Rasp
Senior Editor
MSM piece on IKA and Nordic Fest
This has a pretty decent video attached but the screen at the link is tiny; watch this larger format version instead:
Ron Edwards interviewed by MSM (Large screen)
A rare look inside the world of white supremacy
A song, titled, "No Mercy," is the signature song of the movement, sung by Stephen Edwards, the son of Ron Edwards, the founder of the IKA, the Imperial Klansmen of America.
"If you're fighting an enemy you give them no mercy. Whether it's a Puerto Rican, Jew or whatever, you give them no mercy. I believe that we are twelve tribes of Israel and the Jews are the children of Satan. And if ever
y Jew died in the world I'd probably jump up and down and laugh and dance on their grave," says Ron Edwards.
They're based here in Dawson Springs, Kentucky where Ron Edwards lives with his family and several advisors on 28 acres of land. It's a place where Klansmen flags greet visitors at the entrance.
Israeli flags are used are used as doormats and swastikas, the SS symbol and Adolf Hitler's signature "88" :rolleyes2: decorate every building on the property. The IKA's mission is simple, to eliminate or separate every minority from the white race.
"I don't believe any country can survive with multi-culturalism. I believe that we should all have our own states; we should all have our own countries. If you look at race mixing, homosexuality and abortion our race is basically being defeated. There won't be a lot of whites left in another 20 years," says Edwards.
It's Ron Edwards and other white supremacists greatest fear, a fear that's prompted countless hate crimes a
ll over the country. Recently, in Meade County, five IKA members attacked a 15-year-old Panamanian teenager. The Southern Poverty Law Center, founded by Morris Dees, sued Ron Edwards for the attack, claiming his teachings led directly to the assault. The Southern Poverty Law Center won that case, a sweeping victory that Morris says, bankrupted the IKA organization.
"I think the case against Ron Edwards and the IKA was very successful. At the beginning of this he had 23 chapters in 17 states. Now they're down to 6 chapters in five states. The money is pretty much dried up and he's a near shadow of himself," says Morris Dees, Founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Ron Edwards disagrees.
"The IKA is going stronger than ever," he says.
Melanie Kahn asks, "Over the past six months to a year or so how much has the IKA membership grown?"
"Quite a bit, that's all I'll say," says Edwards.
There's no evidence to support Edwards claim, but there is evide
nce that other hate groups in Kentucky and across the country are in fact, growing. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center's annual "Year in Hate" report, hate group membership has grown by 50% since 2000, and 5% just since last year.
On April 7, the Department of Homeland security released a report affirming that claim and cited several reasons for the rise of hate groups.
"The growth in hate groups is caused by several things. One is the bad economic conditions and the other is the big fear over Latino immigrants into this country and probably most importantly, the election of Barack Obama," says Morris Dees.
Mark Pitcavage, the lead investigator for the Anti-Defamation League, monitors and tracks, what he calls, "anger levels" among hate groups largely online through social networking sites and through the largest white supremacy message board.
He says right now white supremacy groups are on the verge of becoming "white hot" the most dangerous level of anger catego
rized by the Anti-Defamation League.
"What we've been seeing is a great deal of agitation in the white supremacist movement. A higher anger level, sort of extremist chatter that we monitor. More and more people are talking about, it's time for war, it's time to do something, we need to take a stand," says Mark Pitcavage, Anti-Defamation League investigator.
Pitcavage says it's the same rhetoric he saw in the early 90's, right before the infamous standoffs in Ruby Ridge, Idaho and in Waco, Texas that created martyrs who, he says, fueled the radical movement that eventually led to the Oklahoma City Bombings.
"If we were to have some sort of triggering event something that could create martyrs for the movement, I could easily imagine the movement taking off into the stratosphere," says Pitcavage.
That's exactly what Ron Edwards is hoping for and will try to facilitate that at the IKA's annual Nordic Fest, held at his home.
"We are traveling down the back of the prop
erty to the area where Nordic Fest is held," says Jim Sheeley, an IKA aide.
It's an event that brings white supremacy groups to Kentucky for a weekend to share their thoughts and their music. Jim Sheeley gave Melanie Kahn a tour of the Nordic Fest grounds. Media has never been allowed to attend.
Melanie Kahn asks, "I assume this is the stage, this is where this all happens?"
"This is the actual music stage," says Sheeley.
The IKA expects more people to come to Nordic Fest this year than ever before; some who have been part of the white supremacy movement for years and many who are coming for the first time. They will all see these grounds and they will all see these symbols of hate.
And at the end of the weekend will experience the grand finale of Nordic Fest, the cross lighting, the symbol of the white supremacy movement, burning brighter every day.
This has a pretty decent video attached but the screen at the link is tiny; watch this larger format version instead:
Ron Edwards interviewed by MSM (Large screen)
A rare look inside the world of white supremacy
A song, titled, "No Mercy," is the signature song of the movement, sung by Stephen Edwards, the son of Ron Edwards, the founder of the IKA, the Imperial Klansmen of America.
"If you're fighting an enemy you give them no mercy. Whether it's a Puerto Rican, Jew or whatever, you give them no mercy. I believe that we are twelve tribes of Israel and the Jews are the children of Satan. And if ever
y Jew died in the world I'd probably jump up and down and laugh and dance on their grave," says Ron Edwards.
They're based here in Dawson Springs, Kentucky where Ron Edwards lives with his family and several advisors on 28 acres of land. It's a place where Klansmen flags greet visitors at the entrance.
Israeli flags are used are used as doormats and swastikas, the SS symbol and Adolf Hitler's signature "88" :rolleyes2: decorate every building on the property. The IKA's mission is simple, to eliminate or separate every minority from the white race.
"I don't believe any country can survive with multi-culturalism. I believe that we should all have our own states; we should all have our own countries. If you look at race mixing, homosexuality and abortion our race is basically being defeated. There won't be a lot of whites left in another 20 years," says Edwards.
It's Ron Edwards and other white supremacists greatest fear, a fear that's prompted countless hate crimes a
ll over the country. Recently, in Meade County, five IKA members attacked a 15-year-old Panamanian teenager. The Southern Poverty Law Center, founded by Morris Dees, sued Ron Edwards for the attack, claiming his teachings led directly to the assault. The Southern Poverty Law Center won that case, a sweeping victory that Morris says, bankrupted the IKA organization.
"I think the case against Ron Edwards and the IKA was very successful. At the beginning of this he had 23 chapters in 17 states. Now they're down to 6 chapters in five states. The money is pretty much dried up and he's a near shadow of himself," says Morris Dees, Founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Ron Edwards disagrees.
"The IKA is going stronger than ever," he says.
Melanie Kahn asks, "Over the past six months to a year or so how much has the IKA membership grown?"
"Quite a bit, that's all I'll say," says Edwards.
There's no evidence to support Edwards claim, but there is evide
nce that other hate groups in Kentucky and across the country are in fact, growing. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center's annual "Year in Hate" report, hate group membership has grown by 50% since 2000, and 5% just since last year.
On April 7, the Department of Homeland security released a report affirming that claim and cited several reasons for the rise of hate groups.
"The growth in hate groups is caused by several things. One is the bad economic conditions and the other is the big fear over Latino immigrants into this country and probably most importantly, the election of Barack Obama," says Morris Dees.
Mark Pitcavage, the lead investigator for the Anti-Defamation League, monitors and tracks, what he calls, "anger levels" among hate groups largely online through social networking sites and through the largest white supremacy message board.
He says right now white supremacy groups are on the verge of becoming "white hot" the most dangerous level of anger catego
rized by the Anti-Defamation League.
"What we've been seeing is a great deal of agitation in the white supremacist movement. A higher anger level, sort of extremist chatter that we monitor. More and more people are talking about, it's time for war, it's time to do something, we need to take a stand," says Mark Pitcavage, Anti-Defamation League investigator.
Pitcavage says it's the same rhetoric he saw in the early 90's, right before the infamous standoffs in Ruby Ridge, Idaho and in Waco, Texas that created martyrs who, he says, fueled the radical movement that eventually led to the Oklahoma City Bombings.
"If we were to have some sort of triggering event something that could create martyrs for the movement, I could easily imagine the movement taking off into the stratosphere," says Pitcavage.
That's exactly what Ron Edwards is hoping for and will try to facilitate that at the IKA's annual Nordic Fest, held at his home.
"We are traveling down the back of the prop
erty to the area where Nordic Fest is held," says Jim Sheeley, an IKA aide.
It's an event that brings white supremacy groups to Kentucky for a weekend to share their thoughts and their music. Jim Sheeley gave Melanie Kahn a tour of the Nordic Fest grounds. Media has never been allowed to attend.
Melanie Kahn asks, "I assume this is the stage, this is where this all happens?"
"This is the actual music stage," says Sheeley.
The IKA expects more people to come to Nordic Fest this year than ever before; some who have been part of the white supremacy movement for years and many who are coming for the first time. They will all see these grounds and they will all see these symbols of hate.
And at the end of the weekend will experience the grand finale of Nordic Fest, the cross lighting, the symbol of the white supremacy movement, burning brighter every day.