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There’s been plenty of chatter online about a group called Patriot Front. If you haven’t heard of them, they’re a movement of masked men from across the United States, all dressed in matching outfits, marching in formation with flags and shields. Quite the spectacle, right? But who is this group that shows up right on cue in cities all over the United States to protest left-wing policies?

That’s the million-dollar question lately, especially with Patriot Front popping up more frequently.

Many on the right suspect that Patriot Front might actually be FBI agents masquerading as Neo-Nazis to reinforce the left’s narrative that Trump supporters are “white supremacists” hell-bent on destroying their precious “democracy.” However, those in the know understand that the history of Patriot Front is far more complex than merely being a whipped-up concoction by the FBI to tarnish MAGA’s image. While it’s not out of the question that the FBI could be behind the group, there is currently no concrete evidence to support this theory. So, the best approach to understanding who Patriot Front really is today is to look back at their origins and see how they evolved and who’s behind the movement.

Patriot Front is a Texas-based group that emerged from a rift within another group called “Vanguard America” (VA). After a series of mishaps, including the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, back in August 2017, VA began falling apart thanks to infighting and scandals. The split was fueled by a clash of egos at VA’s top. Thomas Ryan Rousseau, a teenager who led VA’s Texas chapter, disagreed with Dillon Hopper, the national leader, over who was the true leader of the movement. Thomas believed he was, Dillon disagreed, and a feud was born. According to Wikipedia, Rousseau took control of Vanguard America’s web and Discord server several weeks before the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which he participated as the leader of Vanguard America’s contingent.

Thomas Rousseau, Founder, Leader Patriot Front
Dillon Hopper, CEO Vanguard America

Who is Dillon Hopper? According to reports, he’s a retired Marine staff sergeant.

The Guardian:

Dillon Hopper, the self-styled “commander” of Vanguard America, is a recently retired marine staff sergeant and veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Members of his white supremacist group marched in Virginia last weekend.

Hopper, 29, has been using his former name, Dillon Irizarry, when appearing in public for Vanguard America. But he officially changed his name to Dillon Ulysses Hopper in November 2006, according to court records in his native New Mexico.

Following the negative publicity from the rally, Rousseau left Vanguard America. He repurposed the group’s domain name to form Patriot Front, using it to recruit rally participants, though many of Patriot Front’s members were former Vanguard members. VA eventually faded from the scene in the wake of the Charlottesville controversy, highlighted by the Tiki Torch march and the contentious death of Antifa supporter Heather Heyer, for which James Fields, a reported member of VA, was blamed.

Unite The Right, Charlottesville, VA, 2017
Antifa supporter Heather Heyer died at the Unite the Right rally
James Fields was convicted in the death of Antifa supporter Heather Heyer

Patriot Front’s 2022 manifesto posted on its website outlines the mission:

“When our pre-Columbian forefathers left their European homes…they found a common cause and a common identity as Americans. From the varied nations and cultures of Europe a new nation was forged in the flames of conquest.”

“To be an American is to be a descendant of conquerors, pioneers, visionaries, and explorers. This unique identity was given to us by our ancestors, and this national spirit remains firmly rooted in our blood.”

“Our mission is a hard reset on the nation we see today – a return to the traditions and virtues of our forefathers.”

“America needs a generation of brave men to fearlessly rise to face all threats to their collective interests. A generation steeled in their effort to realize their grand vision of a new nation. This gathering of the faithful – the true inheritors of America – will urge our people onward.”

This vision has historically been the foundation of Rousseau and Hopper’s belief system, if you trace their actions and influence through the years, dating back to Vanguard America. And speaking of the VA days, they came back to haunt Thomas Rousseau this past February, when he was arrested in Texas on Virginia charges of burning an object “to intimidate” at the Unite the Right march.

The Daily Progress:

Thomas Ryan Rousseau, a 25-year-old resident of Grapevine, Texas, and the founder of the group known as Patriot Front, was indicted on Aug. 7 for participating in the 2017 torch-lit march across University of Virginia Grounds that preceded the deadly Unite the Right rally-turned-riot in Charlottesville. Ryan has been charged with using fire to racially intimidate, a felony in Virginia dating back to the Jim Crow era. That’s according to records that were unsealed March 5.

“This is the burden that American patriots must bear,” Rousseau’s group wrote on Telegram after Texas authorities arrested him on Feb. 23. “The arrest comes after a nearly 7-year witch hunt by politically motivated prosecutors.”

Nevertheless, Patriot Front is alive and well, appearing with “perfect timing” across the country in scenarios that many on the right believe are staged ops and fed stunts. These are seen as attempts to portray Trump supporters and right-wingers as the regime wants them to be portrayed.

The fall of VA and the birth of Patriot Front were well coordinated and focused. Patriot Front aimed to avoid the pitfalls of Vanguard America and rebranded themselves as a more approachable “pro-America” group. They moved away from the image of obese, sloppy, socially inept members aimlessly lumbering around. They discarded the tiki torches and Confederate flags. Instead, they opted for fit, masked men dressed in matching outfits, carrying American flags and shields, marching in unison, and using U-Haul trucks to transport members to various protest sites.

Many folks on the right believe that Patriot Front is given a very “wide berth” to engage in some really strange activities. It all makes for great fodder for left-wing rags, which again fits right in with the left’s anti-white male propaganda push.

Daily Beast:

The white supremacist group Patriot Front unboxed their U-Hauls and marched through the streets of Charleston, West Virginia, on Saturday in a demonstration timed to coincide with an anti-racism 5k race.

The neo-Nazis reportedly unloaded banners and other organization propaganda before a statue of Confederate General Thomas Stonewall Jackson in the city’s downtown area. Wearing matching khakis, navy blue polos, white hats and face coverings, they chanted and paraded through Charleston’s main streets, flying a banner with the slogan “America is not for sale.” Some of them carried shields and many of them flew upside-down American flags. At least one Confederate flag could be seen in the parade.

Back in 2022, 31 members of the group were arrested in Idaho after hopping out of a U-Haul. Again, you’ll notice that these stunts are clickbait for left-wing publications.

Members of Patriot Front arrested

Vice:

For years, many members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front have mostly managed to keep their identities under wraps.

But now, the mask is off. Thirty-one members of the notoriously secretive, optics-obsessed group, including their leader, were arrested in Idaho over the weekend. And mugshots and names of all 31 arrestees were released by the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.

The group was traveling in the back of a U-Haul on Saturday, apparently headed to downtown Coeur d’Alene where an annual LGBTQ Pride event (and a far-right counter-event) was underway, when they were intercepted by local law enforcement.

Coeur d’Alene police said that a “concerned citizen” called the cops when they noticed a group who resembled “a little like an army” clambering into the back of a U-Haul with shields.

Video footage showed police rolling up the rear door to reveal men packed like sardines into the back of the truck. All the men were in Patriot Front uniform—khakis, navy jackets, sunglasses, caps, gloves, and white balaclavas covering their faces.

The group was booked on misdemeanor charges of “conspiracy to riot.” The charge of “conspiracy to riot” may sound flimsy and absurd, but it’s right on brand for Biden’s weaponized regime.

Another interesting bit of timing is that Patriot Front, which has been around since 2017, only started receiving national attention after the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers were essentially dismantled following January 6th. Many would argue that it feels like Patriot Front is “on deck,” ready to keep the propaganda narrative going. On the flip side, many supporters of Patriot Front insist that the group is legitimate, comprising genuinely frustrated and fed-up American men who are peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights. They see their actions as a protest against a corrupt regime they believe is undermining the United States from within. These supporters completely reject the notion of the group being a fed-run operation. They argue that anyone who makes such claims simply doesn’t understand the extent of disillusionment among many young white men in America today.

Chances are, these supporters have a point. Given the current climate of anti-white sentiment in the US, it’s understandable why some young white men might feel particularly targeted, whether you agree with Patriot Front’s mission or not. Moreover, Patriot Front’s size and visibility suggest it’s more than just a fleeting federal setup. The detailed history of the group, the strong personalities involved, and the presence of disillusioned young men all support this. But here’s the twist: it’s not a stretch to suggest that while Patriot Front may indeed be a genuine “white nationalist” movement, it has likely been infiltrated by federal agents. This infiltration would be used to reinforce the left’s narrative that white men on the right pose significant domestic threats. After all, in today’s era of strategic, weaponized intelligence, it’s hard to imagine that a group like Patriot Front, ripe for the picking, wouldn’t be used by the feds in various ways.

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