On Monday, September 11, a professor at the University of Alabama was glancing around Lloyd Hall’s bulletin boards when he found a disturbing flier — a flier advertising “Identity Evropa,” an alt-right white supremacist organization. Disgusted by the propaganda, he immediately removed the flier from display.

On Wednesday, September 13, the same faculty member was passing by the same bulletin board in Lloyd Hall when he recognized the same “Identity Evropa” recruitment flier — only now, there were two of them.

Bothered by the reappearance of the advertisement, the professor brought the flier to the attention of his next class. He held it up and asked if anyone had seen them anywhere else on campus. The classmates shook their heads. One student pointed out that UA students receive any important information through their campus email, so very few ever care to glance at the bulletin boards.

As the class discussion concluded, two questions remained unanswered: who is persistently displaying such fliers, and are there more of them across UA’s campus?

The University of Alabama is not the only campus “Identity Evropa” (IE) is targeting. According to newsweek.com, “the white supremacist group has launched a yearlong campaign targeting college students with a sophisticated breed of fliers.” The article states that similar advertisements for IE have been found on “13 campuses in seven states” since the start of the 2017-18 school year. Both newsweek.com and adl.org (Anti-Defamation League’s website) list a number of states and universities where fliers have been found, but neither site mentions the University of Alabama, nor any other school in the state.

The underlying issue is larger than one inappropriate ad displayed on a campus bulletin board. The problem is the persistence of the group. The problem is the group’s influence on young, impressionable minds. The problem is the “anti-Jew” ideology that is believed and spread by members of the so-called “fraternal organization.” The problem is that the 700+ people claiming to be IE members are following the teachings of a convicted felon who has a history of psychological issues.

IE was founded in March 2016 by Nathan Damigo, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who robbed a taxi driver at gunpoint. He blamed his actions on having “major issues” after coming back from Iraq and believing the cab’s driver was Iraqi. [By “major issues,” he meant having nightmares, flashbacks, shell shock, suicidal thoughts, and becoming an alcoholic.] An article posted by Northern California Anti-Racist Action (NoCARA) states that while in prison, “he joined white supremacist prison gangs, and began reading authors like David Duke (a Neo-Nazi, anti-Semite, and former Grand Dragon within the KKK) whom he credits with this racial awakening.”

When asked in a recent interview about his reasons behind posting fliers on campuses, he claimed to be doing so for “name recognition among students.” Although I am not sure what he wanted the group’s name to be recognized for, let it be known that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has labeled “Identity Evropa” as a hate group. (SPLC is a legal advocacy group that specializes in civil rights and public interest litigation.)

In the same interview, he was asked what the best thing is about being “alt-right,” and his response was: “…Utilizing satire that cuts through the bull***t… I like being able to speak truth. It’s liberating.” Please note his contradictory statement of wanting to use “satire” to “speak truth.” Satire means using humor to criticize others, but his advertisements and slogans use no form of “humor” whatsoever, and neither do IE members during protests. They have, instead, turned to violence. According to adl.org, during the “Battle of Berkley” on April 15, 2017, “Damigo gained notoriety for punching a female protestor during the brawl.”

“Identity Evropa” is an American alt-right, white supremacist, anti-jew, anti-immigrant hate group. If an IE flier (or any other “hate group” propaganda) is found on your campus, please alert either a faculty/staff member or the university’s campus police.