Members of Californian Straight Edge white supremacist hate group Rise Above Movement have been arrested. Charges include inciting violence, inciting riots, committing acts of violence in furtherance of a riot, conspiring to violate the federal riot act, traveling across state lines to participate in and incite riots, and use of foreign funds to organize or incite riots.
Benjamin Drake Daley, Thomas Walter Gillen, Michael Paul Miselis, and Cole Evan White were arrested on federal criminal complaints in the early morning hours of October 2. Robert Paul Rundo, Robert Boman, and Tyler Laube were arrested last week, and Aaron Matthew Eason surrendered to authorities today. Rundo had fled to Central America but was returned by authorities. If convicted of the conspiracy and riots charges, each defendant would face a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Campaign of Violence
Rise Above Movement had been engaged in a campaign of violence as part of their recruitment and expansion drive. The group traveled across the United States to attend rallies and protests where they would film themselves attacking counter-protesters. The footage would then be distributed online in as part of their promotional videos as a recruitment tool.
The current charges stemmed from attacks on counter-protesters at the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia. The rally was organized by white supremacist / white nationalist Richard Spencer with the objective of uniting the disparate white supremacist and white nationalist groups, and faced substantial counter-protest.
Racist Fight Club
As "defenders of Western civilization", the Rise Above Movement hate group advocates for violence against Muslims, immigrants and Jews. The group's approximately 50 members train in boxing and mixed martial arts, using protests as an opportunity to test their skills in real-world combat.
The group is modeled after European white supremacist fight clubs, with RAM members having traveled to Germany, Ukraine and Italy this past April to celebrate Adolf Hitler's and meet with members of other Straight Edge neo-Nazi and white supremacy extremist groups.
