When the volunteer helping after a hurricane is a white nationalist | 60 Minutes
In a Nutshell
White nationalist groups like Active Club and Patriot Front exploit U.S. disasters such as Hurricane Helene in North Carolina by providing aid, filming content for social media recruitment, and softening their anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant image to attract young white men, while spreading government conspiracy theories that hinder official responses. Leaders like Robert Rundo promote "pro-white" nationalism and fascist ideals, aiming for a militant white Christian nation under military rule, as watchdogs label their efforts "disaster tourism" that creates chaos without sustained help. Sheriff Loy Griffin warns that false rumors—like FEMA seizing supplies or government weather weapons—complicated rescues and may become the new normal for future events.
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A surge of over 200 tornadoes hit 20 states in the last couple of weeks in April. Hurricane season is approaching. Militias, conspiracists, and white supremacists show up to hard-hit communities, as in Texas last week, offering help but called disaster tourists who sow doubt in government, soften their image, and gain followers.
September 2024, Hurricane Helene barreled through North Carolina, nearly wiping out Batcave, lifting homes and toppling trees.
Imagine taking in a box of toothpicks and dumping them on your kitchen counter.
Sheriff Loy Griffin faced a daunting rescue task after days of heavy rain followed by the hurricane, described as a triple whammy.
Outsiders poured into North Carolina, including anti-government far-right groups.
These folks that we're talking about, they were in the minority. However, that minority can create chaos, and that's what we ran into.
Some outsiders launched their own rescue operations, acting as a militia to bring self-deployed law and order with weapons, diverting time from real rescues.
Members of white nationalist group Active Club showed up.
Going to a disaster relief is directly helping our people. You go in to help white people. Yeah.
Robert Rundo co-founded Active Club in 2020 for disgruntled young white men to work out and share ideology. It has nearly 90 chapters, described by watchdogs as one of the country's fastest-growing white supremacist networks that are anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, and anti-democracy. They hold mixed martial arts tournaments.
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