Six of the 31 white supremacists who were arrested near a northern Idaho pride event last month will be in court on Monday.
Police in Idaho arrested the members of the Patriot Front on June 11 after they were seen loading up into a U-Haul at a hotel parking lot.
A group of people were scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
They were released after posting bail.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Rousseau is the man who founded the group after the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Virginia.
A man who was previously charged with defacing a mural of famous Black Americans on a college campus was among the arrestees.
The case could be considered a First Amendment issue because of the reputation of the group.
The speech has the right to be made 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.
Despite being picketed by counter-protesters, Pride celebrations haven't historically been a focus for armed extremists. It isn't surprising, given how anti-LGBTQ rhetoric has become a potent rally cry in the far-right online community.
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.
The van was pulled over by police near a park where the North Idaho Pride Alliance was holding a Pride in the Park event.
According to police and videos of the arrests posted on social media, the group arrived at the lakeside resort 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 them was from the state.
The event went on as planned.
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