Thanks to some amazing investigative reporting by ProPublica, four white supremacists were arrested in California this week for rioting and violence connected with the deadly Charlottesville Unite the Right rally in 2017.
California residents Benjamin Daley, 25, Thomas Walter Gillen, 34, Michael Paul Miselis, 29, and Cole Evan White, 24, were arrested for rioting and violence during the Charlottesville, Virginia "Unite the Right" rally.
According to the indictment, the men allegedly punched, kicked and head-butted several people, including an African-American man, two women and a clergyman while on their violent rampage.
The four are members of the "Rise Above" movement, a white supremacist group " that essentially subscribes to anti-Semitic, racist ideology and then organizes trains and deploys to various political rallies to engage in acts of violence against folks who are taking a contrary point of view, " according to U.S. Attorney Thomas Cullen, speaking to press after the arrests.
They also stand accused of violence at three other rallies in California. Federal authorities say they have electronic evidence, including social media posts and video.
After ProPublica first exposed Michael Miselis, Northrup Grumman fired him from his sensitive government contracting job. The LA Times reports that when he was arrested, agents found ammunition for assault-style weapons, smoke bombs, flares and a wall hanging reading “88,” which stands for the phrase “Heil Hitler."
US Attorney David Ryan said Miselis and Daley had recently traveled to European countries, including Germany, to meet with other violent white supremacist groups.
These four, along with Ohio resident James Fields Jr., the driver of the car that killed Heather Heyer, were some of the most vile and violent domestic terrorists present in Charlottesville. Fields' trial starts November 26th.
Lock them up, throw away the key. There's no place for this kind of hate and violence in any civilized society.
