Earlier this week, Decoherence Media published an article introducing the Rope Culture server leak and describing its contents. In this, the second part of our three-part investigation, we examine the published articles, reader comments, and web traffic data contained in the leak, as well as more key individuals involved.
Articles
More than 110 articles were published in “NOOSE” between December 2015 and November 2017.
These articles cover a wide range of topics, including fascist history, survivalism, and criticism of the “alt-right” for not following Iron March’s particular flavor of fascism.
The web server contains information about the number of times each page of the Rope Culture website was visited each month. Aggregating over all months, we see the top 10 most visited pages and their titles in the figure below.
Article contributions to “NOOSE” were either uploaded to the website directly by the author or were submitted by email to the address [email protected]. The editorial process is described in a private article dated December 11, 2015. When an article was submitted for publication, it would pass through three tiers of editing. First, the “Grammar Nazi Editor” would conduct a first round of proofreading, editing, and formatting. Second, Gabriel Sohier-Chaput, using the alias “Zeiger,” acting as the Head Editor, reviewed second drafts for appropriate content, formatting, and any final edits. Lastly, Alisher Mukhitdinov, using the alias “Slavros,” acting as the project founder and website manager, gave articles a final review, created graphics to accompany them, and published them to the site.
The “NOOSE” editorial staff: Alisher Mukhitdinov (left, picture from Facebook page of former romantic partner of Mukhitdinov), Gabriel Sohier-Chaput (center, Photo credit: (The Canadian Press)/Alamy), and Steve Braddy (right, picture posted by Braddy to Iron March).
The alias “Grammar Nazi” is listed on an archive of the Rope Culture staff page as belonging to “Neizbezhnost,” an Iron March moderator who signed up to the site with a Hotmail email address containing his surname. The Australian newspaper later identified him as Steve Braddy, a man originally from Australia’s Northern Territory. A picture Neizbezhnost posted in a planning thread about Iron March’s 5th anniversary bears a strong resemblance to Neizbezhnost’s picture on the Rope Culture staff page. Braddy’s involvement in Rope Culture has not previously been reported.
Decoherence Media reached out to Steve Braddy for comment, but our emails went unanswered.
To recruit writers, site manager Slavros often messaged Iron March users asking them to write articles about their posts on the forum or experiences at far-right events. For example, he messaged the user Змајевит asking them to “write some articles for NOOSE about the goings on in Serbia.” He also messaged the user linkingdeath (who would later be listed on the staff page as Rope Culture’s “Greek Correspondent”) encouraging them to “make an article for NOOSE on that mass GD [Golden Dawn] rally.”
In one message, Slavros criticized an early draft of the article “DEFEATISM IS TREASON” by Iron March user Aquila, writing “can you check your own writing time to time? we go through like 3-5 edits with the grammar and the comas [sic] and the longass sentences and crazy amount of commas.”
Decoherence Media reached out to Alisher Mukhitdinov for comment, but our inquiries went unanswered.
Comments
The reader comments on all articles published on Rope Culture are included in the SQL database in the table “wp5y_comments.” Some comments were previously archived on the website Disqus, the comment software “NOOSE” used. Commenters include 40 people who used the same email address as Iron March users, 10 people who used the same IP address as Iron March users, and several people using business and educational .edu email addresses.
Many comments provided enough detail to identify the person who made them. Several notable members of the neo-Nazi community who commented are listed in this section, but Decoherence Media not making a systematic effort to identify every commenter. A list of the username, email address, and IP address used for every comment in the database can be found in the FashyLeaks interface.
For example, a commenter simply wrote “contact us” at the bottom of one Rope Culture article—they used an email address listed on the now inaccessible neo-Nazi blog Siege Culture. The same email is also listed in the third edition print version of “Siege” (an exceptionally influential anthology of republished essays from the 1980s written by American neo-Nazi James Mason). This edition was compiled and published by Gabriel Chaput, using his Zeiger alias, and “Vincent Snyder,” an alias that the Southern Poverty Law Center and Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation have reported was used by former Atomwaffen Division leader John Cameron Denton.
Decoherence Media reached out to Gabriel Chaput, but received no reply before publication. We also reached out to John Cameron Denton for comment, but did not receive a reply before publication.
Another comment, dated May 15, 2016, criticizes a talk by Chaput called “On White Nationalism,” saying it “made very little sense.” The comment was written under the name Wes Gilreath from an email address that, according to a July 2019 affidavit, Colorado prosecutors linked to a Wesley David Gilreath. Prosecutors allege Gillreath posted a “hunters’ guide” online targeting mosques and synagogues, and he is currently serving a 15-year sentence for possession of child pornography. When asked about the comment he left on the Rope Culture article, Gilreath told Decoherence Media, “I’ll stand by that,” and that “the word fascist is overused to an extreme degree in America.”
One comment, dated May 21, 2017, that praised an article entitled “VIOLENCE” was written from the email address [email protected] under the name Bill Rhyes, and listed his website as the now defunct mightisright.net on the comment itself. This website hosted a podcast called “The Might Is Right Power Hour” whose guests included Tom Metzger, the late founder of white supremacist group White Aryan Resistance.
Decoherence Media reached out to Bill Rhyes for comment, but he did not reply to our email before publication.
A May 17, 2016 comment criticizing the sourcing of a quote by American white supremacist Richard Spencer was written from the email address [email protected], under the name Benjamin Garland. The name matches a prolific writer for the neo-Nazi outlet “The Daily Stormer,” and that email address is listed in the domain registration for dailystormerpodcasts.com alongside the name “Benjamin Garland.”
Decoherence Media reached out to Benjamin Garland for comment, but received no reply before publication.
1488 Confessions
From the start of Rope Culture in late 2015, the website had a section called “1488 Confessions” where readers were encouraged to send in autobiographical sketches, which could be published anonymously, describing how they came to Nazism. The section described itself as “confessions from our contributors and fans on ‘How Adolf Hitler Saved My Life.’” Only four submissions were published before the website went offline in November 2017.
The confessions published on the website all have a similar theme. Some discuss poor lifestyle habits, addictions, low self-esteem, lack of purpose or identity. Typically, they attribute becoming “red-pilled”—slang for a far-right political awakening—to the influence of a family member or friend. They often credit the writings of Adolf Hitler, George Lincoln Rockwell, William Luther Pierce, and Julius Evola for inspiration and motivation for what they considered self-improvement.
Childhood and adolescent trauma is a common theme in many cases of white supremacist radicalization, according to Dr. Pete Simi, a sociology professor at Chapman University in California who studies white supremacists. He told Decoherence Media that trauma in these cases may have been brought about by “physical and sexual abuse, family substance use problems, parental neglect and/or abandonment among other types of traumatic experiences that can result in various negative psycho-social consequences and even adversely impact neurological development.”
In addition to the 1488 Confessions that were made public, Decoherence Media found four additional submissions to the site that were not published, hidden away in email files, and can reveal the author of one of them.
On September 24, 2017, a confession was submitted from the email address [email protected] with the accompanying name “Armalite Ruger.” This email address matches the one used by Iron March user Kristallnacht.
The confession details early childhood, family dynamics, challenges with peer groups, and a descent into Nazism: “I read Roof's manifesto at some point and enjoyed it. I enlisted into the military and sometime after, joined Vanguard America,” the confession states. Kristallnacht says he was bullied in elementary school, kicked out of military recruit training, and left the US neo-Nazi organization Vanguard America because his ideas were too radical for the group.
In 2018, the German outlet Der Spiegel reported that Kristallnacht was AWD member Christian Gibson. Journalists from the publication flew to the US and interviewed him on camera.
Decoherence Media reached out to Christian Gibson for comment, but received no reply before publication.
The author of another confession—“ADDICTION - SPIRITUAL SYPHILIS,” published on December 15, 2015—claimed Nazism and its community was a way out of opiate addiction. The author, for whom we found no corresponding email address, wrote: “Hitler taught me how to rise above what you once were.” Another author—who submitted the confession “FITTING IN“ under the name “Caiside Dragic” and using the email address [email protected]—wrote, “Thinking about being superior to everyone else certainly was a good motivator.”
Decoherence Media reached out to the account owner of “[email protected]” for comment, but our email went unanswered.
On December 17, 2015, user “Julius Streicher” with the email address [email protected] submitted a short piece that was published six weeks later under the title, “TRIUMPH OF THE WILL.” They wrote, “I was a bully, I hated n****rs . . . I went to catholic school and I hated God . . . life was meaningless.”
The final confession published on Rope Culture on August 29, 2017 was titled “PURPOSE TO LIVE.” Publicly, it was signed “THRAX,” but the submission was made via email by the user “InTheRuins” from the address [email protected]. In the confession, “THRAX” wrote about finding Iron March at the age of 15. He noted receiving a quick reply to his introduction post from a user named Odin, an alias used by Florida-based Atomwaffen Division founder Brandon Russell.
Decoherence Media reached out to the account owner of “[email protected]” for comment, but our email was returned.
THRAX described his indoctrination into Atomwaffen Division: “I was let in almost instantly, and in a couple of months we [he and Odin] met at a shooting range.” Several biographical details from the confession (learning German, reading “Mein Kampf,” being inspired by the mass shooter Dylann Roof) match the introduction post of Iron March user Grand Giant (other alias “Strata cunt”) whose registration email was [email protected]. A post by Brandon Russell, under the alias Odin, includes a picture of him purportedly meeting “Grand Giant” at a shooting range.
Decoherence Media reached out to the account owner of “[email protected]” for comment, but our email did not receive a reply.
Brandon Russell contributed two submissions to Rope Culture.
On December 25, 2015, a piece of artwork submitted by Russell depicting a young German soldier sitting in a field of tall grass next to a damaged tank was published to the “Fascist Art” category of the website. The piece, titled “Hardship,” was captioned with a quote: “We must remember all who died for Fascism.” The painting is based on a 1943 photograph of a German soldier following the Battle of Kursk.
An article by Brandon Russell titled “URBAN EXPLORING” was published on the website on February 11, 2016. The article has since been reprinted on multiple neo-Nazi websites that attempted to fill the void after Rope Culture disappeared. “URBAN EXPLORING” discusses exploring abandoned buildings and locations in urban areas (commonly called “urbex”) as a means of adventure for small groups. These outings are described as team-building exercises and often include hiking, training, and drilling. Urbex became increasingly popular with emerging accelerationist groups, providing prime opportunities for staged propaganda photoshoots.
Brandon Russell pled guilty to explosives charges in 2017 after the FBI found bomb-making materials in his home. A banner on Iron March at this time forbade discussion of the events leading up to Odin’s arrest until he was free. He was arrested again in February 2023 and charged with conspiracy to damage an energy facility for his plan to shoot up several electrical substations in Maryland. He was convicted and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
Decoherence Media reached out to Brandon Russell directly at the Chesapeake Detention Center, but our letter was returned. We also reached out to Russell through his lawyer’s office, but received no reply from Russell before publication.
Referred Pages
The path by which users came to the Rope Culture website also offers interesting insights.
Using the awstats file, the page references (or the websites visitors were referred to the ropeculture.org site from) provides monthly snapshots of the online fascist ecosystem between late 2015 and 2017. Though explicitly neo-Nazi websites like “The Daily Stormer” and Iron March are the second and third most commonly linked domains, mainstream websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit were the first, fourth, and fifth most common.
Decoherence Media reached out to Facebook and Twitter for comment, but received no reply before publication.
Among the subreddits linking to Rope Culture were fascist and white nationalist subs like r/europeannationalism, r/NationalSocialism, r/DebateFascism, r/far_right, r/european, r/fullfascism, and r/altright, all of which have since been banned. Right-wing subs linking to Rope Culture which have not been banned include r/DarkEnlightenment and r/anarcho_capitalism. Left-wing subs linking to Rope Culture, typically to criticize articles, include r/againsthatesubreddits, r/anarchism, and r/debatecommunism. Non-political subs linking to Rope Culture include r/urbanexploration and r/camping.
Decoherence Media reached out to Reddit for comment, but our questions presented to them went unanswered.
The vast majority of all referrals from 8chan came from the infamous “/pol/” (politically incorrect) board, with the pedophilic “/hebe/” (hebephilia) and gaming “v” (video games) boards coming in at a distant second and third place, respectively.
Breaking down the 8chan page referrals by month shows a sharp peak in February and March 2016. This corresponds to when Rope Culture ran ads (designed by Brandon Russell) on 8chan boards seeking article submissions. One such ad was captured in an archive of the /pol/ board from February 17, 2016.
Decoherence Media reached out to 8chan for comment, but our email went unanswered.
Decoherence Media reached out to Brandon Russell and asked about the ads he designed for Rope Culture, but received no reply before publication.
Page referrals from 8chan by month (Left), showing a sharp peak in February and March 2016, corresponding to when Rope Culture ran ads on 8chan seeking article submissions (Right).
Most referrals from “The Daily Stormer" are from the site’s bulletin board system subdomain (bbs.dailystormer.com) which no longer exists. “The Daily Stormer” has changed its domain name several times, but Decoherence Media identified three articles linking to Rope Culture: “(((Globalization)))” from April 5, 2016, “Zeiger Talking Propaganda With Andrew Anglin” from April 22, 2016, and “With Regards To Pro-Jewish Elements Within The Pro-White Movement” from July 3, 2016.
Decoherence Media reached out to Andrew Anglin and to “The Daily Stormer,” but received no reply before publication.
Decoherence Media has created a tool that organizes and simplifies searching both the Rope Culture and Iron March datasets. Anyone interested in exploring this database can access the information through the FashyLeaks website.
