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Goyim Defense League

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Goyim Defense League
FormationMay 2018; 6 years ago (2018-05)
FounderJon Minadeo II
TypeAntisemitic conspiracy theory
Neo-Nazi
HeadquartersSonoma County, California, U.S.
Key people
Patrick Little
Jon Minadeo II
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The Goyim Defense League (GDL) is an American neo-Nazi, antisemitic hate group and conspiracy theory network of individuals who are active on social media websites and operate an online video platform called GoyimTV. The GDL also performs banner drops, papering neighborhoods with flyers, and other stunts to harass Jews. The GDL emerged in 2018 and is led by the antisemitic provocateur Jon Minadeo II.[1] The GDL is currently tracked by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group.[2]

The GDL opposes Israel and celebrated the October 7 massacre in 2023.[3] It also attended several pro-Palestinian rallies to promote their propaganda.[4]

Name

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"Goyim" is a sometimes disparaging Yiddish and Hebrew word for non-Jews.[5] The name "Goyim Defense League" is a play on two Jewish organizations — the violent extremist Jewish Defense League, and the anti-hate organization Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Similarly, GDL's logo is a parody of ADL's.[1][6]

Description

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BuzzFeed News described the GDL as white supremacist.[7] The Goyim Defense League was listed by the Middle East Media Research Institute in a March 2019 Special Report of groups engaged in "Online Incitement against Jews."[8]

GoyimTV

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Logo of GoyimTV

GDL operates an online video website called GoyimTV. Minadeo had launched the platform with the help of Dominic Di Giorgio of Port St. Lucie, Florida. It is used to share videos, live stream, and attract supporters to GDL.[9]

In 2020, GoyimTV was removed by its online provider after a flood of complaints.[10] In late October 2022, the site was again taken down after a hold was placed on it by its domain provider. Minadeo claimed that this was due to pressure from Jews.[11] As of late January 2023, the site was back online.[citation needed]

Activities

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The GDL is most active in California, Colorado, Florida, and New York.[1] GDL activities have also taken place in Texas (see below).

Patrick Little's Twitter HQ stunt

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In December 2017, after getting suspended from Twitter, Patrick Little stood outside of Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, holding a sign that read "It's not okay to be white @Twitter".[12][13]

Little's "Name the Jew" Tour

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Patrick Little holding an antisemitic sign on a street corner in Los Angeles (August 2018)

Patrick Little, a member of the GDL,[14] ran on a Republican Party ticket in the 2018 United States Senate election in California for Dianne Feinstein's seat. A native of Albany, California, Little is an IT engineer who had previously served in the United States Marine Corps in Afghanistan.[15] Little's campaign gained attention in May 2018 when he polled second only to Feinstein in a SurveyUSA poll with 18% of the general electorate and 46% with Republicans.[16][17] However, the California Republican Party denounced Little and he was removed from their convention in San Diego, while stomping on an Israeli flag, claiming "They just had me expelled from the building because I won't serve Israel", calling the California Republican Party "Zionist stooges."[16]

Just after the election, Little toured the United States in July and August 2018, with placards bearing antisemitic phrases such as "Jews Rape Kids", "Jews Killed 30 Million", "The Holocaust is a Lie"[18] and pronouncing openly in public a number of antisemitic conspiracy theories, such as claiming that the Holocaust is a hoax, that Israel played a major role in 9/11, that Jews controlled the African slave trade before the Civil War, and that "Jews kill Christians — they do it a lot historically."[19]

On one occasion in 2018, Little launched a blimp in San Francisco Bay with a text "Jews Rape Kids" and attempted to fly it near San Francisco's Oracle Park stadium during the Jewish Heritage Night with the San Francisco Giants event but failed due to poor weather conditions.[20][21] These so-called "J-Walks" were recorded and the videos were put on the internet on platforms such as YouTube and BitChute by Little and the GDL. Little's "Name the Jew" Tour ran from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine, stopping off at Olympia, Washington; Seattle; Missoula, Montana; Helena; Alberton, Montana; Fargo, North Dakota; Minneapolis; Skokie, Illinois; Providence, Rhode Island; Princeton, New Jersey; Boston, and New York City.[18][22]

Eventually, Little received 62,830 votes, with 1.4% of the total vote share.[23][24][25] Little claimed that he was the victim of voter fraud by "the Jewish supremacists and the Zionists" and stated that he would run in the 2020 United States presidential election.[23] He moved to Idaho and ran for one of two vacant seats in the 2019 Garden City, Idaho City Council election, coming in last with 126 votes, 3.7%.[26][failed verification]

Trolling Cameo celebrities

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In November 2018, a number of celebrities active in the Cameo app that provides personalized "shoutouts" to people who pay a certain amount of money, up to $500, were successfully trolled by the GDL and gained the group media attention by getting these celebrities to give coded antisemitic shoutouts.[27][7] Among those implicated were NFL quarterback Brett Favre, rapper Soulja Boy, and comedian Andy Dick.[28][29][30][14]

Favre's coded message read "shoutout to the Handsome Truth and the GDL boys," and "Keep fighting, too, and don't ever forget the USS Liberty and the men and women who died on that day," referencing the American ship attacked by the Israeli Air Force in 1967, during the Six-Day War.[27] Soulja Boy's asked viewers to check out the GDL anthem "Name the Juice" (i.e. "Name the Jew") on SoundCloud, saying "GDL for life, bitch."[31] The rap song referenced by Soulja Boy features Holocaust denial lyrics such as "I heard your quotes from your Talmud book, you're a fake Jew bitch and you never got cooked, never got gassed" and "they wanna tax and take whats ours, lie about ovens, lampshades and showers, wanna play the victim, but you're really a coward, thats why I name the Jew every second of hours."[32]

Overpass banners

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In December 2021, antisemitic banners were displayed over a Brevard County, Florida highway overpass. The ADL stated that that Minadeo had offered $100 in "GoyimTV money" to anyone who could get the network in the news.[9] In October 2022, GDL members including Minadeo hung a banner over a Los Angeles highway saying "Kanye is right about the Jews", in reference to antisemitic comments recently made by the rapper.[33]

Conspiracy theory flyers distribution

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Antisemitic flyers were distributed in residential areas. The flyers featured lists of officials with Jewish-sounding names (many of whom are not Jews), insinuating that such people at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were responsible for the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic,[34] were responsible for the Russo-Ukrainian War,[35] "Every single aspect of the Media is Jewish",[35][36] and "Every single aspect of Disney child grooming is Jewish".[36] The flyers were hurled onto parked cars and private driveways, neatly folded in baggies weighed down by pebbles, rice, corn kernels, and/or beans.[34][37]

These flyers initially appeared in Austin, Texas and Beverly Hills, California during November 2021.[34]

During one weekend in January 2022, flyers appeared in California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Texas, and Wisconsin.[35] Flyers were also distributed in Berkeley, San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Marin County, California during February; Atlanta, Cartersville, and Savannah, Georgia in April;[35] Los Angeles in June;[36] and Ann Arbor overnight before Rosh Hashanah on September 25–26, 2022.[37] The ADL said the GDL has continued propaganda drives across 17 states in 2022.[37]

Minadeo and GDL moved to Florida in December 2022.[38] On January 21, 2023, Nicholas A Bysheim was arrested in Atlantis, Florida for obstructing law enforcement after being ticketed for littering antisemitic hate speech flyers onto residents' lawns.[39] GDL littering incidents also occurred in West Palm Beach and Boca Raton.[39] On January 28, 2023, Jon E. Minadeo II, David Y. Kim, Jonathan K. Baldwin and Nicholas A. Bysheim were cited for littering Palm Beach private residences with their flyers.[39]

In February 2023, flyers were distributed in neighborhoods of Daytona Beach, Florida and at the Daytona 500. Mike Chitwood, the sheriff of Volusia County, Florida, was the target of harassment by the organization due to his stance on hate speech.[40][41] On March 6, 2023, in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, a 38-year-old male was arrested after allegedly threatening to kill Chitwood on 4chan.[42]

In June 2023, flyers linked to GDL were distributed via mailboxes in the vicinity of a synagogue in Plainview, New York.[43] These flyers blame Jewish lawmakers for gun control.[43][44]

In August 2023, GDL flyers were distributed in neighborhoods across Fairfax County, Virginia.[45] The juvenile perpetrator was arrested and charged with petit larceny for allegedly shoplifting from the Target store where police located him. [citation needed]

Projecting messages on buildings

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A Goyim Defense League member, Robert Wilson, was arrested in Poland and extradited to the Netherlands for allegedly using a projector to display an antisemitic message on the side of the Anne Frank House.[46] GDL members have also used laser projectors to perform similar stunts in the United States.[47] From October 2022 to January 2023, members of the group performed dozens of projections in Florida, including a highly visible incident at the Florida-Georgia football game in Jacksonville, led by Minadeo.[48]

March of the Red Shirts

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On September 2, 2023, members of the group joined members of the neo-Nazi Blood Tribe for a public demonstration in Altamonte Springs, Florida, near Orlando. A few dozen demonstrators participated in what they called the "March of the Red Shirts," waving swastika flags, performing Nazi salutes and shouting "Heil Hitler."[49][50]

Support for Hamas attack on Israel

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During the 2023 attack on Israeli civilians by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Minadeo publicly cheered the assault on his livestream, saying “Come on guys, it’s time to dance! Get those Jews!” and “Let’s go Lebanon, Iran! Wipe Israel off the map! Let’s go! This is awesome.” He also announced that the GDL would begin distributing anti-Israel flyers in response, and that he hoped American antisemites would soon lead a similar violent campaign against American Jews.[51]

Nashville activities

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In July 2024, GDL, Patriot Front, and other white supremacist and neo-Nazi organizations handed out flyers, asked passersby if they were Jewish, and disrupted a City Council meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. In response, the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville organized a peace rally, drawing about 400 participants.[52] One GDL affiliate, Ryan Scott McCann of Ontario, Canada, was arrested in Nashville for allegedly assaulting a local bartender with a flagpole.[53] He is charged with felony aggravated assault.[54]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Goyim Defense League". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  2. ^ "2021 Hate Group Map". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  3. ^
  4. ^ "ANTISEMITISM". Southern Poverty Law Center. 2024. Retrieved October 7, 2024. As the violence in Israel and Palestine continues, the rates of antisemitism will likely remain high. Antisemitic hate groups will likely continue to attend anti-Israel demonstrations and incorporate anti-Zionist rhetoric into their broader propaganda and recruitment efforts...The number of Nation of Islam chapters will also likely remain consistent, while the organization's lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League  may embolden increased antisemitic rhetoric and activity in the coming year.
  5. ^ "Definition of GOY". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  6. ^ "Profile: The Jewish Defense League". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on April 14, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  7. ^ a b Hall, Ellie (November 30, 2018). "Celebrities Say White Supremacists Used A New Video App To Trick Them Into Endorsing Anti-Jewish Conspiracy Theories". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  8. ^ "Chapter III: Sources And Details Of Their Online Information". Online Incitement Against Jews, People Of Color, Muslims, And LGBTQ (Report). Middle East Media Research Institute. March 22, 2019. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Vazquez, Tyler (December 21, 2022). "Hate group known as 'Goyim Defense League' behind racist banners on Brevard County highway". Florida Today. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  10. ^ Stutman, Gabe (August 27, 2020). "'Goyim TV' removed from internet, but a new antisemitic site quickly took its place". Jweekly. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  11. ^ Stutman, Gabe (October 31, 2022). "Antisemitic video site Goyim TV taken down by domain provider". J.
  12. ^ Twitter Protest, retrieved September 9, 2022
  13. ^ "Senate Candidate Who Praises Hitler Ejected From California GOP Convention". HuffPost. May 7, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Birnbaum, Emily (December 5, 2018). "Brett Favre, other celebrities say they inadvertently recorded video messages for anti-Semitic group". The Hill. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  15. ^ Sokol, Chad (August 7, 2018). "A Neo-Nazi Marine Vet Is Announcing A New 'Regional Capital' With A Bizarre 'Friends'-Themed Robocall". Task and Purpose. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  16. ^ a b Graham, Jordan (May 7, 2018). "Anti-Semitic U.S. Senate candidate booted from California GOP convention while kicking Israeli flag". Mercury News. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  17. ^ Wildermuth, John (May 3, 2018). "Neo-Nazi running second to Feinstein in Senate poll in California". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  18. ^ a b "Patrick Little's "Name the Jew" Tour Spreads Anti-Semitic Hate Nationwide". ADL. August 23, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  19. ^ Gloster, Rob (May 10, 2018). "Senate candidate Patrick Little hates the Jews. Here's why that matters". J. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  20. ^ Vocativ (September 4, 2018). "Nature Intervenes to Prevent Former Nazi Senate Candidate From Releasing Anti-Semitic Blimp". Facebook. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  21. ^ ""Jews Rape Kids" Blimp Spotted in California - RVA Mag". rvamag.com. September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  22. ^ Fisher, Alyssa (August 8, 2018). "Patrick Little's 'Name The Jew' Tour Spreading Anti-Semitism Nationwide". Forward. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  23. ^ a b Holt, Jared (June 6, 2018). "Defeated Neo-Nazi Candidate Patrick Little Thinks He Actually Came In 'First Or Second'". Right Wing Watch. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  24. ^ Goldiner, Dave (June 6, 2018). "Neo-Nazi Republican Patrick Little Gets 1.2% In California Senate Primary". Forward. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  25. ^ Almukhtar, Sarah; Bloch, Matthew; Lee, Jasmine C. (June 5, 2018). "California Primary Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  26. ^ "Garden City incumbents reelected". Idaho Press. November 6, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  27. ^ a b Mervosh, Sarah (December 3, 2018). "Brett Favre and Soulja Boy Unwittingly Record Videos With Coded Anti-Semitism". New York Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  28. ^ Bogage, Jacob (December 1, 2018). "Brett Favre tricked by white supremacists into recording video with anti-Semitic message". Washington Post. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  29. ^ Brito, Christopher (December 1, 2018). "NFL legend Brett Favre, other celebrities tricked into taping video messages for anti-Semitic group". CBS News. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  30. ^ Oster, Marcy (December 2, 2018). "Brett Favre, other celebrities duped into recording anti-Semitic messages". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  31. ^ Jenke, Tyler (December 5, 2018). "Soulja Boy apologises for being 'tricked' into supporting anti-semitic hate group". Tone Deaf. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  32. ^ Minadeo, Jon (September 25, 2018). "NAME THE JEW Sway Guevara Ft Handsome Truth". SoundCloud. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  33. ^ "Anti-Semitic Group Hangs Banner in Support of Kanye's Hateful Comments". Rolling Stone. October 23, 2022.
  34. ^ a b c Keene, Louis (November 29, 2021). "Goyim Defense League Blamed for Antisemitic Flyers in Beverly Hills". Forward. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  35. ^ a b c d Schechter, Dave (April 12, 2022). "Antisemitic Flyers Distributed in South Atlanta". Atlanta Jewish Times. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  36. ^ a b c Bandler, Aaron (June 15, 2022). "Antisemitic Brochures Found in Westwood". Jewish Journal. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  37. ^ a b c Craig, Kimberly (September 26, 2022). "Anti-Semitic propaganda tossed onto driveways in several Ann Arbor neighborhoods". WXYZ. Scripps Local Media. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  38. ^ Stutman, Gabe (December 16, 2022). "The antisemitic propaganda group Goyim TV has relocated to Florida, an emerging hotspot for extremists". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  39. ^ a b c Balmaseda, Liz (January 29, 2023). "Palm Beach police cite 4 with 'littering' antisemitic material; fourth incident in county this month". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  40. ^ "Florida sheriff blasts 'cowardly scumbags' behind string of antisemitic messages". The Independent. February 28, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  41. ^ "Racist group targets Sheriff Mike Chitwood by dropping flyers in Port Orange area". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  42. ^ NJ.com, Jeff Goldman | NJ Advance Media for (March 14, 2023). "N.J. man charged with threatening Florida sheriff who spoke against antisemitism, cops say". nj. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  43. ^ a b "Hate-Filled Flyers Found in Plainview Prompt Urgent Call for Action Against Antisemitism". 5 Towns Central. June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  44. ^ Parpan, Grant (June 12, 2023). "Calls for vigilance after antisemitic flyers placed near Plainview synagogue". Newsday. Retrieved June 12, 2023. The flyers, distributed Saturday evening in the area around Young Israel of Plainview, blame Jewish lawmakers for gun control...
  45. ^ "Fairfax County police arrest teen for spreading antisemitic flyers near Jewish community". August 22, 2023.
  46. ^ "San Diego neo-Nazi in Amsterdam court for antisemitic incident". October 13, 2023.
  47. ^ "Pair with projector put hateful, anti-Semitic display on downtown building for 30 minutes". January 17, 2023.
  48. ^ News, A. B. C. "Antisemitic message referencing Kanye West displayed outside Florida v. Georgia football game". ABC News. Retrieved July 24, 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  49. ^ Rommen, Rebecca (September 2, 2023). "Neo-Nazis parade swastika flags in Florida, chanting 'We are everywhere'". Business Insider.
  50. ^ Ramirez, Isabella (September 2, 2023). "Neo-Nazis March Through Florida Park". The Daily Beast.
  51. ^ "White Supremacist Leaders Applaud Hamas and Violence Against Israelis".
  52. ^ Pilkington, Ed (July 23, 2024). "Nashville struggles to respond as neo-Nazi groups turn focus on to city". The Guardian. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  53. ^ Sauter, Danica; Garcia, Tony (July 15, 2024). "Neo-Nazi protestor, bartender arrested after fight on Broadway, police said". www.wsmv.com. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  54. ^ "Neo-Nazi Protestor from Canada Arrested for Felony Aggravated Assault | Nashville.gov". www.nashville.gov. July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.

Further reading

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