Members of the white supremacist organization Patriot Front have filed a federal lawsuit against a leftist activist, claiming he infiltrated their group and revealed their identities as members of the racist organization.
The activist’s “doxxing” of the four plaintiffs as members of Patriot Front cost them their jobs, incomes and relationships with family members, the lawsuit claims.
Filed in federal court in the Western District of Washington by a Spokane law form, the case is an unusual new tactic from members of Patriot Front. The Texas-based group has gained notoriety for holding marches with dozens of masked young men wearing chinos, carrying American flags and chanting slogans. Last year, 31 members of Patriot Front were arrested when police pulled over a U-Haul that was allegedly transporting them to disrupt a Pride event in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. They were charged with conspiracy to riot.
Who are Patriot Front?
Patriot Front describes itself as dedicated to “a hard reset on the nation we see today — a return to the traditions and virtues of our forefathers.”
The Anti-Defamation League calls the organization a white supremacist group that “justifies its ideology of hate and intolerance under the guise of preserving the ethnic and cultural origins of its members’ European ancestors.” The organization is mostly active in spreading propaganda in the form of flyers, banners and stickers that members distribute around the country.
“They can frame themselves as peaceful as much as they want, but inherently they are very much a white supremacist group that’s seeking to give supremacy to the white race,” said Morgan Moon, an investigative researcher with the ADLs Center on Extremism.
What does the lawsuit claim?
The lawsuit filed in late June seeks damages from David Capito, an activist who they allege infiltrated Patriot Front in 2021 and for a time acted as the group’s photographer. But the lawsuit also serves another purpose: “At a deeper level, this complaint seeks to vindicate the rule of law and basic principles of free expression for persons who espouse unpopular opinions,” it states.
The suit claims Capito joined Patriot Front using a false identity, and accessed the group’s computer databases to access private information, which he then shared with friendly activists and hackers.
“This confidential information was then widely published and used to harass and threaten the Plaintiffs, with the aim, and result, of doxxing them and other Patriot Front members and causing them serious harm,” the lawsuit states.
Will the lawsuit succeed?
Brian Hughes, associate director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University, said the follows a trend on the extremist far-right of attempting to couch all their activities as protected by the First Amendment. But he said he the Patriot Front members face an uphill battle.
“I’ve never seen this before,” Hughes said. “I think that a judge will be very reluctant to set a precedent on behalf of a hate group.”
The attorney for the Patriot Front members did not respond to a request for comment. Capito could not be reached for comment.
