Elon Musk promotes viral conspiracy theory that Patriot Front is actually ‘fed’

The Patriot Front, a white supremacist group with members across the U.S., marched in New York on Saturday, according to multiple videos Posted on social media, That march led many X users to assert, without evidence, that Patriot Front was actually a fake group started by the FBI to sow unrest in the country. X boss Elon Musk also joined the conspiracy theory speculation, suggesting that the photo showing Patriot Front members being arrested in 2022 was somehow suspicious.

“that sounds weird. Why was the mask not removed after the arrest?” musk Tweeted In response to an X user named Champagne Joshi on Saturday.

Joshi referred to the hate group as the “Fed Front”, asking in a tweet, “How many times have you seen a group of masked people dressed exactly alike, handcuffed and trying to kill any unmasked Not pulled over to reveal their identity? It’s aimed at the gullible who want to believe these are ‘white nationalists’ because it confirms their worldview and it’s an election year.

But there is no evidence that Patriot Front is anything other than a white supremacist organization, as defined by the ADL. And despite their face coverings, the identities of many Patriot Front members have become public knowledge in recent years.

In fact, the photo Musk reacted to on Saturday was of the 2022 arrest of 31 Patriot Front members in Idaho who were allegedly planning to riot at an LGBT Pride event in the city of Coeur d’Alene . His mask came off as the men were being arrested Video available on X Proves,

Thanks to those arrests, the identities of 31 members of the Patriot Front were exposed, and no credible evidence has yet been presented that any of them were agents of the federal government.

At least seven Patriot Front members who came to Idaho have been found guilty of intent to riot, with an additional 15 pleading guilty, according to local news station KREM2. Charges against two Patriot Front members have been dismissed.

According to the ADL, the Patriot Front advocates the creation of a white-only country and is visible at rallies advocating a number of far-right positions, including hatred of Jewish people, opposition to LGBT rights, and advocacy against legal abortion. The Patriot Front was founded in 2017 and has since staged protests in cities across the country. Members wear khakis and blue shirts, while often covering their faces with white masks. And it is the face coverings that have allowed the conspiracy theory that they are actually a group of federal agents to spread online.

Right-wing influential people on the left often insist that Patriot Front is a fake group, with many suggesting that the plan is to create discord and racial hatred among Americans. Jesse Kelly, a right-wing radio host, made claims Saturday that are typical of the worldview that Patriot Front cannot possibly be a real group operating in the U.S., despite the country’s long history of racist organizations ranging from Ku. The Klux Klan until the German-American Bund.

“The story is not that these have been fed. Everyone knows this by now. The story is, as it often is, why? Why would the Fed run operations this way? Ask yourself that question. You’re not going to like the answers,” Kelly tweeted Saturday,

All available evidence points to Patriot Front being a very hateful group with very real members, as we learned after the arrests in Idaho. And until other evidence is presented, there is no reason to believe that they have any motivation other than creating an all-white country that is hostile to anyone who gets in their way.

Elon Musk did not respond to questions emailed to X on Saturday. If I get a response I will update this post.