Right Wing Death Squad, often abbreviated to RWDS, is a slogan used in the 21st century by U.S. far right extremists. The term was first used in the 1970s to describe Latin American paramilitaries who targeted their left-wing opponents.
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Historical usage
editThe term was first used in the 1970s to describe Latin American paramilitary death squads who targeted left-wing opponents.[1] The death squad dropped the leftists out of helicopters. They were called the “death flights.” [2]
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From the 2010s onwards, the term was used in the U.S. by far right extremists. The term, often abbreviated to RWDS is used in memes,[3] in online forums, on clothing, patches, and stickers.[1] The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism attribute the terms' popularity to usage by the American neo-fascist organisation the Proud Boys. The slogan is often accompanied by the words "Pinochet Did Nothing Wrong"[4] and the abbreviation RWDS is used as a hashtag #RWDS.[5]
The slogan was used by attendees of the 2017 Unite the Right rally white supremacist event in Charlottesville, Virginia.[1] This violent rally staged the death of one woman from the counterprotesters group because a white supremacist drove into the crowd intentionally. Some groups were created with names that resembled "Right Wing Death Squad," and Facebook had to block several pages as they were filled with hate.[6][7][8]
A 2019 Facebook group called Right Wing Death Squad was monitored by the FBI due to the violent, anti-semitic, and white supremacist content being posted.[9]
Mauricio Garcia, the perpetrator of the 2023 Allen, Texas outlet mall shooting wore a RWDS patch when he killed eight people.[10] After the shooting, former Proud Boys regional leader Jeremy Bertino[11] spoke of his regret about wearing a Right Wing Death Squad patch.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Richer, Alanna Durkin; Kunzelman, Michael; Whitehurst, Lindsay (2023-05-09). "The meaning behind the far-right symbol Texas shooter wore as he killed 8". AP NEWS. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "RWDS/Right Wing Death Squad". ADL.
- ^ Ecarma, Caleb (2023-05-08). "Texas Mall Shooter Wore "Right Wing Death Squad" Patch, Officials Probing Possible Neo-Nazi Ties: Report". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ Feuer, Alan; Goldman, Adam; Bohra, Neelam; Albeck-Ripka, Livia (2023-05-08). "After Texas Mall Shooting, Searching for Motive and Grieving for Children". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ Stan, Adele M. (2016-04-20). "As GOP Reconsiders Trump as Standard-Bearer, Candidate Retweets White Supremacist". The American Prospect. Archived from the original on 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ Roush, Ty (9 May 2023). "What To Know About 'Right Wing Death Squad'—Phrase Linked To Texas Shooter, Proud Boys". Forbes.
- ^ Kunzelman, Richer, Whitehurst, Alanna Durkin, Lindsay, Michael (9 May 2023). "Texas mall shooter's 'RWDS' patch linked to far-right extremists". PBS. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "RWDS/Right Wing Death Squad". ADL.
- ^ "Missouri soldier connected with others in 'Right-Wing Death Squad' group". FOX 2. 2021-07-01. Archived from the original on 2023-05-14. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ Roush, Ty. "What To Know About 'Right Wing Death Squad'—Phrase Linked To Texas Shooter, Proud Boys". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ "Ex-member: Proud Boys failed to carry out 'revolution'". AP NEWS. 2023-02-22. Archived from the original on 2023-07-04. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ Roche, Darragh (2023-05-09). "Ex-Proud Boy regrets wearing "RWDS" patch after Texas shooting: "Horrified"". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-05-26.