Right Wing Death Squad on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Right Wing Death Squad, often abbreviated to RWDS, is a slogan used in the 21st century by U.S.
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
far right
Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
extremists. The term was first used in the 1970s to describe Latin American paramilitaries who targeted their left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in so ...
opponents.
Historical usage
The term was first used in the 1970s to describe Latin American paramilitarydeath squad
A death squad is an armed group whose primary activity is carrying out extrajudicial killings or forced disappearances as part of political repression, genocide, ethnic cleansing, or revolutionary terror. Except in rare cases in which they are f ...
s who targeted left-wing opponents. The death squad dropped the leftists out of helicopters. They were called the “death flights.”
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 meme
A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...
s, in online forums, on clothing, patches, and stickers. The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism attribute the terms' popularity to usage by the American neo-fascist organisation the Proud Boys
The Proud Boys is an American far-right, neo-fascist, and exclusively male organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States.Far-right:
*
*
Fascist:
*
*
*
*
*
Men only:
*
*
*
Political violence:
*
*
* It has ...
. The slogan is often accompanied by the words "Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...
Did Nothing Wrong" and the abbreviation ''RWDS'' is used as a hashtag #RWDS.
The slogan was used by attendees of the 2017 Unite the Right rally
The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, Neo-Nazism, neo- ...
white supremacist event in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen ...
. 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.
A 2019 Facebook group called ''Right Wing Death Squad'' was monitored by the FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
due to the violent, anti-semitic, and white supremacist content being posted.
Mauricio Garcia, the perpetrator of the 2023 Allen, Texas outlet mall shooting
On May 6, 2023, a mass shooting occurred at Allen Premium Outlets, an outlet center in Allen, Texas, United States. Nine people, including the perpetrator, were killed during the shooting, the youngest of whom was a three-year-old boy, and se ...
wore a ''RWDS'' patch when he killed eight people. After the shooting, former Proud Boys regional leader Jeremy Bertino
Jeremy Bertino (born 1979 or 1980) is an American former member of the Proud Boys who testified against Enrique Tarrio during his trial for seditious conspiracy for his role in the 2021 United States Capitol attack. Bertino was the first Proud Boy ...
spoke of his regret about wearing a Right Wing Death Squad patch.
See also
*American militia movement
The American militia movement is a term used by law enforcement and security analysts to refer to a number of private organizations that include paramilitary or similar elements. These groups may refer to themselves as militia, unorganized mili ...
* Caravan of Death
The Caravan of Death ( es, Caravana de la Muerte) was a Chilean Army death squad that, following the Chilean coup of 1973, flew by helicopters from south to north of Chile between September 30 and October 22, 1973. During this foray, members of ...
* Fourteen Words
Fourteen Words (also abbreviated 14 or 14/ 88) is a reference to two slogans originated by David Eden Lane, one of nine founding members of the defunct white separatist insurrectionary terrorist organization The Order. The slogans have served a ...
* Gang signal
A gang signal, also known as a gang sign, is a verbal or visual way gang members identify their affiliation. This can take many forms including slogans, hand signs, colored clothing and graffiti. The wearer usually favors, or is in, that part ...
* Diehard Duterte Supporters
Diehard Duterte Supporters (DDS) is a name adopted by political extremists who support the 16th president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, whom they defend as a necessary strongman, to refer to themselves.Schmachtenberger, D. (2019, December ...
* List of political slogans
The following is a list of notable political slogans.
Political slogan (listed alphabetically) A
* Abki baar Modi Sarkar – Bharatiya Janata Party's campaign slogan for Bharatiya Janata Party campaign for the 2014 Indian general election, 2014 ...
* List of United States political catchphrases
The following is a chronological list of political catchphrases throughout the history of the United States government. This is not necessarily a list of historical quotes, but phrases that have been commonly referenced or repeated within variou ...
* Right-wing terrorism
Right-wing terrorism, hard right terrorism, extreme right terrorism or far-right terrorism is terrorism that is motivated by a variety of different right-wing and far-right ideologies, most prominently, it is motivated by neo-Nazism, anti-commun ...
* Ultraconservatism
Ultraconservatism refers to extreme conservative views in politics or religious practice.
In modern politics, the term "ultraconservative" usually refers to conservatives of the far-right on the political spectrum, comprising groups or indivi ...
References
{{White nationalism American political catchphrases Antisemitism in the United States Neo-fascism Paleoconservatism White supremacy in the United States Fascism in the United States Terrorism in the United States