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March 3, 2020 1:02 pm
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Arizona Neo-Nazi Who Threatened Editor at Jewish Publication in Harassment Campaign Will Remain Behind Bars, Judge Rules

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A propaganda video produced by neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division showing supporters taking part in a shooting exercise at a white supremacist ‘training camp.’ Photo: Screenshot.

An Arizona neo-Nazi involved in an antisemitic campaign of harassment against Jewish journalists and anti-hate activists will stay behind bars after a Phoenix judge determined that he remained a threat to the larger community.

Judge John Boyle ordered Johnny Roman Garza, 20, of Queen Creek, Arizona, to remain in jail following a hearing on Monday. Boyle expressed skepticism regarding Garza’s claim to have severed ties with the violent neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, noting that officers discovered a bulletproof vest during a search of Garza’s home.

“That’s not something a 20-year-old would normally have,” Boyle said.

Garza was one of four neo-Nazis arrested by the FBI on Feb. 26 in an operation across four states. The other members of the violent extremist group were named as Cameron Brandon Shea, 24, of Redmond, Washington; Kaleb Cole, 24, of Montgomery, Texas; and Taylor Ashley Parker-Dipeppe, 20, of Spring Hill, Florida.

The group focused primarily on Jewish or journalists of color, according to the FBI.

“These defendants from across the country allegedly conspired on the internet to intimidate journalists and activists with whom they disagreed,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers in a statement immediately following the arrests. “This is not how America works. The Department of Justice will not tolerate this type of behavior.”

One of the group’s targets was Mala Blomquist, an editor for Arizona Jewish Life magazine. A poster glued to her house in early February displayed Nazi symbols alongside the threat, “Your Actions Have Consequences.”

“My home is my sanctuary. To have somebody impede upon you like that, it’s never OK,” Blomquist — who is not Jewish herself — told local broadcaster KSL.com on Monday. “The fact somebody came on my property and put something that disgusting on my window, that bothered me. I don’t want to say PTSD for people who really have it, but it was a traumatic experience.”

In a previous interview with ABC News, Blomquist remarked that “a lot of people who aren’t Jewish don’t realize that antisemitism, hate crimes are on the rise.”

Continued Blomquist:  “We’ve got to fight the hate. You’ve got to come forward. It’s that adage if you see something, say something. We can’t hide anymore.”

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) , the Atomwaffen Division — German for “atomic weapons” — emerged in 2016, created by members of Iron March, a now-defunct white supremacist discussion forum.

“Atomwaffen distinguishes itself by its extreme rhetoric, influenced by the writings of a neo-Nazi of an earlier generation, James Mason, who admired Charles Manson and supported the idea of lone wolf violence,” an ADL briefing explained. “Members of Atomwaffen have already been connected to several murders in the group’s short history.”

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