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Hutaree

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Not to be confused with Hutterite.

Hutaree (Template:Pron-en) is a militia movement group adhering to the Christian Patriot movement, based in Adrian, Michigan, in the United States.[1]

The group was formed in early 2008. The name "Hutaree" appears to be a neologism, that according to the group's web site means "Christian warriors". [2]

The group was allegedly preparing for what they believed would be an apocalyptic battle with the forces of the Antichrist, who they believed would be supported and defended by local, state and federal police departments. On their website, all police and military members who would support the current U.S. system of local, state or federal government were described as members of the "brotherhood", and were considered by the Hutaree to be "enemies". [1]

From March 28 to March 30, 2010, nine people thought to be Hutaree members were arrested in police raids in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana (in Hammond), for their alleged involvement in a plot to kill various police officers and possibly civilians using illegal explosives and/or firearms. [3]

Beliefs

The Hutaree claim that an apocalypse is near but has not yet begun and will occur in the future. [4] [better source needed] An article on the Hutaree website suggested that Javier Solana, former Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and of the Western European Union, may be the Antichrist. [5] [6] According to some sources the group is described as practicing survivalism. [7] Most of the members were active voters with unidentified political party affiliation, though one of them has been identified as a registered Democrat. [8]

Many videos posted on the Hutaree's website support several right-wing organizations, politicians, and news commentators. A former fiancee of Hutaree leader David Stone, has claimed that he was a "Ron Paul fanatic". [9] Several of their site videos include coverage of congressman Paul. Some of their videos claimed that the aims of the United Nations were hostile to American values and philosophy, and also included unsupported assertions that the UN leadership and the U.S. government were secretly plotting to subvert or destroy their own Charter Documents, namely the U.S. Constitution and the UN's Declaration of Human Rights.

The Hutaree insignia includes a sword, crossed spears, and the letters "CCR" which stand for "Colonial Christian Republic." [10] Hutaree members use a unique system of paramilitary ranks with titles from highest to lowest: Radok, Boramander, Zulif, Arkon, Rifleman (three grades), Lukore, and Gunner (three grades). [10] University of Pennsylvania linguistics professor Mark Lieberman commented: "I don't see basis in biblical or military history for Radok, Boramander, Zulif, Arkon, and Lukore. They sound kind of like Pokémon names (e.g. Arbok, Charmander, Zubat, Rokon), but there's no precedent there, either." [2] One man who once contemplated joining the group, a Mr. Savino, was refused admission due to his being a Muslim. This same individual later provided information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which appears to have assisted them in capturing the last indicted Hutaree at large, Joshua Stone. [11]

The recent federal indictment against the Hutaree members in federal custody centered around the Hutaree's apparent plans to employ extreme violence to replace all (or most) current forms of U.S. government. What appears to have been the primary motivating factor behind their plans was the Hutaree's seemingly consuming resentment of all police and military, the current U.S. government in general, and the United Nations. [12][better source needed] [13]

Context

According to a recent report by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the doctrines of such groups are often fueled by a certain "anger over the changing demographics of the country, the soaring public debt, the troubled economy and an array of initiatives by President Barack Obama that have been branded 'socialist' or even 'fascist' by the heated rhetoric of his political opponents." [14][15] Another SPLC report notes that the number of U.S. militia groups like the Hutaree have increased three-fold since 2008 (from 42 in 2008 to 127 in 2009), and the number of sympathetic groups has doubled in the same two-year period. [14][16]

Criminal investigation

The United States Attorney's Office stated that the Hutaree allegedly planned "to kill an unidentified member of local law enforcement and then attack the law enforcement officers who gather in Michigan for the funeral". [17] [18] The press release further stated that nine had been indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit on charges of seditious conspiracy, attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, teaching the use of explosive materials, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. The indictment said that the Hutaree planned to attack law enforcement vehicles during the funeral procession for the officer(s) they planned to kill, using improvised explosive devices of the Explosively formed penetrator variety, thus constituting the formal, Federal statutory definition of Weapons of Mass Destruction. [18]

Some articles suggest the Hutaree had not yet determined whom in law enforcement they would kill, and even that they wished to kill a law enforcement officer in order to begin a war with law enforcement, while not having any specific target. [19]

The FBI was aided in its investigation by members of another militia group who had learned of the Hutaree's plans.[20]

Members taken into custody

In order as shown: Tina Mae Stone, Joshua Matthew Stone, David Brian Stone Sr., David Brian Stone Jr., Thomas William Piatek, Michael David Meeks, Kristopher T. Sickles, Joshua Clough, Jacob J. Ward

Nine members of the group have been arrested: [21] [22]

  • Tina Mae Stone, 44
  • Joshua Matthew Stone, 21 (a.k.a. "Josh")
  • David Brian Stone Sr., 44, center (a.k.a "RD", "Joe Stonewall", "Captain Hutaree")
  • David Brian Stone Jr., 19 (a.k.a "Junior")
  • Thomas William Piatek, 46
  • Michael David Meeks, 40 (a.k.a. "Mikey" )
  • Kristopher T. Sickles, 27 (a.k.a "Pale Horse")
  • Joshua Clough, 28 (a.k.a. "Azzurlin", "Az", "Mouse", "Jason Z", "Charles")
  • Jacob J. Ward, 33 (a.k.a. "Jake", "Nate")

On May 3, 2010, U.S. District Judge Victoria A. Roberts ordered all nine defendants to be released on bond, over the objection of Federal prosecutors. "The order is silent as to any financial aspects of the bonds. In federal court, defendants are normally released on $10,000 unsecured bonds, meaning they do not have to put up any money." In addition to being confined to their homes, outside of time spent away from work (or while seeking employment), some additional requirements were placed on individual defendants, for example, alleged leader David Brian Stone Sr. is barred from having any contact which Michigan-based militia activist Mark Koernke.[23]

Reception

Deacon Keith Fournier, commenting on Catholic Online, said about them: "They attempt to use strange ramblings on their website to try to make their ultra right wing, violent anti-government crusade somehow "sound" Christian. There is nothing new to this tactic; one has only to look at the same tactic used by the virulently racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic Ku Klux Klan." [24]

Jim Gulliksen, the Executive Officer of the Lenawee Volunteer Michigan Militia, said of the Hutaree: "Their philosophy and ours differ in many ways, so we don't do a whole lot with them. They are too extreme and radical for us. I just kind of got a bad feeling about the group and we did not want to associate with them too much. They are a little too paranoid for me." [10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "US 'Christian militants' charged after FBI raids" BBC, 30 March 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  2. ^ a b Hutaree dialect -- rooted in religion or Pokemon?, Detroit News, March 29, 2010
  3. ^ CNN Staff Writers "At least 7 arrested after raids in 3 states ", CNN, March 28, 2010
  4. ^ "Doctrine Of The Hutaree". Hutaree.com. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  5. ^ Reynolds, John (April 2006) "10 Horns of the European Super State, Mr. Europe and 7 years of peace in Israel "hutaree.com Retrieved 29 March 2010
  6. ^ Hosenball, Mark (2010-03-31). "Hutaree Suspected Former NATO Chief of Being the Antichrist". Declassified Blog. Newsweek. Retrieved 2010-05-16.
  7. ^ "Mentality of the Hutaree militia group". Retrieved 2010-04-01. Dr. Jack Kay, provost of Eastern Michigan University and militia expert, says "Most of the militia groups are truly folks who have a strong belief in survivalism, who believe they need to be prepared to live off the land. They need to be able to defend their property."
  8. ^ Troy, Tom (2010-04-01). "Most indicted members of militia group are voters". The Blade. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
  9. ^ (March 30, 2010) "Hutaree leader is Ron Paul fanatic ", dailykos, Retrieved March 30, 2010
  10. ^ a b c Chambers, Jennifer (March 29, 2010). "Militia members arrested in Sunday raid to be charged today". The Detroit News. Retrieved March 31, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Associated Press - Militia's influence appears limited to close group". 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-02. Discussion regarding some background information on the Hutaree.
  12. ^ "Hutaree.Com". Hutaree.Com. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  13. ^ "US vs: Hutaree members" (PDF). 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-01. Copy of federal indictment against Hutaree
  14. ^ a b "All the Rage". On the Media. 2010-04-02. Retrieved 2010-04-14. [M]uch of the hate speech and especially the kind of defamatory propaganda and conspiracy theories that come out of these radical right wing groups, hate groups and patriot groups, so called, is making its way into the mainstream. And that kind of conveyor belt movement from the margins to the mainstream is being very much aided, at least in the last year or two, by a number of mainstream politicians, or ostensibly mainstream politicians, and media commentators.
  15. ^ "'Patriot' Groups, Militias Surge in Number". Southern Poverty Law Center. 03/02/2010. Retrieved 2010-03-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ "'Nine ...Indicted in Plans for 'Armed Conflict". Southern Poverty Law Center. 03/29/2010. Retrieved 2010-04-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) Discussion of growth of militias and patriot groups.
  17. ^ Nine Members of a Militia Group Charged with Seditious Conspiracy and Related Offenses, United States Department of Justice, March 29, 2010
  18. ^ a b "Press release on Hutaree indictment". Scribd.com. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
  19. ^ Corey Williams & Devlin Barrett "Militia members charged with police-killing plot " AP viaDeseret News, March 29, 2010
  20. ^ How The FBI Got Inside The Hutaree Militia, National Public Radio, April 12, 2010
  21. ^ "9th Militia Suspect Faces Charges". Clickondetroit.com. 2010-03-28. Retrieved 2010-03-30. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ "ALERT: Ninth Hutaree Suspect Arraigned". WXYZ.com. 2010-03-30. Retrieved 2010-03-30. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ The Detroit News, "Judge grants bond for Hutaree militia members," by Paul Egan (May 3rd, 2010 - retrieved on May 3rd, 2010).
  24. ^ Members of Extremist Group´ the Hutaree´ Arrested. Terror Plot Foiled, Catholic Online, March 29, 2010

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hutaree&oldid=365312067"