Groypers Be Gone!

Guest Editorial by Mary Souza

Remember the Aryan Nations? They were the small, antisemitic, neo-Nazi, white supremacist hate group based north of Hayden in the 1970’s. Their toxic ideology of a “pure white race” and extremist behavior garnered national attention and created an unfair stain on our welcoming community’s reputation. Thanks to the tireless efforts of local civic groups and churches, the Aryans were finally dismantled in 2000 through legal and financial action. But the stench of their hatred has lingered for decades.

Now, these many years later, a similar brand of bigotry has returned like a bad penny. Post Falls, CdA, and the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee (KCRCC) have been infiltrated by folks calling themselves “Groypers” and White Christian Nationalists (WCN). They are racist, anti-Jewish, insist on white purity in marriage, and believe women should be restricted from working, voting, or holding elected office.

There is, however, a notable difference between the Aryan Nations and the Groypers/WCN. The founder of the Aryans, Richard Butler, was open about their beliefs, even granting interviews to local newspapers. In contrast, the WCN/Groypers sympathizers hide their extreme views. They secret themselves in certain churches and use their self-aggrandizing podcasts to organize their close followers, but in public, they will deny or downplay their agenda.

So, what is a Groyper? It is a term based on a grotesque cartoon of a fat green frog-like creature with a slimy, sarcastic smirk. Nick Fuentes started the use of Groypers. He is a highly controversial podcaster who, in addition to being a White Christian Nationalist, is also anti-Jewish, anti-immigration, legal or not, and anti-women. His podcasts frequently devolve into hateful rants targeting other ethnicities and often include disturbing sexual references.

It is important to note that Fuentes is not a Republican. He was thrown out of Mar-a-Lago when he appeared, uninvited, to a dinner, and has been denounced by President Trump, CPAC, Turning Point USA, and other mainstream conservative organizations because of his extremist views. He even attacked our Vice President, JD Vanc,e for marrying a woman who is a US citizen of Indian descent.

The very sad part for us in North Idaho is that Fuentes’ beliefs are actually shared by some of our local folks who falsely claim to represent Republican values. Let’s consider the following connections:

Original Groyper Nick Fuentes leads the movement from Chicago, where he records his podcast, but is closely tied to folks in North Idaho.

Vincent James Foxx* is the Secretary for Fuentes’ organization. Foxx now lives in Post Falls and has a podcast called “The Backlash” with David Reilly.

David Reilly was famously at the 2017 Charlottesville, Virginia “Unite the Right” Rally, where he was said to be antisemitic. He arrived in North Idaho in 2021, about the same time as his good friend James Vincent Foxx*. David Reilly has been a behind-the-scenes player in the KCRCC. He is not a PC and holds no official position but was still given a delegate seat at last year’s IDGOP Convention.

And last but not least, Dan Bell, the current KCRCC Youth Committeeeman, is a registered business partner with James Vincent Foxx*, who is antisemitic and worse—see below for his own words. Dan Bell also teams up with David Reilly. Together, they conjured the Pizzagate disaster at the 2022 IDGOP convention. And they plotted the failed takeover of the local Democrat Party. It is concerning that Dan Bell has renamed the official KCRCC Youth account on social media ( X) several times. It is now called “Drain the Swamp”, where Dan Bell reposts some of the Groyper ideology from Fuentes, Foxx, and Reilly.

This is a closely intertwined group. Here’s what Vincent James Foxx* said on his own podcast:

“Yes, we are the Christian Taliban. We won’t stop until The Handmaid’s Tale is a reality. We will roll back the last 100 years of women’s rights, and it’s even going to get worse for you. All the landscapers in North Idaho are white, all the gardeners are white, all the people working at the fast food places are white. There’s no way to describe North Idaho other than utopia!”

Foxx goes on to say, “We are going to take over Idaho. We have a great, large group, and it’s growing. It’s a true right-wing takeover, and there’s nothing these people can do about it.  If you are a legislator in Idaho, either get in line or get out of the way.”

Here is a link to Foxx’s video. It should scare you to see this disturbed person so intent on his vile plans: https://x.com/rightwingwatch/status/1541796574325506053?s=61

***Foxx rotates his names, sometimes leaving out parts, sometimes mixing the order. I’ve heard of this being done by people who don’t want their past records to be easily found. Not sure in this case.

These people do NOT represent our Republican Party, nor do they reflect our values. More than a year ago, the KCRCC passed a Resolution condemning Groypers, yet connections continue with those promoting Groyper beliefs of racism, antisemitism, and misogyny. Silence enables extremism, and the KCRCC and the IDGOP have not enforced public statements disavowing these people. By contrast, they have, instead, forcefully and publicly censured duly elected Republican legislators for representing their constituents rather than bow to Party Bosses.

Brent Regan is the Chairman of the KCRCC, he is also Chair of the IDGOP powerful Rules Committee, and he is Chair of the Idaho Freedom Foundation. He has the power to publicly enforce the message of  KCRCC’s 2024 Resolution which states opposition to the following: “ individuals claiming membership in or affiliation with the Republican Party have publicly promoted such historically destructive ideologies such as Antisemitism, Groyperism, Monarchism, etc. while invoking objectionable philosophies that are antithetical to the Republican Platform in an attempt to falsely tie the Republican Party to such ideologies thereby undermining Idaho’s Republicanism and its proven policy successes.” It is time for the KCRCC to remove all associates of Groyperism. Let’s do the right thing and stand up for our honest Republican values.

North Idaho has faced hate before—and won. But only because citizens spoke up, organized, and refused to let a fringe group define our community. The time has come to speak out again, because when people show you who they are, believe them.

Please use your voice and your vote!

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About the Author

Mary Souza retired after serving CdA in the Idaho Senate for 8 years.

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