John Turano

Last updated
John Turano
OccupationAlt-right activist

John Turano, also known as Based Spartan, has been described as an "icon of the alt-right 'Patriot' movement, who was known for brawling with Antifa protesters in the early days of the Trump administration in 2017. [1] [2] [3] In 2018, Turano briefly left the far right movement. [1] [2] [3]

Turano was among a group of far right activists who attacked the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, DC on December 12, 2020. [4]

Turano was involved in a violent protest in Los Angeles on July 17, 2021 in connection with the Wi Spa controversy. [5]

In June, 2023, District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Neal E. Kravitz imposed civil penalties of over $1 million on Turano and three members of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, Joe Biggs and Jeremy Bertino in connection with the 2020 attack on the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church. Kravitz said that the four men had engaged in "hateful and overtly racist conduct" [4]

Personal life

Turano lives in Los Angeles, as of 2018. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One People's Project</span> USA far-right monitoring organization

One Peoples Project (OPP) is an organization founded in 2000 to monitor and publish information about alleged racist and far-right groups and individuals, mostly in the United States. The group has about fifteen volunteers in addition to its most prominent members, Daryle Lamont Jenkins, its founder, and Joshua Hoyt, who joined the group in 2002. It has been called "the most mainstream and well-known anti-fascist or antifa" organization in the United States. Its motto is "Hate Has Consequences".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church</span> Historic church in Washington, D.C., United States

Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church is a historic church located at 1518 M Street, N.W., in downtown Washington, D.C. It affiliates with the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proud Boys</span> North American neo-fascist organization since 2016

The Proud Boys is a North American all-male, far-right, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence. The group's leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the federal government of the United States, including its constitutionally-prescribed transfer of presidential power. It has been called a street gang and was designated as a terrorist group in Canada and New Zealand. The Proud Boys are opposed to left-wing and progressive groups and support Donald Trump, the former president of the United States. While Proud Boys leadership has denied being a white supremacist organization, the group and some of its members have been connected to white supremacist events, ideologies, and other white-power groups throughout its existence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Southern</span> Canadian alt-right political activist (born 1995)

Lauren Cherie Southern is a Canadian alt-right YouTuber, political activist and commentator. In 2015, she ran as a Libertarian Party candidate in the Canadian federal election. Southern worked for Rebel Media until March 2017, when she began to work independently.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Posobiec</span> American conservative commentator and conspiracy theorist

Jack Michael Posobiec III is an American alt-right political activist, television correspondent and presenter, conspiracy theorist, and former United States Navy intelligence officer.

<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, or violence to achieve their aims. Antifa political activism includes non-violent methods such as 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">Post–World War II anti-fascism</span>

Post–World War II anti-fascism, including antifa groups, anti-fascist movements and anti-fascist action networks, saw the development of political movements describing themselves as anti-fascist and in opposition to fascism. Those movements have been active in several countries in the aftermath of World War II during the second half of the 20th and early 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriot Prayer</span> American far-right political group

Patriot Prayer is a US far-right group founded by Joey Gibson in 2016 and based in Vancouver, Washington, a suburban city in the Portland metropolitan area. Since 2016, the group has organized several dozen pro-gun, pro-Trump rallies held in cities in the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. Often met with large numbers of counter-protesters, attendees have repeatedly clashed with left-wing groups in the Portland area. Far-right groups, such as the Proud Boys, have attended the rallies organized by Patriot Prayer, as well as white nationalists, sparking controversy and violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Gibson (political activist)</span> American right-wing activist

Joseph Owan Gibson is an American right-wing activist and the founder of the far-right group Patriot Prayer, which is active in Portland, Oregon and other cities within the Pacific Northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose City Antifa</span> Antifa group founded in 2007 in Portland, Oregon

Rose City Antifa (RCA) is an antifascist group founded in 2007 in Portland, Oregon. A leftist group, it is the oldest known active antifa group in the United States. While anti-fascist activism in the United States dates back to the 1980s, Rose City Antifa is the first to adopt the abbreviated moniker antifa. Since 2016, Rose City Antifa has been one of the nine chapters of the Torch Network coalition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Ngo</span> American right-wing author and influencer (born 1980s)

Andy Cuong Ngo is an American right-wing social media influencer, who is known for covering and video-recording demonstrators. He is a journalist and editor-at-large for The Post Millennial, a Canadian conservative news website, and a regular guest on Fox News. Ngo has published columns in the New York Post and The Wall Street Journal and authored a best selling book on Antifa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">End Domestic Terrorism rally</span> 2019 Proud Boys rally in Portland, Oregon, US

The End Domestic Terrorism rally, sometimes subtitled "Better Dead Than Red", was a far-right demonstration organized by the Proud Boys and held in Portland, Oregon on August 17, 2019. The event, the purpose of which was to promote the idea that the "antifa" anti-fascist movement should be classified as "domestic terrorism", received national attention. The rally drew more counter-demonstrators than participants, with at least one group urging its members in advance not to attend, and ended with the Proud Boys requesting a police escort to leave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enrique Tarrio</span> American far-right activist (born August 3, 1984)

Henry "Enrique" Tarrio is an American convicted seditionist and far-right activist. From 2018 to 2021, he was the chairman of the Proud Boys, a far-right neo-fascist organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States. Along with three other Proud Boys leaders, Tarrio was convicted in May 2023 of seditious conspiracy for his role in the 2021 United States Capitol attack. In September 2023, Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Biggs</span> American felon and former Proud Boys organizer (born 1980s)

Joseph Randall Biggs is an American veteran, media personality, organizer of the Proud Boys, and convicted felon for his participation in the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

Kyle Chapman, also known by the nickname Based Stickman, is an American white nationalist and alt-right activist. He earned his nickname and prominence in the alt-right movement after he was recorded beating an anti-fascist counter-protester with a stick at the March 2017 March 4 Trump rally in Berkeley, California. Shortly after, he founded the Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights (FOAK), a paramilitary group that is considered a partner or subgroup of the far-right, neo-fascist Proud Boys organization. He led the FOAK until later that year, when he faded from his leadership position following an assault conviction related to the March 4 Trump rally. In November 2020, Chapman announced an attempted takeover of the Proud Boys organization, as well as a plan to reform the group as an explicitly white supremacist organization. The attempted coup was not successful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GypsyCrusader</span> American far-right political commentator

Paul Nicholas Miller, better known as GypsyCrusader, is an American white supremacist internet personality. Described as antisemitic and racist by various advocacy groups and the United States Department of Justice, he frequently broadcasts himself on the internet cosplaying as various contemporary popular culture personas. In June 2021, Miller pleaded guilty to charges related to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, leading to a 41-month-long imprisonment. He is known to have cosplayed as the Joker, the Riddler, Mario, and others while video chatting with strangers on the now defunct website Omegle. He is known for his advocacy for a race war, espousing white supremacy and neo-Nazism. He has been tied to multiple alt-right and far-right organizations, including the Proud Boys and the Boogaloo movement.

Since its foundation in 2016, members of the Proud Boys, a far-right, neo-fascist, and exclusively male organization, have been involved in a number controversial and violent events. This list contains a number of those events, some of which have resulted in criminal charges being filed against participants.

On June 24, 2021, a woman posted a video to Instagram in which she had confronted staff at Wi Spa, a Korean spa in Los Angeles, about the presence of a nude individual with a penis, most commonly believed to be a trans woman, in the women's changing area of the spa. The video went viral, attracting significant attention from gender-critical feminists and from some media, which led to protests and counter-protests. Some media outlets initially questioned whether the alleged incident had been a hoax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tusitala Toese</span> Convicted Felon

Tusitala John Toese also known as Tiny, is a convicted felon. He is a member of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that engages in political violence in the United States. He was, and still is, a member of the Portland area far-right group Patriot Prayer, prior to joining the Proud Boys and has been convicted of multiple criminal charges for violence at rallies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Bertino</span> American former Proud Boys leader

Jeremy Bertino is an American former member of the Proud Boys who testified against Enrique Tarrio during his trial for seditious conspiracy for his role in the 2021 United States Capitol attack. Bertino was the first Proud Boys member to plead guilty to the same charge.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Rise and Fall of Based Spartan". www.vice.com. 28 March 2018. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  2. 1 2 Shepherd, Katie (July 30, 2017). "A Leading Figure at Portland's Alt-Right Protests Defects, Says Dressing as a Spartan Warrior to Fight Antifa Was "a Horrible Mistake"". Willamette Week . Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Smith IV, Jack (31 July 2017). "Alt-right mascot regrets everything, says he made a "horrible mistake"". Mic. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  4. 1 2 Campbell, Josh (July 1, 2023). "Proud Boys members ordered to pay over $1 million in 'hateful and overtly racist' church destruction civil suit". CNN . Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  5. Owen, Tess (July 19, 2021). "Proud Boy Associates, Antifascists, and Cops Violently Clashed Over an LA Spa's Trans Policy: Dozens were arrested as police fired less-lethal rounds at activists after the far right turned the Wi Spa in Koreatown into a lightning rod for anti-trans extremism". Vice News . Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.