Elliott Kline

Last updated

Elliott Kline (born 1991), also known as Eli Mosley, is an American neo-Nazi and military impostor. [1] [2] [3] He is the former leader of Identity Evropa, and was a prominent organizer in the alt-right movement between 2017 and 2018. He was also a key figure behind the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which was one of several neo-Nazi rallies that Kline helped organize.

Contents

The New York Times revealed in February 2018 that Kline had lied about his military service. Specifically, Kline had pretended to be a combat veteran of Iraq when in fact he had been stationed in Pennsylvania throughout this time in the military. [3] Following the revelation of his lie, Kline withdrew from political activism. [4]

Early life

Kline grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania. [5] He graduated from Wilson High School in 2010 then attended several colleges before dropping out without obtaining a degree. He later joined the Pennsylvania National Guard, where he served for about six years. [3]

Alt-right activism

Kline's pseudonym of Eli Mosley was inspired by British fascist Oswald Mosley. [3] Kline joined the Proud Boys in 2016. He helped organize the 2017 white supremacist Unite the Right rally. [3] After Kline condemned a tweet by Jason Kessler, who wrote that the counterprotester killed at the rally in a car attack deserved to die, Kessler tweeted that, "There is an individual who has done a coordinated smear job on me, from within the movement; that person is Eli Mosley, Elliott Kline. From the beginning he was fucking things up." [5]

Kline became the head of Identity Evropa in August 2017. [3] [5] At the same time, Kline took a position as a writer for the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer, for which he promoted racial hatred and conspiracy theories about Jews. [6]

In order to bolster his reputation, throughout his time in the alt-right movement Kline claimed that he had deployed to and fought in Iraq and Kuwait, when in fact his unit never left the state of Pennsylvania during his service. [3] The lie was exposed in a February 2018 New York Times report, [3] and Kline subsequently withdrew from political activism. [4]

In October 2017, Kline was named as a defendant in Sines v. Kessler, a case brought by nine Charlottesville residents against various organizers, promoters, and participants in the Unite the Right rally. [7] Kline was jailed in January 2020 for contempt of court after ignoring orders to produce records, including credentials for his email and social media accounts. He was held at the Albemarle–Charlottesville County Regional Jail for about a week. [4] [8] The trial was originally scheduled for late 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [9] The trial began on October 25, 2021. During the trial, plaintiffs showed a video deposition of Samantha Froelich, an ex-girlfriend of Kline's, who described her experiences as a former member of Identity Evropa and the alt-right. [10] The jury reached a partial verdict on November 23. Kline was found liable on two claims: civil conspiracy under Virginia state law, and engaging in race-based harassment or violence. [11] [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

The National Policy Institute (NPI) was a white supremacist think tank and lobbying group based in Alexandria, Virginia. It lobbied for white supremacists and the alt-right. Its president was Richard B. Spencer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Socialist Movement (United States)</span> American Neo-Nazi organization (1974-)

The National Socialist Movement (NSM) is a far-right, Neo-Nazi, white supremacist hate based organization based in the United States. It is a part of the Nationalist Front. The party claimed to be the "largest and most active" National Socialist organization in the United States. It is classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Heimbach</span> American white supremacist (born 1991)

Matthew Warren Heimbach is an American white supremacist and neo-Nazi. He has attempted to form alliances between several far-right extremist groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard B. Spencer</span> American white supremacist (born 1978)

Richard Bertrand Spencer is an American neo-Nazi, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, and white supremacist. Spencer claimed to have coined the term alt-right and was the most prominent advocate of the alt-right movement from its earliest days. He advocates for the reconstitution of the European Union into a white racial empire, which he believes will replace the diverse European ethnic identities with one homogeneous "White identity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Hill (activist)</span> American political activist

Michael Hill is an American former university professor and political activist from Alabama. He is a co-founder and the president of the "Southern secession" movement the League of the South, an organization whose stated goal is to create an independent country made up of the former states of the American South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan</span> White supremacist and antisemitic hate group

The Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is a group styled after the original Ku Klux Klan (KKK). Formed around 2012, it aims to "restore America to a White, Christian nation founded on God's word".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Identity Evropa</span> Neo-Nazi group in the United States

Identity Evropa was an American neo-Nazi and white supremacist organization established in March 2016. It was rebranded as the American Identity Movement in March 2019. In November 2020, the group disbanded. Leaders and members of Identity Evropa, such as former leader Elliot Kline, praised Nazi Germany and pushed for what they described as the "Nazification of America".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Enoch</span> American white supremacist blogger and podcast host(born 1977)

Michael Enoch Isaac Peinovich more commonly known as Mike Enoch, is an American neo-Nazi, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, Holocaust denier, blogger, and podcast host. He founded the alt-right media network The Right Stuff and podcast The Daily Shoah. Through his work, Enoch ridicules African Americans, Jews, and other minorities, advocates racial discrimination, and promotes conspiracy theories such as Holocaust denial and white genocide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unite the Right rally</span> 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia

The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and far-right militias. Some groups chanted racist and antisemitic slogans and carried weapons, Nazi and neo-Nazi symbols, the Valknut, Confederate battle flags, Deus vult crosses, flags, and other symbols of various past and present antisemitic and anti-Islamic groups. The organizers' stated goals included the unification of the American white nationalist movement and opposing the proposed removal of the statue of General Robert E. Lee from Charlottesville's former Lee Park. The rally sparked a national debate over Confederate iconography, racial violence, and white supremacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antifa (United States)</span> Anti-fascist political activist movement

Antifa is a left-wing anti-fascist and anti-racist political movement in the United States. It consists of a highly decentralized array of autonomous groups that use nonviolent direct action, incivility, and violence to achieve their aims. Antifa political activism includes non-violent methods like involving poster and flyer campaigns, mutual aid, speeches, protest marches, and community organizing. Some who identify as antifa also use tactics involving digital activism, doxing, harassment, physical violence, and property damage. Members of antifa aim to combat far-right extremists, including neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Kessler</span> American white supremacist and far-right political activist

Jason Eric Kessler is an American neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and antisemitic conspiracy theorist. Kessler organized the Unite the Right rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 11–12, 2017, and the Unite the Right 2 rally held on August 12, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Cantwell</span> American neo-Nazi

Christopher Charles Cantwell, also known as the Crying Nazi, is an American white supremacist, neo-Nazi, and antisemitic conspiracy theorist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Allsup</span> American white supremacist (born 1995)

James Orien Allsup is an American white supremacist, far-right political commentator, and podcaster. He was a member of the American Identity Movement, a white nationalist, Identitarian and neo-Nazi organization, until it disbanded in 2020. Allsup formerly co-hosted a podcast on the neo-Nazi network The Right Stuff. He was a YouTube personality until his channel was removed for promoting white supremacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlottesville car attack</span> 2017 terrorist attack in the United States

The Charlottesville car attack was a white supremacist terrorist attack perpetrated on August 12, 2017, when James Alex Fields Jr. deliberately drove his car into a crowd of people peacefully protesting the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing one person and injuring 35. Fields, 20, had previously espoused neo-Nazi and white supremacist beliefs, and drove from Ohio to attend the rally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unite the Right 2</span> 2018 white supremacist rally in Washington, D.C.

The "Unite the Right 2" rally was a white supremacist rally that occurred on August 12, 2018, at Lafayette Square near the White House in Washington, D.C., United States. It was organized by Jason Kessler to mark the first anniversary of the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which ended in deadly violence and attracted both national and international attention.

The Rise Above Movement (RAM) is a militant alt-right Southern California-based street fighting group which has variously been described as "a loose collective of violent neo-Nazis and fascists", white nationalists, white supremacists, and far-right persons. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), it "is inspired by identitarian movements in Europe and it is trying to bring their philosophies and violent tactics to the United States." Its members are primarily located in the areas of Orange County and San Diego, and as of 2018, have been variously numbered at 20 to 50. Individual RAM members are also members of other organizations, such as the self-described Identitarian Identity Evropa/American Identity Movement, the "Western chauvinist" Proud Boys, and the neo-Nazi skinhead Hammerskin Nation, according to Northern California Anti-Racist Action (NoCARA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Gorcenski</span> American data scientist and activist

Emily Gorcenski is an American data scientist and activist who now resides in Germany. Gorcenski was a counter-protester at the Unite the Right rally in 2017, and subsequently created the site 'First Vigil' to track the trial information of white nationalists.

Matthew Colligan is an online personality who posted neo-Nazi memes under the handle Millennial Matt alongside white nationalist Baked Alaska. His identity was revealed through his participation in the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. One of Colligan's repeated memes is the phrase “Big Bird did nothing wrong", which he has said in radio, tweets, and videos.

<i>Sines v. Kessler</i> Civil rights lawsuit decided in 2021

Sines v. Kessler was a civil lawsuit against various organizers, promoters, and participants in the Unite the Right rally, a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2017. The trial began in October 2021, and on November 23, the jury reached a mixed verdict in which they found various defendants liable on claims of civil conspiracy and race-based harassment or violence. They also found James A. Fields Jr., the perpetrator of the car attack against counterprotesters at the rally, liable for assault and battery and intentional infliction of harm. Altogether, the jury awarded the plaintiffs more than $25 million in punitive and compensatory damages, though this was later reduced by the judge to $2.35 million.

Peter Cvjetanovic is an American former white supremacist known for being photographed at the Unite the Right rally in 2017.

References

  1. ↑ Kuhn, Rick (October 22, 2017). "Fascists take power in Austria. Could they do the same in Australia?". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on March 2, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  2. ↑ Kurmelovs, Royce (August 17, 2017). "How the Alt-Right Trolled Triple J to Advance Their Agenda". Vice . Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cott, Emma (February 5, 2018). "How Our Reporter Uncovered a Lie That Propelled an Alt-Right Extremist's Rise". The New York Times . Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Charlottesville rally planner jailed for contempt of court". AP News . January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Kelley, Brendan Joel (November 27, 2017). "Identity Evropa's controversial new ringleader". Southern Poverty Law Center . Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  6. ↑ Smolla, Rodney A. (2020). Confessions of a Free Speech Lawyer: Charlottesville and the Politics of Hate. Cornell University Press. p. 159. ISBN   978-1-5017-4967-4 . Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  7. ↑ Sines v. Kessler ( W.D. Va. ), Text .
  8. ↑ "Kline released from jail, could face criminal contempt proceedings". CBS 19 News . January 9, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  9. ↑ Sargent, Hilary (September 21, 2020). "How Christopher Cantwell crumbled". The Informant. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  10. ↑ Hammel, Tyler (November 1, 2021). "Plaintiff describes ongoing trauma as defendants push free speech arguments". The Daily Progress . Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  11. ↑ Lavoie, Denise (November 23, 2021). "Jury awards millions in damages for Unite the Right violence". AP News . Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  12. ↑ Silverman, Ellie (November 23, 2021). "Spencer, Kessler, Cantwell and other white supremacists found liable in deadly Unite the Right rally". The Washington Post . Retrieved November 23, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.