Idaho Light Foot Militia

Last updated

Idaho Light Foot Militia
Dates of operationc.2009–present
Active regions Idaho, United States

The Idaho Light Foot Militia (ILFM) is a privately organized militia in the state of Idaho. The Idaho Light Foot Militia is distinct from a state defense force in that it is not recognized as part of the organized militia by the government of Idaho, but is rather privately organized by private citizens in the unorganized militia. The ILFM was founded in 2009. [1]

Contents

Organization

The Southern Poverty Law Center lists them as one of 1274 patriot groups that "engage in groundless conspiracy theorizing, or advocate or adhere to extreme anti-government doctrines. [2] The Members of the militia believe they are the "teeth of the Constitution" at a time of economic and political uncertainty for the United States. [3] [4]

Membership

Members participate in training and attend monthly meetings. [5] As of 2021, the militia consisted of over 600 members. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Poverty Law Center</span> American civil rights NGO, founded 1971

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white supremacist groups, for its classification of hate groups and other extremist organizations, and for promoting tolerance education programs. The SPLC was founded by Morris Dees, Joseph J. Levin Jr., and Julian Bond in 1971 as a civil rights law firm in Montgomery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Order (white supremacist group)</span> American white supremacist terrorist group

The Order, also known as the Brüder Schweigen and Silent Brotherhood, was a Neo-Nazi terrorist organization active in the United States between September 1983 and December 1984. The group raised funds via armed robbery. Ten members were tried and convicted for racketeering, and two for their role in the 1984 murder of radio talk show host Alan Berg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Baldwin</span> American politician (born 1952)

Charles Obadiah Baldwin is an American right-wing politician, radio host, and founder-former Independent Baptist pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. As of January 2011 he is leading pastor of Liberty Fellowship in Kalispell, Montana. He was the presidential nominee of the Constitution Party for the 2008 U.S. presidential election and had previously been its nominee for vice president in 2004. He hosts a daily one-hour radio program, Chuck Baldwin Live, and writes a daily editorial column carried on its website, as well as on VDare. He is a former editor of NewsWithViews.com.

The Posse Comitatus is a loosely organized American far-right extremist social movement which began in the late 1960s. Its members spread a conspiracy-minded, anti-government, and anti-Semitic message linked to white supremacy aiming to counter what they believe is an attack on their social and political rights as white Christians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sovereign citizen movement</span> Anti-government, anti-taxation conspiracy theorists

The sovereign citizen movement is a loose group of anti-government activists, litigants, tax protesters, financial scammers, and conspiracy theorists based mainly in the United States. Sovereign citizens have their own pseudolegal belief system based on misinterpretations of common law and claim to not be subject to any government statutes unless they consent to them. The movement appeared in the United States in the early 1970s and has since expanded to other countries; the similar freeman on the land movement emerged during the 2000s in Canada before spreading to other Commonwealth countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The FBI describes sovereign citizens as "anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or 'sovereign' from the United States".

Louis Ray Beam, Jr. is an American white supremacist, conspiracy theorist and neo-fascist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American militia movement</span> Political movement of paramilitary groups in the US

American militia movement is a term used by law enforcement and security analysts to refer to a number of private organizations that include paramilitary or similar elements. These groups may refer to themselves as militia, unorganized militia, and constitutional militia. While groups such as the Posse Comitatus existed as early as the 1980s, the movement gained momentum after standoffs with government agents in the early 1990s. By the mid-1990s, such groups were active in all 50 US states, with membership estimated at between 20,000 and 60,000. The movement is most closely associated with the American right-wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriot movement</span> American conservative political movement

In the United States, the patriot movement is a term which is used to describe a conglomeration of non-unified right-wing populist and nationalist political movements, most notably far-right armed militias, sovereign citizens, and tax protesters. Ideologies held by patriot movement groups often focus on anti-government conspiracy theories, with the SPLC describing a common belief that "despise the federal government and/or question its legitimacy." The movement first emerged in 1994 in response to what members saw as "violent government repression" of dissenting groups, along with increased gun control and the Clinton administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oath Keepers</span> American far-right organization since 2009

Oath Keepers is an American far-right anti-government militia whose leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the government of the United States, including the transfer of presidential power as prescribed by the United States constitution. It was incorporated in 2009 by founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes, a lawyer and former paratrooper. In 2023, Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years for seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, and another Oath Keepers leader, Kelly Meggs, was sentenced to 12 years for the same crime. Three other members have pleaded guilty to this crime, and four other members have been convicted of it.

The FEMA camps conspiracy theory is a belief, particularly within the American Patriot movement, that the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is planning to imprison US citizens in concentration camps, following the imposition of martial law in the United States after a major disaster or crisis. In some versions of the theory, only suspected dissidents will be imprisoned. In more extreme versions, large numbers of US citizens will be imprisoned for the purposes of extermination as a New World Order is established. The theory has existed since the late 1970s, but its circulation has increased with the advent of the internet and social media platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traditionalist Worker Party</span> Defunct neo-Nazi and white nationalist American political party

The Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP) was a neo-Nazi political party active in the United States between 2013 and 2018, affiliated with the broader "alt-right" movement that became active within the U.S. during the 2010s. It was considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center's list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Percenters</span> American and Canadian far-right militia group

The Three Percenters are an American and Canadian far-right anti-government militia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio Defense Force</span> Privately organized militia in the state of Ohio

The Ohio Defense Force (ODF) is a privately organized militia in the state of Ohio. The Ohio Defense Force is not a part of the organized military of Ohio, which consists of the Ohio National Guard, the Ohio Naval Militia, and the Ohio Military Reserve. Rather, it is organized, led, and staffed by private citizens.

The New York Light Foot Militia (NYLFM) is a militia movement organization founded by George Curbelo in 2015 in the U.S. state of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriot Front</span> American white nationalist group

Patriot Front is an American white supremacist and neo-fascist hate group. Part of the broader alt-right movement, the group split off from the neo-Nazi organization Vanguard America in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally in 2017. Patriot Front's aesthetic combines traditional Americana with fascist symbolism. Internal communications within the group indicated it had approximately 200 members as of late 2021. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the group generated 82% of reported incidents in 2021 involving distribution of racist, antisemitic, and other hateful propaganda in the United States, comprising 3,992 incidents, in every continental state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peace Monument (Atlanta)</span> Public monument in Atlanta, Georgia, United States

The Peace Monument is a public monument in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Designed by Allen George Newman, the monument is located in Piedmont Park and was erected in 1911 by members of the Old Guard of the Gate City Guard, a Confederate-era militia, as a show of national unity in the years following the American Civil War. The monument has been the subject of controversy recently, with some calling for its removal as a symbol of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stewart Rhodes</span> Oath Keepers leader and January 6, 2021 seditionist (born 1966)

Elmer Stewart Rhodes III is an American former attorney and convicted seditionist. He founded the Oath Keepers, an American far-right anti-government militia. In November 2022, he was convicted of seditious conspiracy and evidence tampering related to his participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack culminating at the main campus of the United States Capitol complex. On May 23, 2023, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

References

  1. McKnight, Matt Mills (August 2, 2012). "'Teeth of the Constitution:' Light Foot Militia rises in Idaho's backcountry". NBC News. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  2. "ANTIGOVERNMENT MOVEMENT". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  3. "Light Foot Militia rises in Idaho's backcountry". NBC News. July 2, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  4. "In Idaho, a Militia Trains ... for What?". NBC News. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  5. Kruesi, Kimberlee (April 18, 2014). "The Militia Wants YOU: Idaho Militia Recruits in Twin Falls". Magic Valley. Times-News . Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  6. Owens, Ryan; Brown, Ely (March 30, 2010). "In Idaho, a Militia Trains ... for What?". ABC News. Retrieved December 8, 2015.