Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Accused Minneapolis shooters fascinated with guns, militia groups and the Confederacy

Taken from Rawstory.com:

A group of racist white men went looking for trouble at a Black Lives Matter protest in Minneapolis — and when they found it, they opened fire.

Police arrested three suspects in connection with the Monday night shootings that wounded five protesters, and social media posts reveal a fascination with guns, video games, the Confederacy and right-wing militia groups.

Authorities arrested 23-year-old Allen “Lance” Scarsella following a brief SWAT standoff Tuesday afternoon in Bloomington, and two other suspects, 21-year-old Nathan Gustavsson and 26-year-old Daniel Macey, later turned themselves in.

They have not been charged, but they remain jailed on probable cause for assault.

Police questioned a fourth person, a 32-year-old Hispanic man and aspiring model who goes by the name “Saiga Marine” online, but he was released after investigators determined he had not been at the protests at the time of the shootings.

Investigators are likely trying to determine whether the three men acted in self-defense when they turned and fired multiple gunshots at six protesters who were attempting to chase them away from the demonstrators’ encampment.

Demonstrators have been camped for days near the city’s Fourth Precinct to protest the fatal police shooting of 24-year-old Jamar Clark, who witnesses say was handcuffed when officers killed him.

Two witnesses reported that the shooting suspects argued with the protesters, who threw two punches at the men before they fled away from the encampment and then turned and opened fire.

Reisha Williams, communications chair of the Minneapolis NAACP, told CNN that she and other activists believed Minneapolis police were “behind” the shootings or at least stood back and allowed them to occur.

Other witnesses claimed that the gunmen wore the same ski masks as police officers in the bitter cold.

Video appears to show two of the suspects, who wore masks and identified themselves as “Saiga Marine” and “Black Powder Ranger,” driving to the protest Friday and using racist language as they promised to disrupt the protests.

“We are on our way, we’re going to knock this shit out,” said the driver, who identified himself as Saiga Marine and displays a handgun. “F*ck — and we’re going to see what these dindus are dinduing about.”

The word “dindu” is a racial slur derived from “dindu nuffin” — a pejorative term that originated on 4Chan’s /pol/ forum to complain about participants in the last year’s protests and riots.

Emails posted online appear to show the men planning their activities, and protesters complained for several days that masked white men wearing military-style clothing had been recording video and harassing demonstrators camped near the Fourth Precinct.

Nathan Gustavsson

Gustavsson’s Facebook profile picture shows him wearing a Belgian army jacket and holding a rifle, and Macey’s Facebook page has not been verified.

But Scarsella’s Facebook photo shows a mole above his eyebrow that suggests he is the passenger who calls himself Black Powder Ranger in the video.

Scarella’s cover photo shows “Bonnie Blue” Confederate flag, captioned, “This isn’t the somalian flag, (by the way).”

He lists among his “like” several gun shops and pro-gun groups associated with the III Percent militia movement, as well as the OAF Nation military veterans militia group.

The fourth man’s Facebook page shows him carrying weapons and wearing military gear, and he describes his occupation as “Saving the Constitution,” reported the Star Tribune.

The newspaper reported that the man, whose name was not officially released, bears a striking resemblance to the driver who calls himself Saiga Marine.

He appears to be a well-known, although not particularly well-liked, on 4chan’s /k/ weapons discussion forum — where he used the same name he called himself while driving to the protest.

“What an idiot,” one 4chan user wrote when news broke of his possible involvement in the shootings. “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Never should’ve trolled that protest so hard.”


Friday, November 20, 2015

‘White student union’ formed at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

Taken from independent.co.uk:

Students at an American university have sparked anger after reportedly forming a white student union to counter what they describe as “terrorism” from black students.

Amid ongoing racial tensions across US and Canadian campuses, a Facebook page entitled ‘Illini White Student Union’ (IWSU) surfaced - saying it sought to “organise against the terrorism we have been facing from Black Lives Matter activists on campus.”

Standing with Her (SWH) - a movement at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (UIUC), which says it stands with black women to “keep racist colleges and universities accountable” - wrote an open letter to administrators in the aftermath of a national day of staff and student action called the Student BlackOut.

It urged staff to take action over the apparent formation of the IWSU.

This week’s national day of action saw thousands of faculty members and students from across both countries stand in solidarity with students of colour, particularly the black students of the University of Missouri (Mizzou), which has recently been the focal point of race rows that saw its president, Tim Wolfe, resign.

But according to the open letter, the IWSU told its members: “Feel free to send in pictures you take of any black protestors on the quad so we know who anti-whites are.”

SWH also expressed concern after, it said, the IWSU posted the details of a black female student who spoke out against their Facebook page.

Citing quotes from university emails - which acknowledge how “black students at UIUC are at risk” - SWH urged staff to partner with them in order to “address [the] anti-black terror now occurring on campus.”

The IWSU page was removed from Facebook after it was brought to the attention of the university’s administrators. Some reports, however, have suggested that the mage has not been completely removed and is, instead, being moderated by Facebook.

According to the university’s student newspaper, The Daily Illini, vice-chancellor of student affairs, Rene Romano issued a statement describing how administrators have notified Facebook of the page, asking for its removal because it “violates the company’s own standards.”

Ms Romano said: “We also are reaching out directly to those responsible for the postings, notifying them that the usage of our name is in violation of our trademark rights and ordering them to cease and desist.”

Despite denouncing the content on the Facebook page, The Daily Ilini reported that campus spokeswoman Robin Kaler cited “the creator’s first amendment rights” and said that, if the creator of the page is a UIUC student, the university “will not take any actions against them.”

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Crystal Lake IL: Neo Nazi Axel Salemi Accused of Squeezing Kitten to Death

40 Briarwood Cir 
Crystal Lake, IL
According to the Chicagoist, Axel Salemi of Crystal Lake, IL is Currently in the McHenry County Correctional Facility for allegedly killing a kitten with his bare hands. What they don't mention however is that Axel is a proud neo-nazi. His Facebook profile features confederate flags, deaths head skulls, and is where you can find him saying racist quotes such as; "we fly the swastika! we fly it strong and true! we ain't never gonna take it down for the communist or jews!". At the time of his arrest he was a server at a Buffalo Wild Wings. He appears to still be employed at the McHenry location (3343 Shoppers Dr. The Shops at Fox River McHenry, IL 60051-5405).

Taken from Chicagoist.com:

An 18-year-old Crystal Lake man is facing felony charges after police say he killed a kitten with his bare hands.
Police say Axel Salemi killed a 7-week-old kitten with his bare hands, squeezing it to death while he was "in an agitated state of mind," The Daily Herald reports. The alleged killing occurred at Salemi's home, which serves as a rescue shelter for kittens. Police were called to the scene Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. on the 100 block of Briarwood Circle. Salemi was arrested at his workplace, Crystal Lake Patch reported. 
Salemi now faces two felony charges: aggravated animal cruelty and criminal damage to a domesticated animal, according to the Tribune. He appeared in court Saturday where his bond was set at $20,000. He's currently in the McHenry County Correctional Facility. 
Court records dug up by the Tribune show he was charged with domestic battery and consumption of alcoholic liquor by a minor in March. A complaint alleged that Salemi punched a woman in the nose and mouth and grabbed her neck. He ended up pleading guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct. He was placed on court supervision, which was supposed to end next June

Axel Salemi
40 Briarwood Cir 
Crystal Lake, IL 60014-3922
815-526-3292
https://www.facebook.com/axel.salemi.3

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Reportback from 2nd Annual TORCH Anti-Fascist Conference

Taken from Philly Antifa:

Our 2nd annual conference was a huge success. Delegates were sent for the private plenary from Antifa Philadelphia, South Side Chicago Anti-Racist Action, Los Angeles People Against Racist Terror (PART)/A.R.A.-L.A., NYC Antifa (who are not TORCH members but were vouched in as observers), Rocky Mountain Antifa and the Antifa International Collective, based out of Quebec (also non-members). Antifa International traveled down to make connections between TORCH and Canadian Antifa, as well as to discuss their International Anti-Fascist Defense fund, which TORCH has endorsed and many of its members will be participating in.

Once the public section started we also met up with members of Asheville Anti-Racists, New Jersey Antifa, independent Anti-Fascists from all over the region, and even a pair of Dutch Antifa who happened to be in the city for holiday. Attendees were treated to a panel discussion and Q&A about Militant Anti-Fascists role in the Black Lives Matter movement, a video of which should be posted online shortly. Afterwards they saw a Russian documentary just recently translated to English “Ivan, in memory of our friend…” about the life and death of Russian Anti-Fascist Ivan Khutorskoi. They also got a sneak peek of the up-coming documentary about the Anti-Fascist movement in the U.S. entitled “No Fascist USA” by seeing a 10 minute trailer that will be uploaded shortly as well.

The conference show/after party featured some of the best bands playing in Philly right now and one visiting guest. Special thanks to Soul Glo, Fuck S.S., Autocracy East, Christopher Walking, Novatore and Leisure Muffin for playing. In addition to the acts we would like to thank The Rotunda for hosting, our panelists for taking the time, Black Orchid foods for letting use use their stuff, and Scranton IWW for providing security during our plenary so that all network members could participate.

It was a privilege to host the TORCH Conference and we thank everyone who attended, especially those who travelled from far away. We are already siked for next one.

In Solidarity,

Antifa Philadelphia