Holocaust denier Augustus Invictus announces another campaign for the U.S. Senate
Augustus Sol Invictus, who first came into the national spotlight as a Libertarian primary candidate for U.S. Senate in Florida, is at it again, this time running as a Republican.聽
He made the announcement in Washington, D.C., outside of current U.S. Senator鈥攁nd potential opponent鈥擝ill Nelson鈥檚 office. It came just days after his appearance as a planned headliner for the disastrous, violent white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Invictus鈥� 2016 campaign raised eyebrows because of his bizarre, theatrical manner and his past promotion of eugenics and bloody civil war. His crushing defeat in the primary a year ago did nothing to abate his extremism. Since the election, his activism on the radical right has only accelerated. He鈥檚 found a home with the greater alt-right movement, and in keeping with his fondness for playing at war, he鈥檚 become second in command of the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights, the 鈥渕ilitary division鈥� of Gavin McInnes鈥� Proud Boys. His rhetoric has also become bolder and more explicit. Though he鈥檚 tried to downplay some of his most radical ideas in the past, in an interview on August 5, 2017, he admitted to Hatewatch that he is a Holocaust denier.
鈥淒o I believe that 6 million Jews were killed by evil Hitler? Is that what you鈥檙e asking me?鈥� he said. 鈥淥kay, then I am still waiting to see those facts.鈥�
His campaign announcement focused mostly on last weekend鈥檚 tragedy in Charlottesville. He claimed that the city of Charlottesville 鈥渄eliberately set a trap鈥� for the white nationalists who gathered to protest, and he railed against the media鈥檚 鈥渇alse narrative鈥� designed to malign the right wing. The real violence, Invictus insists, comes from the left.
鈥淭hey have waged a campaign of terror from coast to coast and all across Europe,鈥� he said.
If that statement seems wildly overblown, it鈥檚 worth taking a moment to understand where Invictus is coming from. He鈥檚 driven not just by politics, but also by a unique self-concept. He believes it is his destiny to be a great leader in an epic war. To have a war, you need an enemy.
In his speech, he promised to 鈥渞estore the Republic,鈥� though it鈥檚 entirely unclear what that means. Knowing Invictus, the man who has spent years promoting 鈥渓iteral revolution鈥� and concluded speeches with the declaration, 鈥淗ail Death,鈥� it鈥檚 safe to say he鈥檚 not proposing a peaceful transition.
