Neo-Nazism

The term Neo-Nazism is used to refer to any social or political movement seeking to revive Nazism or a racist form of Fascism, and which postdates the Second World War. Often, especially internationally, those who are part of said movements do not use the term to describe themselves, either eschewing the terms neo-Nazism and/or Neo-Fascism (out of either: tactical avoidance of the stigma surrounding them, or actual ideological distinctiveness from them) or rejecting the 'neo' prefixing their commitment to Fascism or National Socialism. The use of the neo- prefix is not universally used to describe Neo-Nazi groups either, and there are also Neo-Nazi groups that specifically use the prefix.

Neo-Nazism and the law

Some Neo-Nazi groups espouse violence, and for this reason they are a source of concern to law enforcement. However, it is often surprisingly difficult to implicate Neo-Fascists in violence or illegality in any meaningful way. This is because these groups have adopted a proxy system whereby organizations which the Nazis intend to be financially, politically and socially successful are made to be extremely professional and respectable, whereas other, less important organizations and individuals are almost always the ones responsible for intimidations, violent acts and terror tactics. This makes it extremely difficult to track neo-Nazi criminal liabilities, because the culprits are often obscure and unimportant within the larger Nazi movement, and when groups or individuals are found guilty of crimes in these cases, they are almost always of little financial or political worth to the Neo-Nazi goals. In this way, prominent neo-Nazis may inspire, incite or even order violent crimes without much fear that their involvement will be traced in any meaningful way back to an organization which has a great deal to lose. A good, though fictional, example of this tactic may be seen in the film American History X, in which Cameron, the wealthy neo-Nazi mastermind, finances and organizes regional Nazi activity behind the scenes, whilst he influences local Skinheads to attack opponents of the movement.

Related Topics:
American History X - Mastermind - Skinheads

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Notable North American exceptions to this fact are Matthew F. Hale and the World Church of the Creator, which has essentially ceased functioning effectively since he was imprisoned for soliciting the murder of a federal judge, and Richard Butler of Aryan Nations, which lost a 6.2 million dollar lawsuit after low level security personnel at his compound opened fire on a passing vehicle. Aryan Nations has since lost its headquarters and paramilitary training grounds and split into three separate organizations, two of which claim to be the true successor to the group, but all of which are significantly reduced from the sum of the former groups parts.

Related Topics:
North America - Matthew F. Hale - World Church of the Creator - Richard Butler - Aryan Nations

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