If your social media timeline is like mine, this past Independence Day you heard a lot of talk about Patriot Front's march in Washington DC. You may also have heard them called "feds" in response to any number of earlier demonstrations. They do somewhat look the part.
The tide of public opinion is turning, however. Until this most recent march, I hadn't seen any of them show their faces or say anything at all. This seems to be a shared experience in the discussions I've seen. At this march in DC, however, the groups founder and leader Thomas Rousseau gave a very well-articulated address which was broadly circulated and praised. Some even revoked previously made allegations about the group being an op.
Of course, Patriot Front is still a very fringe group, but nevertheless they're picking up traction. That alone is worth some analysis.
The Fed Question
For those unfamiliar with the rhetorical use of "fed" or "op," the allegation essentially means "they're agents or officers of the federal government, posing as a grassroots movement." This was certainly the consensus a few months ago, but it is mixed at best now and even seems to lean the other direction.
If this seems like a crackpot theory, consider the precedent which exists for federal involvement in fringe groups. The FBI has openly documented their infiltration of similar far right organizations in the past, most recently the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers. In an age of more politically neutral law enforcement, they also had informants in the Black Panther Party, Weather Underground, and Communist Party USA in the 1950's and 1960's. Suffice it to say, the question of federal involvement in a radical group has merit, whether it's true or not.
However, after some investigation I believe this is an authentic movement. Thomas Rousseau has a pretty well-established biography from high school onward, mostly as a radical who has been in and out of similar groups for the last several years. Moreover, the group has deliberately distanced itself from the typical bad-optics positions that we would expect from controlled opposition. These would be the purpose of the op, if there was one. Patriot Front does not bear symbols or references to Nazism, has not been involved in any violence, nor have they made any particularly detestable statements. I've not even seen credible allegations to these effects. They've also gone on several community service missions, which is more commitment to the act than I would expect (if it were an act). Perhaps most importantly, their activity has been almost entirely unreported on by the mainstream press. You may have not heard of them until now for this very reason.
Suffice it to say, if they're an op meant to defame the right, it bears none of the typical signs.
Our Guys?
Assuming then that they're an authentic grassroots organization, the question of whether they speak for us remains. I believe the answer is no.
There is a deafening silence on one central issue across their political philosophy, stated goals, and rhetoric: religion. The only comment on the subject I could find was from an old interview clip, in which Thomas Rousseau clarified that his organization "only allows those of faiths... which pretty much exclusively falls into Christianity and paganism... because those faiths are European, in character."
This one line says more about Patriot Front than their entire manifesto. Rousseau is an excellent orator, is ablaze with a spirit of exceptionalism, and has even cultivated a striking aesthetic for his movement. As tempting as it is to consume all this like junk food, ignorant to its true nature, it must be discarded. Any attempt to define the American national identity in secular terms, and especially in pagan terms, is a counterfeit. It may be said that this it is not as true for European nations, but the American nation (being younger than Christianity) has always been fundamentally a Christian one.
As refreshing as it is to hear someone speak well of the American identity again, quoting the founders, calling on their descendants to defend their legacy- no movement which elevates anything above Christ can possibly claim to be the successors of our founders.
The evidence for this is in the personal and official writings of our founding fathers, and their successors, and their successors, and so on. Even now, as corroded as we are, there has never been a president of this nation that did not at least present himself as a Christian man. Even if any one was not authentically devoted to Christ, the label is simply a prerequisite for the office because the American people will not have it any other way.
I do not write all this simply to defame Patriot Front, who themselves are of little consequence. My purpose is to understand the trajectory of Gen Z more generally, as they feel around for an identity to cling to. I fear that increasingly, young men find paganism fitting. I intend to investigate this vein further, and I look forward to sharing my findings with you all soon.
