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MassResistance, the anti-LGBT hate group based in Massachusetts whose president, Brian Camenker, continually聽听补苍诲听, has been expanding its chapter base in recent years.

One of the most active chapters has been in California, run by perpetual right-wing activist Arthur Schaper, a columnist for TownHall.com and freelance writer based in Torrance, California. He splits his time between cheerleading for President Trump, protesting against immigrant protections and opposing LGBT people.

In July, Schaper led his MassResistance chapter to a Dixon, California, city council meeting to show support for the city鈥檚 vice mayor, who advocated for July to be considered 鈥淪traight Pride American Month鈥� as a counter to June being, as he referred to it, 鈥淟GBTQF-WTF month.鈥� At the meeting, a woman sitting with MassResistance聽聽at a 14-year-old girl, who is gay, when the girl began to cry. 鈥淔ake tears!鈥� the woman shouted.

In a聽聽defending the Dixon vice mayor a few days before the meeting, Schaper claimed:

鈥渉omosexual behaviors and transgenderism [sic] are not normal albeit eccentric behaviors, but destructive and immoral practices which harm children, destroy families, and undermine a sound and cohesive culture.鈥�

California-based white nationalist and self-proclaimed 鈥渢raditionalist鈥� Kenny Strawn took notice of Schaper鈥檚 activities and announced in a July 30 YouTube video that he had joined the California chapter of MassResistance, claiming Schaper as a good friend. Furthermore, Strawn said, his own views align with those of Camenker, in that homosexuality should never have been normalized and that abortion is murder.

Strawn also claimed in the video he joined because he鈥檚 tired of being 鈥渕isorientationed鈥濃�� that is, according to him, tired of gay men assuming he鈥檚 gay, and he鈥檚 pleased to join Schaper in this 鈥渁nti-degeneracy鈥� effort.

Strawn proclaims a belief in聽Identitarian聽ideals, a white nationalist ideological movement. It has roots in the French 鈥淣ew Right鈥� and mixes European chauvinism, biological determinism, localism, and some left-wing ideas such as Swiss-style direct democracy and critiques of capitalism. Walter Laqueur, scholar of fascism, has described Identitarianism as fundamentally a doctrine closely related to fascism. Generation Identitaire, which formed around 2012, was formed in the early 2000s as the youth wing of the Bloc Identitaire, a French anti-immigrant coalition that engaged in anti-Muslim actions. In the U.S., identitarianism has been taken up by the white nationalist youth group Identity Evropa.

The UK-based group Hope Not Hate (HNH)聽聽that Strawn attempted to launch a U.S. incarnation of Generation Identity, an organization started by European Identitarians. It is unclear if his chapter was聽recognized by official European identitarians. This is unlikely given the lack of a public endorsement by the European Generation Identity despite the American leadership claiming it was recognized. Still, Strawn聽聽at public events carrying the black-and-yellow flag of the group. But it appears the U.S. branch quickly fizzled, and its website disappeared. HNH also reported that Strawn planned a rally for later in March called 鈥淒efend California: No Sanctuary for Sharia.鈥�

Schaper has crossed paths with white nationalists before

Schaper, who聽聽helps fund his activism, has engaged with other white nationalists beyond Strawn. He聽聽appeared recently on the web-based radio show The Red Elephants, which bills itself as 鈥渃onservative鈥� but has promoted white nationalist videos and interviewed prominent white nationalist聽Jared Taylor, who runs the聽hate group American Renaissance听(础尘搁别苍).

Schaper, who has written for The Red Elephants website, debated white nationalist Nick Fuentes on the show in March. Fuentes is a podcaster who has made聽. He聽, reportedly after Jared Taylor, at the 2018 white nationalist AmRen gathering in Tennessee, but聽聽he鈥檚 a white nationalist because he says it鈥檚 a term leftists use.

Schaper also debated聽James Allsup聽in May. Allsup, who聽聽in Washington state, is slated to begin a term in December as a precinct committee officer in Whitman County. He attended the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally in August 2017 and participated in the Tiki torch march that included the chant 鈥淛ews will not replace us.鈥� Allsup also聽addressed an alt-right rally聽in Washington, D.C., in June 2017 that included white nationalist speakers聽Jason Kessler听补苍诲听Richard Spencer.

Schaper is also part of the nativist extremist group聽, and has been disavowed by the local Republican party,聽, for his actions, which often involve disrupting city council meetings in so-called sanctuary cities and shouting down Democratic politicians.

In 2017, Schaper and fellow anti-immigrant activists shouted down a Riverside speech by Senate leader Kevin de L茅on with screams of 鈥渁nchor baby.鈥� Schaper has also protested outside Democratic congresswoman Maxine Waters鈥� office with a sign telling her to 鈥済o to hell.鈥� The local GOP pulled the charter of the Beach Cities Republicans, of which Schaper was elected to a second term as the group鈥檚 president in fall 2016, saying that Schaper鈥檚 鈥渋nappropriate activities鈥� (disrupting meetings and intimidating local officials) were the major reason for its actions, according to the聽L.A. Times.

Schaper has also referred to sanctuary supporters as 鈥渂rown Nazis鈥� and in April went to various town meetings in California in communities considering opposing the state鈥檚 sanctuary stance,聽, which also noted that at these meetings, undocumented immigrants were referred to as 鈥渄isease carriers鈥� and murderers and rapists while antisemitic remarks were also made.

Bottom line

MassResistance is no stranger to controversy or trolling tactics in its confrontational style of activism. But in the past, it has remained focused solely on anti-LGBT issues. With its California chapter leadership engaging in anti-immigrant protests and with a white nationalist in its ranks who in the past has attempted to organize an anti-sharia protest, it remains to be seen what direction the group will go.

Photo by REUTERS/ Kyle Grillot