A Decentralized Web of Activist Militias
Recent reporting suggests that groups often associated with the Antifa movement—particularly the John Brown Gun Clubs and their offshoot, Redneck Revolt—operate through a loose network of self-described “community defense” organizations. These collectives, which emerged in the 2010s, claim to protect marginalized groups and counter white supremacist activity, but they have also been linked to incidents involving firearms, violent protests, and clashes with law enforcement.
According to the Counter Extremism Project, Redneck Revolt rejects capitalism, policing, and national institutions such as courts and prisons. The group’s ideology sees these as tools of oppression. While Redneck Revolt disbanded in 2019, its ideological successor, the John Brown Gun Club, continues to appear at high-tension events. The clubs are named for abolitionist John Brown and are organized locally, sometimes overlapping with antifascist protests.
The Texas Incidents and Questions of Coordination
The most serious allegations against the John Brown Gun Club center on violent episodes in Texas. Members of the Elm Fork chapter were accused of involvement in a July 4 attack on an ICE detention facility in Alvarado, where authorities say fireworks and gunfire were used to lure officers into the open. At least two former members of the chapter were charged with attempted murder of federal agents.
In a separate civil lawsuit, a right-wing group alleged that a John Brown Gun Club member named Benjamin Hanil Song provided security at a drag event in Fort Worth as part of the club’s “Elm Fork” chapter. The suit accused him of pepper-spraying opposing protesters but did not result in criminal charges. None of the reporting provided indicates that Antifa groups formally requested or directed such protection.
Dwayne Dixon’s Involvement and Reinstatement
The controversy reached national attention through the case of Dwayne Dixon, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dixon was placed on administrative leave in late September after reports resurfaced of his past involvement with Redneck Revolt’s Silver Valley chapter. The suspension followed the appearance of flyers at Georgetown University that read “Hey fascist, catch!”—a slogan echoing a message reportedly used by the gunman who assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Fox News connected Dixon to the flyer controversy, citing his past association with Redneck Revolt, which it described as an offshoot of the John Brown Gun Club. Videos from a 2018 Harvard University panel show Dixon defending “armed political action” as a form of self-defense against white supremacists.
The ACLU of North Carolina intervened, arguing that Dixon’s suspension violated his First Amendment rights and noting that Redneck Revolt had disbanded six years prior. UNC’s investigation later found no evidence that Dixon posed a threat or violated policy, and he was reinstated on October 3.
A Movement Under Federal Spotlight
The White House memorandum signed by President Trump on September 25 designated Antifa a domestic terrorist organization and called for an investigation into what it described as a “pattern of violent and terroristic activities.” The memo referenced the ICE facility attack and a 2019 Molotov cocktail assault in Tacoma, Washington, as examples of what it termed “organized campaigns of intimidation and violence.”
Raw Story reported that the memorandum could lead to closer scrutiny of John Brown Gun Clubs, which it described as “natural targets” for federal investigation given their ideological overlap with antifascist movements. Former and current members of the clubs told reporters that the organizations are “deeply defensive” in nature and that violent actions by individuals do not represent official policy.
One founder of a South Carolina chapter, who identified himself as “Jon,” said he still coordinates with other regional clubs and sometimes carries firearms at protests depending on “threat level” and ally comfort. He characterized their mission as protecting marginalized groups and training communities in “first aid, emergency response, and mutual aid,” while acknowledging that government surveillance has intensified.
Public Reactions and Polarization
Dixon’s suspension set off waves of protest on campus. More than 1,200 students and faculty signed a petition demanding his reinstatement, calling the university’s actions “a dangerous precedent.” Student leader Nyssa Tucker accused administrators of “censorship of students and staff.”
Meanwhile, critics such as Turning Point USA’s Andrew Kolvet argued that Dixon’s reinstatement shows universities are failing to address “armed extremist networks masquerading as defense groups.”
What remains clear from the reporting is that the John Brown Gun Club and its associated offshoots occupy a gray zone between political activism and paramilitary organization. While no evidence directly confirms coordinated Antifa commands or centralized planning, the overlapping ideologies, encrypted communications, and repeated armed appearances at flashpoint events continue to blur that line—raising urgent questions about how far decentralized activism can go before it crosses into insurgency.
NP Editor: We want to be very careful in making accusations, but we believe the coordination between these groups is national and that somewhere is a leader – probably tied to Barack Obama. Sheer speculation on our part, but perhaps in time we will know.
