MOVEMENT page 1
rights from a shadow government and training sessions. In Michigan,
that conspires to take over the Unit- each county has a loosely formed and
ed States and form a new world or- locally run militia that is in associa-
der. Groups like the Anti-Defamation tion with the paramilitary groups of
League, who link him to white su- other counties. Statewide meetings
premacist groups, are evil and are are held, attracting a fraction of the
part of the shadow government, he estimated 10,000 members.
The militia groups also seem to find
said.
"I don't believe (the ADL) is Jew- April 19 to be a rallying point, often
ish," he said. "I think it is a cover to citing significant actions that hap-
pened to have taken place on that date
slam us into the ground."
Mr. Trochmann wants to educate including:
* A raid by the government against
all Americans so they, too, can be pre-
pared for the fall of the government. Randy Weaver, a white separatist,
"We are all in this together," he said. took place in 1992. During the inci-
But organizations like the Ameri- dent, a federal agent, Mr. Weaver's
can Jewish Committee and the ADL wife and son were killed.
* The burning
disagree with Mr. Trochmann. They
argue that the paramilitary groups of the Branch Da-
are havens for anti-Semites and white vidian compound
supremacists that, if not curtailed, at Waco, Texas,
which claimed
will grow in number and violence.
And they say that, more and more, the lives of more
white supremacists are taking active than 80 adults
and leadership roles in the militia and children. The
movement, pushing their agenda of fire ended a long
hate on others and opening the door siege which began
for mainstream contact with anti- with a raid by
agents from the
Semitism.
`The militias constitute a new man- Bureau of Alco-
ifestation of violent hate-group activ- hol, Tobacco and
ity that targets not only the traditional Firearms and the
victims — racial and religious mi- Federal Bureau of
norities — but even more so, govern- Investigation.
* The execu-
ment and governmental employees,"
said Ken Stern, a New York special- tion of white su-
ist in anti-Semitism and extremism premacist
for the American Jewish Committee. Richard Wayne Snell in Arkansas for
Recently released research indi- the 1983 murder of a Jewish busi-
cates that while some of the militias nessman, William Stumpp.
"There certainly is a coincidence
do not condone racism and anti-Semi-
tism, others have links with the hate that these things happen on April 19,"
said Myrna Shinbaum, director of
movement.
The militia gained world-wide at- public relations for the ADL in New
tention after the federal building in York.
She noted that Adolf Hitler's birth-
Oklahoma City was bombed April
19. More than 100 were killed and day is April 20, the day after the Ok-
the death toll is expected to rise to lahoma bombing. "I don't think it is
more than 200, including numerous terribly far-fetched to think that these
are connected."
children.
Officials have arrested Timothy
McVeigh, 27, of New York, in the
bombing. Two Michigan brothers, Ter-
ry and James Nichols, were charged
with conspiracy to make explosives.
The three were said to have connec-
tions with loosely formed paramili-
tary groups like the Michigan Militia.
Noah Chandler, a researcher for
Ray Southwell, founder of the
Michigan Militia, denounced the the Center for Democratic Renewal
in Atlanta (formerly the National
bombing.
"What happened there is de- Anti-Klan Network), said signs of
plorable," he said. "We would never racist and anti-Semitic behavior can
be found in the paramilitary groups.
condone such an act of violence."
He said conspiracy theories that
The rest of the nation may have
only recently discovered the groups, suggest the Federal Reserve is con-
but the ADL and AJCommittee have trolled by an outside group of bankers,
been studying them for at least the a charge in the anti-Semitic "Proto-
past 16 months, a time when the larg- n cols of the Elders of Zion" pamphlet,
er militias in Montana and Michigan is a widely held view in the militia
movement.
formed.
`The language, the rhetoric, the ac-
Researchers have found the groups
generally attract tax protesters and tion of these groups point to their in-
gun aficionados who advocate strict volvement (in racism)," he said.
Dan Yurman, the spokesman of
observance of the Second Amendment
to the United States Constitution Temple Emanuel in Pocatello, Idaho,
agreed, saying a militia meeting
which states:
"A well regulated militia, being nec- which attracted 300 in his area fea-
essary to the security of a free State, tured the sale of anti-Semitic litera-
the right of the people to keep and ture and paraphernalia.
"It is clear that these groups are
bear arms, shall not be infringed."
The groups meet on a regular ba- gateways or portals in which white
sis, with some conducting field drills supremacists have sought to gain ac-
cess to the mainstream," he said.
Richard Lobenthal, regional direc-
tor of the Michigan office of the ADL,
believes it is the individual members
themselves who are anti-Semitic,
rather than hatred being an estab-
lished policy of every militia group.
While he sees MOM as "a racist,
anti-Semitic group," he does not see
those elements in the Michigan Mili-
tia.
"They have not encouraged anti-
Semitic behavior," he said. "In fact,
they have actively discouraged it."
The Michigan Militia concurs. Fen-
ton resident Matthew Krol,
spokesman for the Michigan Militia,
said that white supremacists at times
find their way into meetings but are
quickly turned away.
"I am not claiming that there aren't
fringe elements in the militia," he said.
'There is always a chance that fringe
groups will get involved.
"But this is not a supremacist
group. Anyone who is a supremacist
or uses supremacist language will
quickly find out this isn't for him."
He said rosters of county militias
in Michigan boast Jews, Hispanics,
Native Americans and blacks. One
militia in Grand Traverse County cel-
ebrated a Passover seder led by a
"messianic Jew."
"There is absolutely
no racism, no anti-Semi-
tism," said Ralph
Kennedy, leader of the
Grand Traverse militia.
"We are like a family."
"We are just Ameri-
cans helping Americans.
It is what this country
was founded on," he
said. ❑
Left: Artist renderings of
suspects No. 1 and 2 in the
bombing of the federal
building in Oaklahoma City.
Below: The bombed-
damaged Alfred Murrah
Federal Building.
'-\
as? . 1/4148"
The individuals
in the organizations
bring in hate.
N