The members of the white supremacist group were arrested after they were found in the back of a U-Haul truck.
The arrest of more than two dozen members of a white supremacist group near a northern Idaho pride event, including the group's founder, put the community at risk.
The 31 members of the Patriot Front were arrested with riot gear after they were seen loading up into a U-Haul at a hotel parking lot.
The Southern Poverty Law Center identified Thomas Ryan Rousseau as the man who founded the group after the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Virginia. Phone numbers associated with him went unanswered on Sunday.
A man who was previously charged with defacing a mural of famous Black Americans on a college campus was among the arrestees.
He said that he had not been given information about the charges. He said that the case could be an issue of the First Amendment. They have the right to make the speech even if you don't like it.
Jon Lewis, a George Washington University researcher who specializes in home-grown violent extremism, said that the white supremacist neo-Nazi group is called the Patriot Front.
Lewis said that their strategy involves identifying local grievances to exploit, organizing on platforms like the messaging app Telegram and eventually showing up to events in blue or white-collared-shirt uniforms in a display of strength.
Pride celebrations have been picketed by counterprotesters, but they haven't historically been a focus for extremists. It isn't surprising, given how anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has become a potent rally cry in the far-right online community.
He said that the set of grievances fit into their broader narratives and showed their ability to mobilize the same people against the enemy over and over again.
John McCrostie, the first openly gay man elected to the Idaho Legislature, said that the arrests come amid a surge of charged rhetoric around LGBTQ issues. Dozens of Pride flags were taken from city streets.
When we are confronted with attacks of hate, we need to respond with a message from the community that we are all in this together.
Troy Williams with Equality Utah in Salt Lake City said that Sunday was six years after the mass shooting at the gay club in Florida.
The result has been tragic and deadly.
The San Francisco Bay Area is investigating a possible hate crime after a group of men yelled anti-gay slurs during a drag queen story hour. No one was hurt, no one was arrested, and authorities are investigating the incident as possible harassment of children.
The North Idaho Pride Alliance was holding a Pride in the Park event in the park when police pulled over the van with riot gear, shin guards and shields inside.
According to police and videos posted on social media, the group came to riot around the small northern Idaho city wearing patches on their hats and T-shirts that read "Reclaim America."
Washington, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming, Virginia, and Arkansas are some of the states where people were arrested.
There is a history of far-right extremists in northern Idaho, but only one of those arrested Saturday was from the state.
The article was first published on HuffPost.
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