White Supremacists Arrested Before Starting A Riot At The Pride Parade In Idaho

A group of 31 white supremacists was hiding in the back of a U-Haul truck reviewing their plan to start a riot at the Pride Parade in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho when the police arrested them this past Saturday. 7 Texans were among them, according to The Dallas Morning News.

A concerned citizen watched the 31 men wearing masks getting into the van and called the police. “They looked like a little army,” the person reported. They were indeed dressed as if they were going into war, although they did not carry arms. The peculiar-looking group turned out to be part of the neo-nazi organization called Front Patriots.

After the tip, the police stopped a U-Haul van near the Pride Parade Area. By the time the police opened the van, the white nationalists already had their hands up and were ready for arrest. The police found a smoke bomb, various shields, and a detailed plan formulated to disrupt the Coeur d’ Alene Pride Parade, according to Vice.

“It is clear to us that based on the gear the individuals had with them, the stuff in their possession and the U-Haul with them, and paperwork they had with them, they came to riot downtown,” said the police chief, Lee White. 

They were charged with a $300 bonus on Crime Conspiracy according to official documents. The Patriots Front leader and founder, Thomas Rousseau was among them, people found out when the police removed their usual masks. 

Patriot Front was founded in 2017 and it surged from the Neo-nazi group Vanguard America after this organization’s name was stained by the Charlottesville tragedy. The group preaches nationalism and opposes overt racism, according to Vice. Although it is not its official narrative, it has been leaked the group embraces neo-nazi propaganda. 

The seven Texans arrested before disrupting the riot were Graham Jones Whitson, 31, of Haslet; Robert Benjamin Whitted, 22, of Conroe; Josiah Daniel Buster, 24, of Watauga; Connor Patrick Moran, 23, of Watauga; Kieran Padraig Morris, 27, of Haslet; Thomas Ryan Rousseau, 23, Grapevine; who as we mentioned before is one of the founder leader of the group and Steven Derrick Tucker, 30, of Haslet, according to The Dallas Morning News.