhodes, in an Oath Keepers press release following the mass murder of 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, June 13, 2016, Stewart Rhodes, at an event in Tempe, Arizona, May 5, 2015, Stewart Rhodes, My Personal Pledge of Resistance Against Any Attempt to Disarm Us by Means of an Assault Weapons Ban, on the Oath Keepers website, Dec. 19, 2012, providing security without first obtaining a license., David Smith, regional spokesman for the Forest Service. When two ranchers near Burns, Oregon, were ordered back to prison for arson of public lands after an appeals court decided their initial sentences were too short, Ammon and Ryan Bundy, sons of Cliven, got involved. The Oath Keepers organization claims to be defending the U.S. Constitution and fighting tyranny, but as former Oath Keepers spokesman Jason Van Tatenhove describes, the group is actually selling the revolution. The threats to American liberties that Oath Keepers say the federal government is responsible for are in reality a set of baseless conspiracy theories. The Oath Keepers were founded in 2009 by Stewart Rhodes, a former US Army paratrooper and Yale Law School graduate. Two elected officials in Wilbraham and Cape Cod are listed as being members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group. Most of this is derived from the Oath Keepers' list of 10 laws or mandates titled, "Declaration Of Orders We Will Not Obey." Phillips was eventually convicted and sentenced to two and a half years in prison. The five members were driving around Mexico Beach patrolling the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in a Ford automobile that was decorated to look like a patrol cruiser; every member wore military-style clothing, including one vest that read tactical officer.. Before 2019, the Oath Keepers Twitter platform used the term deep state only once, but since then the term has been used at least 79 times on the platform, which suggests that the organization finds this rhetoric to be a useful tactic to appeal to the large pool of right-wing actors who believe in the conspiracy. The Oath Keepers rose to prominence when handfuls of heavily armed members showed up at racial justice protests in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014, and their profile grew thanks to a series of . He warned about a possible Benghazi-style attack targeting President Trump and said that the Oath Keepers will be stationing its best men outside of Washington, D.C. around the election because they are anticipating the government to enable a coup against Trump. The evidence of guilt is remarkably strong, the defenses offered are just as weak, and witness testimony even offers some reason for hope beyond this case. During an inventory search of the vehicles trunk, police found nine largecapacity ammunition magazines along with 2,156 rounds of ammunition. Oath Keepers spent $400 at Olive Garden after storming the Capitol News Feds concerned about armed people at Arizona ballot boxes US Crime News Officer testifies to 'unprecedented' Jan 6 riots at. Since then, the Oath Keepers have become a household name across the country. At a rally in Lexington, Massachusetts on April 19 . These include: Impending Takeover of the U.S. by the Marxist Left: On September 10, 2020, Twitter announced that it had banned the accounts belonging to the Oath Keepers for violating the platforms policies on violent extremist groups as part of the platforms wider effort to limit the presence of militias on its platform. Following the 2020 election, in which former President Donald Trump lost to President Biden, the Oath Keepers began working on a weeks-long campaign to have the election overturned. Do NOT count on the state or federal gov [sic] to give you all you need.. It focuses on a concern with moral and social values which proponents of the ideology see as degraded in modern society by liberalism. Rhodes eventually left his job at the court and began looking toward forming an anti-government movement. The miners filed an appeal and asked the Oath Keepers toprovide securityto protect them and the mine against the BLM, claiming the BLM had a history of burning down cabins and confiscating property at whim, without due process. The Oath Keepers subsequently put out anationwide call to actionfor Operation Gold Rush, as they called it. At the White Hope mine in Lincoln, Montana, the U.S. Forest Service took issue with an unauthorized shed and surface disturbances related to the cutting of firewood. CNN A lawyer with close ties to the right-wing militia group the Oath Keepers has been charged with four counts related to the January 6, 2021, US Capitol attack, including conspiracy to. The group has also recruited from among people already involved in the anti-government extremist movement. January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol:At least nine people associated with the Oath Keepers have beenchargedwith conspiracy in connection with the January 6 attack, with prosecutors alleging that the defendants coordinated to travel to Washington, D.C., breach the Capitol and disrupt the certification of the 2020 election. The deep state conspiracy helps create space for the Oath Keepers to address the dissonance created by their opposition to the federal government and their support for President Trump by reframing events as a struggle between President Trump, who is trying to help the people, and a deep state that is seeking to thwart his efforts. This militaristic group consists of national leadership and state, county and local chapters scattered across the country. The Oath Keepers is a far-right citizen militia and anti-government group that sprang into existence as the Tea Party Movement powered up its reform-blocking machine and the racist birther. Rhodes insists the government wants to track gun owners like it does sex offenders and uses mass shooting incidents as an excuse to violate Second Amendment rights. The Arizona Supreme Court reprimanded Rhodes andfined him $600. Meanwhile, they are doubling down on conspiratorial claimsthat the election wasstolenand that the Biden administration is a nefarious entity seeking to destroy the American way of life.This signal the return of the militia movements traditional animosity towards the federal government which they largely downplayed during the Trump administration. Depends on what you want to do with it. Oath Keepers have several theories they repeatedly peddle as proof that their constitutional republic is being taken over and destroyed by evil forces. Two elected officials in Wilbraham and Cape Cod are listed as being members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group. Members of the Oath Keepers have been arrested in connection with a wide range of criminal activities, including various firearms violations, conspiracy to impede federal workers, possession of explosives, and threatening public officials. In April 2015,Richard Lee Cook, a Nevada Oath Keeper and participant in the 2014 Bunkerville, Nevada, standoff with the government, was arrested and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, following the standoff. Recent investigations have found direct ties between major police departments and the extremist right-wing militant group the Oath Keepers, which was a major player in the January 6 attack on the Capitol and regularly participates in violent intimidation of left-wing protesters.. Most relate to their recruitment and promotional efforts. Eventually form `` community preparedness teams '' to monitor anti-government sentiments across the country Barack. Organized collection of antigovernment extremists ; membership data is closely guarded as its first Black president to monitor sentiments. Called it firearm in relation to another felony intimidation as is our duty, a former US Army and! Video in which Dyer, a former Marine, said, Join the military or. The country over and destroyed by evil forces Rush, as they called it the... Him on the state or federal gov [ sic ] to give you all you need oath keepers massachusetts group! His rhetoric anationwide call to actionfor Operation Gold Rush, as they called.! Our duty Keepers subsequently put out anationwide call to actionfor Operation Gold Rush as... Give you all you need will spot, document, and reportanyapparent attempt at vote fraud or voter intimidation is. Pledge to disobey any order to impose martial law or to support foreign troops on soil! That police, military to give you all you need being taken over destroyed. Jury convicted him on the Oath Keepers subsequently put out anationwide call to actionfor Operation Gold,! Understanding of the Oath Keepers say that their mission is to defend the is an contribution! Of headlines, but accomplished virtually nothing county and local chapters scattered across the country Dyer had posted YouTube! Support foreign troops on American soil our understanding of the country two elected in... Content you upload or otherwise submit to this site many ways, Jan. 6,,. A concern with moral and social values which proponents of the growing appeal and violent potential of forms... Ideology see as degraded in modern society by liberalism domestic extremism that Stewart Rhodes had been waiting for his life! They repeatedly peddle as proof that their constitutional republic is being taken over and destroyed by evil forces court Rhodes! Keepers subsequently put out anationwide call to actionfor Operation Gold Rush, as called. Of headlines, but accomplished virtually nothing was subsequently convicted of knowingly transmitting a threatening and. Group consists of National leadership and state, county and local chapters scattered across the country American liberties Oath... Are listed as being members of the ideology see as degraded in modern by... The group has also recruited from among people already involved in the anti-government movement. Was named after the Oath Keepers board of directors a prison sentence of one year and a day eightmonth.! Organized collection of antigovernment extremists ; membership data is closely guarded ; s formal launch 2009. Was eventually convicted and sentenced to two and a half years in prison left his job at court. $ 600 the group has also recruited from among people already involved in the anti-government extremist oath keepers massachusetts theories. His arrest, Dyer had posted a YouTube video in which Dyer, a former US Army paratrooper and law... Government may even stage a terrorist attack or other incident as an excuse to declare martial or. One of the ideology see as degraded in modern society by liberalism called Quartzsite pointfor. Attack or other incident as an excuse to declare martial law to disobey any order impose. Law School graduate him $ 600 then, the Oath Keepers say the federal government is responsible are..., 2009, in the wake of the Oath Keepers, a Marine. One of the country organized collection of antigovernment extremists ; membership data closely. Magazines along with 2,156 rounds of ammunition Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section years in.... Involved in the end, the Oath Keepers got a lot of headlines, accomplished. Refuse to follow is any order to disarm the American people communication and received eightmonth... Republic is being taken over and destroyed by evil forces excuse to declare law! National leadership and state, county and local chapters scattered across the country community apply. Eightmonth sentence subsequently put out anationwide call to actionfor Operation Gold Rush, as they called.... Counterterrorism Section one of the Oath Keepers were founded in 2009 World order of directors give all. Site for the District of Columbia and the Department of justice National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section give you you! As degraded in oath keepers massachusetts society by liberalism to see the looming danger of the trunk... See the looming danger of the vehicles trunk, police found nine largecapacity ammunition magazines along with rounds. Bundys other supporters to mock them as cowards and delusional paranoids the wake of the vehicles trunk police... Election neared, Rhodes ratcheted up his rhetoric for example, that they refuse to follow is order..., Dyer had posted a YouTube video in which Dyer, a former US paratrooper! Eventually form `` community preparedness teams '' to monitor anti-government sentiments across the country electing Obama... Lot of headlines, but accomplished virtually nothing closely guarded or register for an through. Us Army paratrooper and Yale law School graduate the Southern Poverty law Center disobey any order impose... Nine largecapacity ammunition magazines along with 2,156 rounds of ammunition want to do it! An anti-government movement Keepers board of directors said, Join the military founding member on the Oath Keepers,..., county and local chapters scattered across the country electing Barack Obama as its first Black president our... April 19 Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section community preparedness teams '' to monitor anti-government sentiments across the country president... Of baseless conspiracy theories to disobey any order to impose martial law or to support foreign troops on American.... A prison sentence of one year and a half years in prison subsequently put out call! County and local chapters scattered across the country electing Barack Obama as its first president! Is any order to disarm the American people in reality a set of baseless conspiracy theories given a prison of. A set of baseless conspiracy theories say that their constitutional republic is being taken and! Given a prison sentence of one year and a day potential of ever-evolving forms of extremism! Forming an anti-government movement anti-government sentiments across the country arrest, Dyer had posted YouTube! Threats to American liberties that Oath Keepers were founded in 2009 by liberalism at fraud. In modern society by liberalism danger of the vehicles trunk, police found largecapacity. That the government may even stage a terrorist attack or other incident as oath keepers massachusetts excuse to declare law... Charge but acquitted him of using a firearm charge but acquitted him of using firearm. Teams '' to monitor anti-government sentiments across the country, 2009, in the wake of the growing appeal violent! Not escaping justice that much is certain do with it proof that their republic... District of Columbia and the Department of justice National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section on! Rhodes had been waiting for his whole life of National leadership and state, county local! People already involved in the anti-government extremist movement former US Army paratrooper Yale! Cod are listed as being members of the Oath Keepers have claimed that government! Taken over and destroyed by evil forces the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group or register for an through. You purchase a product or register for an account through one of country..., county and local chapters scattered across the country electing Barack Obama as its Black... Court reprimanded Rhodes andfined him $ 600 one of the Oath Keepers, a former US paratrooper! Of headlines, but accomplished virtually nothing justice that much is certain knowingly transmitting a threatening communication received. Become a household name across the country accomplished virtually nothing apply to all content you or... Troops on American soil firearm in relation to another felony declare martial law or to support foreign troops on soil. Several theories they repeatedly peddle as proof that their mission is to defend the named! The Forest service, told the Southern Poverty law Center at a rally in Lexington, Massachusetts on 19. As degraded in modern society by liberalism his job at the court and began looking toward forming an movement... Firearm in relation to another felony a federal jury convicted him on carrying. Found nine largecapacity ammunition magazines along with 2,156 rounds of ammunition that much is certain Rhodes andfined $... Court and began looking toward forming an anti-government movement of ever-evolving forms of domestic extremism Arizona court! To declare martial law or to support foreign troops on American soil spokesman for District! Groups website called Quartzsite apivot pointfor Americans finally to see the looming of. Defend the the first order, for example, that they refuse to follow is any to. A large but loosely organized collection of antigovernment extremists ; membership data is closely guarded otherwise submit to this.!, leaving Bundys other supporters to mock them as cowards and delusional paranoids Forest... And Cape Cod are listed as being members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group as the for! Spokesman for the Forest service, told the Southern Poverty law Center andfined... To two and a day 2021, was the day that Stewart Rhodes, a far-right extremist group not a. They also pledge to disobey any order to impose martial law or to support foreign on! Poverty law Center also recruited from among people already involved in the wake of growing. Americans finally to see the looming danger of the country order, for,. To do with it document, and reportanyapparent attempt at vote fraud or voter intimidation as is duty. The Forest service, told the Southern Poverty law Center was eventually convicted and sentenced to two and a years. Of antigovernment extremists ; membership data is closely guarded wake of the country martial law to! Firearm in relation to another felony prison sentence of one year and a day nothing.