"Now, early in the twenty-first we are beset by challenges to the very survival of humanity as climate change imperils the earth itself and a galloping pandemic strikes fear in the hearts of people around the world, both threats met by the feckless and irresponsible leadership of a President whose incompetence and malevolence are as incomprehensible as they are dangerous.
"It is time, fellow Americans, to remember the warning of the great journalist Edward R. Murrow: 'A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.' Let us together become the coalition of generations that closes the gates to the wolves ready to devour our freedoms."
– Bernard Weisberger, American historian and contributing editor of American Heritage ... author of more than a dozen books
What is the threat of terrorism and violence from anti-government groups in Ohio? You may believe we here in Ohio are at little risk; however, past history and recent events dispute that. What about these armed wolves poised to cause irreparable harm to our democracy?
Karl Kaltenhaler, a political science professor and director of Security Studies at the University of Akron, said, "Ohio has been one of the leading states for the militia movement, the broader anti-government movement, in the United States for decades now."
Ohio was a very receptive place for that movement," Kaltenhaler said. "There was a lot of growth, both in terms of groups, but also in terms of number of people who joined groups."
Kaltenhaler said rural poverty in Ohio creates fertile ground for groups who blame the government or government conspiracies for challenging economic conditions.
(Sarah Buduson. “Southern Poverty Law Center report ranks Ohio No. 2 in extremist anti-government groups.” 5 News ABC Cleveland. February 09, 2021.)
Miles Taylor, a former chief of staff with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, says home-grown terrorism groups are in Ohio and their prevalence is still growing.
Taylor resigned from the Trump administration in 2019. But at an event in late 2020, Taylor says his former agency is aware that domestic terrorist groups are operating here in the Buckeye State, like the one allegedly involved with plotting to kidnap and kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“Ohio is definitely at the epicenter of this," Taylor said. "It’s important the administration focus on the problem. Unfortunately, we have (had) a president (Trump) who, rather than telling these terrorists that they are going to stand trial, is telling them to stand by."
(Jo Ingles. “Former Homeland Security Official: Ohio Is 'Epicenter' Of Domestic Terrorism.” WOSU 89.7 NPR News. October 28, 2020.)
As the foiled plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer came out in court, it was revealed that a shadowy meeting of extremist groups took place in Columbus, Ohio in the fall of 2020 – a meeting to discuss targeting officials.
According to the FBI, 14 members of extremist groups from at least four states gathered there. Although much is still unknown about the meeting, FBI officials have revealed in charging documents and court testimony that attendees raised the idea of kidnapping not only Whitmer but also Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, both of whom had raised their ire because they had emplaced stiff coronavirus shutdown orders.
Of the 14 people at the event, only two – Adam Fox of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Barry Croft of Bear, Delaware – have been publicly charged in the case. But by the time law enforcement caught up with them, they had managed to recruit a dozen others in Michigan to help them with their kidnapping scheme of Gov. Whitmer.
The FBI has revealed very few details about the Virginia plot. The operation against Whitmer was foiled last week when federal and state law enforcement arrested and charged a total of 13 people in that scheme, including a handful as they tried to buy explosives from an undercover FBI agent. Many appear to have been members of an organized extremist group called the Wolverine Watchmen that the FBI says had been targeting police officers.
So far, there are no indications that officials in Ohio were targeted. But, the alarming news prompted concern among some residents about what might be going on in their state.
(Ken Bensinger and Christopher Miller. “An Ohio Meeting Was Pivotal For Violent Extremists Who Plotted To Kidnap Michigan Governor.” Buzz Feed. October 13, 2020.)
Ohio – Home of 31 Active Anti-Government Groups
Ohio reportedly has 31 active anti-government groups – the second-highest number of extremist anti-government groups in the country, according to a report from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The study identified more than 560 extreme anti-government groups that were active nationwide in 2020, nearly 170 of which were militias.
Seventeen of Ohio's 31 anti-government groups were considered militias in 2020. The Southern Poverty Law Center did not include the Ohio State Regular Militia in its list, though the FBI says that militia group is a "dues-paying subset" of the Oath Keepers.
(Madeline Mitchell. “'Likely to grow even worse.' Ohio ranks No. 2 for most extremist anti-government groups.” Cincinnati Enquirer. February 08, 2021.)
Anti-government groups – like one in southwest Ohio which has two members facing federal charges that they stormed the U.S. Capitol – have been growing for the past decade. Members of such groups are facing charges for participating in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and experts fear participation in such groups could grow.
Oath Keepers
The Oath Keepers are one of 32 anti-government groups listed as operating in Ohio in the most recent report from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Ex-Army vet Jessica Watkins, 38, and ex-Marine Donovan Crowl, 50, both of Champaign County, were arrested and accused of working with an Oath Keepers leader from Virginia and others to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6 with a mob intent of stopping Congress from certifying the electoral college votes from this past November’s election.
The Oath Keepers operate across Ohio and the nation and are one of the nation’s most prominent radical anti-government groups, according to the SPLC. Federal charging documents call the Oath Keepers a “large but loosely organized collection of militia,” and allege Crowl and Watkins were also part of a local group called the Ohio State Regular Militia.
The Oath Keepers claim to have tens of thousands of members nationwide. They focus on enlisting current and former members of the military and first responders. Their name stems from the oath servicemembers take to protect the Constitution from enemies foreign and domestic.
Ohio National Guard spokeswoman Stephanie Beougher would not comment on the Oath Keepers specifically, but said there are prohibitions of active duty members “participating in any extremist organizations or criminal gangs.”
“If Service members violate these prohibitions, they could face the full range of criminal and administrative sanctions, including disciplinary and administrative action such as separation from the military,” she said.
The same prohibitions extend to members of other branches of the armed services, according to Air Force officials.
(Josh Sweigart. “Ohio militia groups seen as a growing threat in light of U.S. Capitol riot.” Dayton Daily News. January 24, 2021.)
Ohio State Regular Militia
The Ohio State Regular Militia was formed in 2019 and members intended to offer aid in times of natural disaster or civil unrest, the former member said. Some members went to Columbus during the Black Lives Matter protests and allegedly provided medical assistance to some of the protesters.
“Yeah. We stormed the Capitol today. Teargassed, the whole, 9. Pushed our way into the Rotunda. Made it into the Senate even. The news is lying (even Fox) about the Historical Events we created today,” says one post on the account the FBI attributes to Watkins.
Another post by Watkins depicted a man believed to be Crowl in paramilitary gear standing inside the Capitol. According to the affidavit, the post read: “One of my guys at the Stop the Steal Rally today #stopthesteal #stormthecapitol #oathkeepers #ohiomilitia.” The investigation confirmed the man’s identity as Crowl using his distinctive military attire as well as labels and patches on his clothing.
(Brian. Planalp. “2 Ohio militia members charged in deadly Capitol protest.” Fox 19 Now. January 18, 2021.)
Three Percenters
Percenterism is one of three core components within the antigovernment militia movement, along with the Oath Keepers and traditional militia groups. The reference to 3 percent stems from the dubious historical claim that only 3 percent of American colonists fought against the British during the War of Independence.
Members of the group are not concentrated in any region of the United States, but there are unusual levels of membership in some states and counties, including some outside the Patriot Movement’s heartlands in the midwest, south and west of the country.
In May 2020, during a Second Amendment rally on Memorial Day weekend in Frankfort, Kentucky, Three Percenters and other protesters breached several off-limit barriers to access the front porch of the Governor's Mansion, Governor Andy Beshear's primary residence, and began heckling the Mansion's occupants in response to the Governor's restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon afterward, members of the group moved several hundred yards away and raised an effigy bearing the Governor's face and a sign reading sic semper tyrannis ("thus always to tyrants") from a tree.
(Hollie Silverman. “An effigy of Kentucky Gov. Beshear was hung from a tree at the end of a Second Amendment rally. CNN. May 25, 2020.)
During the investigation of a kidnapping plot targeting Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, one of the suspects arrested was identified as the second-in-command of the Wisconsin branch of the Three Percenters.[
(Bruce Vielmetti. “'Three Percenter' hosted Wisconsin training by Michigan men charged in plot to kidnap governor.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. October 09, 2020.)
Hamilton, Ohio County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said her office investigated one of her deputies after he used the flag of the Three Percenters as the public cover photo on his personal Facebook page.
Deputy Michael Stemmerding's Facebook page posted the flag on Dec. 26, 2020. It was his cover photo for nearly six weeks.
(Craig Cheatham Hamilton County Sheriff investigates deputy who posted Three Percenter flag on Facebook.” 9 WCPO ABC Cincinnati. February 11, 2021.)
In June 2021, six men associated with the group were indicted for conspiracy, and Canada declared the group a terrorist entity.
Proud Boys
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Proud Boys have two chapters in Ohio – one in Columbus and one in Canton. A recent report from the Wall Street Journal says the Proud Boys were "key instigators" in the Capitol riot.
The group's actions belie their disavowals of bigotry: Rank-and-file Proud Boys and leaders regularly spout white nationalist memes and maintain affiliations with known extremists. They are known for anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric.
Proud Boys have appeared alongside other hate groups at extremist gatherings such as the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Former Proud Boys member Jason Kessler helped organize that event, which brought together a broad coalition of extremists including Neo-Nazis, antisemites and militias. Kessler was expelled from the group after the violence and near-universal condemnation of Charlottesville rallygoers.
Other hardcore members of the alt-right have argued that the “Western chauvinist” label is just a “PR cuck term” McInnes crafted to gain mainstream acceptance. “Let’s not bullshit,” Brian Brathovd, aka Caerulus Rex, told his co-hosts on “The Daily Shoah,” an antisemitic podcast popular with the alt-right. If the Proud Boys “were pressed on the issue, I guarantee you that like 90% of them would tell you something along the lines of ‘Hitler was right. Gas the Jews.’”
The Canadian government announced it had designated the Proud Boys a terrorist entity on Feb. 3, 2021, noting the role played by the group in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
(“Proud Boys.” Southern Poverty Law Center. January 06, 2022.)
Boogaloo Bois
The Boogaloo Bois are the adherents to a diverse set of neo-dadaist armed aesthetics and modalities aimed at setting off or preparing for the second American Civil War. They regard the likelihood of another war as inevitable. Some Boogaloo Bois are explicitly right-wing while others have attempted to infiltrate and use BLM protests as a way to accelerate the political situation towards mass violence.
Southern Poverty Law Center says that people who identify as “Boogaloo Bois” are almost always right-wing, though often they are situated in contention with the right-wing supporters of the police and Donald Trump.
There are mainly two wings of the boogaloo movement, but their objective of overthrowing the government and sparking societal collapse remains the same, said Alex Newhouse, digital research lead at Middlebury Institute's Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism.
One side is made up of some neo-Nazis and white supremacists, whose plan for destroying the government is by starting a race war.
Another side is characterized as radical libertarian, notably men carrying weapons and wearing Hawaiian shirts. Some have recently been spotted at Black Lives Matter protests, waving anti-police signs alongside protesters, Newhouse said.
A group of demonstrators dressed in the garb of the “Boogaloo” marched in formation into the crowd with flags waving and carrying openly displayed AR-style rifles at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on January 17, 2021. They represented the majority of armed protesters Sunday – between 15 and 20 people.
The protest, one of dozens authorities prepared for to be held at state capitals around the nation, came three days before President Donald Trump is set to leave office despite his continued lie that President-elect Joe Biden won only because of election fraud.
One man from New Mexico called himself a Boogaloo mascot and suggested that it would be ideal for weapons being carried by some protesters to stay holstered. Another man, Henry Locke, identified himself as the protest organizer and said he was a "boogaloo" from central Ohio.
(Karen Kasler. “'Armed March' At Ohio Statehouse Features Conspiracy Theories And Guns, Stays Peaceful.” WOSU 89.7 NPR News. January 18, 2021.)
Newly leaked intelligence memos demonstrate how concerned law enforcement in Washington, DC, was about the Boogaloo Bois. Their plans, called "Operation Stormbreaker," involved targeting landmarks, government buildings, power plants, and other civic institutions in DC on January 19, the memos show.
Members of the Boogaloo movement and QAnon adherents called the date "National Popcorn Day," when they planned to follow up the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol with another wave of violence.
The cache of files includes several memos that show Boogaloo members planned a schedule, priority list, and communications strategy for attacking DC buildings and landmarks An FBI memo issued on January 18 and included in the leak shows a map of targets it says originated from a Boogaloo chat group.
A later intelligence memo, dated January 19, says that the FBI's Kansas field office would lead an investigation into the Boogaloo Bois' target map. Another memo, dated January 20, said that the administrator of the Telegram channel where the map circulated was "a right-wing extremist located in Charlotte, NC."
Members of the Boogaloo Bois were inspired by the violence on January 6 and sought to replicate the chaos, according to Alex Friedfeld, a researcher specializing in far-right movements for the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism and a former New York Police Department terrorism intelligence analyst.
"The Boogaloo Bois, after the insurrection, looked at it and thought, 'Why wasn't that us? That could be us. That should have been us," Friedfeld said.
The Justice Department has so far publicly charged nearly 500 people in connection with the January 6 insurrection, including dozens of reported members of extremist groups.
Members of the Boogaloo Bois have maintained a low profile since Biden's inauguration and since Attorney General Merrick Garland has vowed to address domestic extremism.
One person with ties to the group has pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a riot in Louisville, Kentucky. Several other members pleaded guilty to a scheme involving training with and attempting to sell weapons to Hamas, the extremist group currently exchanging fire with Israel.
(Jacob Shamsian. “Leaked emails reveal the threat a right-wing extremist group posed to Biden's inauguration was worse than we realized.” Insider. May 14, 2021.)
What's To Come?
The Pentagon published a new anti-extremism policy on Dec. 20, 2021, expanding the definition of extremist activity to include online activity, which includes posting, sharing or even liking anti-government or racially-motivated content.
A working group convened in April was tasked with creating a new definition, updating a years-old “prohibited activities” instruction, as well as provide ideas for better studying extremism in the force, better screening recruits and better preparing transitioning troops for the possibility of recruitment by extremist groups after they’re out of uniform.
(Meghann Myers. “New in 2022: Next steps in DoD’s fight against extremism, including a new definition. Military Times. January 06, 2022.)
In a shift that will have positive long-term consequences, the Biden administration has made right-wing terrorism a priority. In June, the administration released a strategy for countering domestic terrorism, attempting to lay out both the different facets of the threat and how various security agencies should respond.
Daniel L. Byman, Senior Fellow at Brookings, says …
“The most important step, but the one that for now appears least likely, is for politicians to openly shun those who embrace white supremacist ideas and violent conspiracy theories. Republican leaders did so in the past, helping reduce the spread of hateful ideas and their political influence. An open rejection would in turn change the media environment by marginalizing extreme voices, creating a benign circle that would create a safer America.”
(Daniel L. Byman. “Assessing the right-wing terror threat in the United States a year after the January 6 insurrection.” Brookings Institute. January 05, 2022.)
2020 Antigovernment Groups In OHIO
Identified by the SPLC. *Asterisk denotes militias.
III%
United Patriots*
Statewide
American
Constitutional Elites*
Marietta
American
Patriots Three Percent*
Statewide
Constitution
Party
New
Lebanon
Frontiersmen,
The*
Ravenna
Heartland
Defenders
Statewide
Irregulars
of Ohio Reserve Militia*
Statewide
John
Birch Society
Statewide
Last
Militia, The
Allen
County*
Butler County*
Clark County*
Hamilton
County*
Montgomery County*
Preble County
Summit
County*
National
Assembly
Loveland
North
East Ohio Woodsmen*
East
Rochester
Oath
Keepers
Statewide
Ohio
Defense Force Home Guard*
Cleveland
New
Lexington
Toledo
Zanesville
Ohio
Militiamen*
Statewide
Ohio
Minutemen Militia*
Oak
Harbor
Patriot Shit
Outfitters
Bethel
Patriot
Watch Media
Louisville
Reapers
Constitutional Militia of Ohio*
Cortland
Silver
Shield Xchange
Cleveland
Southern
Ohio Outdoorsmen
Peebles
Threeper
Tactical Training, LLC
Massillon
West
Ohio Minutemen*
Lima
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