Who is Patriot Front?
On June 11, 2022, American neo-nazi group Patriot Front recently made international news for the mass arrest of 31 members and their commander Thomas Ryan Rousseau in Coeur d’Alene, ID, ahead of a gay pride event. Flagpoles, shields, shin guards and action plans were confiscated from the UHaul that the fascist group members had been riding in the cargo section. All 31 men were charged with conspiracy to riot and bailed out by the following day. Joshua Plotner of Craigmont, ID paid more than $2,200 to bail out at least seven fascists, per local news.
We’re not posting the copaganda here nor are we celebrating state involvement. However, the articles, images, and information are available with a quick internet search.
For background context on the hate group and its beliefs, Thomas Rousseau formed Patriot Front in the aftermath of 2017’s deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA. The fascist who drove his car into the crowd, killing Heather Heyer and injuring dozens of others, carried a shield and marched at the rally alongside Thomas Rousseau then of Vanguard America, a similar neo-Nazi group. For more information on James Alex Fields, click here. Soon after, Rousseau formed Patriot Front as a splinter of Vanguard America. In fact, Thomas kept the Vanguard America website (BloodandSoil dot org) and used it as Patriot Front’s internal communication hub after Charlottesville throughout 2018,
While Patriot Front uses red, white, and blue patriotic imagery, the organization is unambiguously neo-Nazi/neo-fascist, their rhetoric stating that “Nationhood cannot be bestowed upon those who are not of the founding [white] stock of our people.” The organization is also fascist, an early text was titled “American Fascist Manifesto”, and involves neo-Nazis within its ranks. Since 2017, Patriot Front has also held “flash mob” events, where they are easily spotted in their uniform of khaki pants, polo shirts, ball caps, and white gaiter masks, and carrying American flags, smoke bombs or other props. At these events, their uniformed members will unload from the back of a rented U-Haul or Penske box truck, then briefly march along their planned route through the city, usually when there are few bystanders. The purpose of these marches is to generate footage for a few minutes of flashy recruitment videos for their social media channels. As well as holding flash rallies featuring masked participants, Patriot Front regularly spreads propaganda in the form of stickers, banners, and stencil graffiti. Patriot Front’s goal is often intimidation as well as recruitment of new members when members target synagogues, murals, and other public spaces with propaganda, which they refer to as activism. As commander, Thomas sets the activism quota, x amount of stickerings per member per week, x amount of banner drops, x amount of stenciling. Network Directors help carry out the required missions and with Thomas’s support plan logistics for larger mural defacements. Members are required to take pictures of their activism and post it to their internal communication server. Patriot Front members must pay full price for the stickers and stencils used for banner making or public vandalism. Members purchase propaganda materials from Thomas, the person who sets the activism quotas. Thomas does not hold employment outside of Patriot Front commander. Today, Patriot Front is one of the most active distributors of racist and antisemitic propaganda in the country, both online and via fliers, stickers, and banners. Per its manifesto, the group does not allow women to join and is actively working to create a whites-only ethnostate.
The January 2022 leaks of Patriot Front’s inner workings, white supremacist rhetoric, connections to the US military, and attempts to infiltrate mainstream conservative movements have been published widely in national media outlets.
For more information, see the full articles from The Guardian, Huffington Post, NPR military story, Ars Technica, NPR coordinated hate messages story and Vice. Following 2020’s mass anti-cop, anti-racism protests and rebellion, Patriot Front has increasingly targeted Black Lives Matter and racial justice murals for defacement. Patriot Front does this both to threaten its perceived enemies and to build notoriety for the organization. Due to the leaks, Rousseau and Patriot Front members have been concretely connected to multiple interstate attacks on Black Lives Matter, gay pride, and other progressive examples of public art: defacing and otherwise removing the originals and covering them with their own messages of hate in in IL, MO, KY, IN, MI, WA, OR, PA, NC, and RI, among others.
Conor James Ryan aka Smiter IL/Francis IL/Francis CO of Thornton, CO, employed by Executive Security International as a private investigator
[Editor’s note: The pictures of Conor in the above gallery can be found at the following links: Northern Idaho News 2022, Unicorn Riot leak 2018, Richard Spencer at MSU 2018, 2021 Training Camp, 2021 March Medic & LinkedIn 2022]
Conor James Ryan of Thornton CO, formally rejoined Patriot Front for the third time in December 2021 after performing the role of a medic at their ill-fated DC march on December 4, 2021. At that march, whispers tell that the neo-Nazi transportation from their march and back to their camp was undriveable. Over 100 Patriot Front members were stranded at their pick-up location and then at their meet-up point, their personal vehicles were damaged and unable to transport them back to their camp.
It’s important to note that the fascists have a policy that once members are granted access to the Patriot Front internal communications server, they choose a false name for themselves. That name corresponds with the state they live and their title, if applicable. In Patriot Front’s earlier years, they had a lax naming convention policy, allowing members to customize their handle. After the first leaks, Thomas homogenized membership name options, recycling a list of white male first names for anonymity and uniformity among members and network chapters in the organization.
Previous to last December, Conor was a member of the hate group after it rebranded post-Charlottesville in 2017, then he left in 2018. Conor rejoined in 2018 from 2020, when he retired from a leadership position in IL and resigned. He mentioned his contact with the FBI several times. Conor has previously used Smiter-IL and Francis IL as his identifier within Patriot Front internal communications, some of which are hosted on Unicorn Riot. He now goes by Francis CO.
Conor’s 2021 interview notes are below, proving that Conor was known as Francis IL, and outlining his past involvements:
Then Conor/Francis IL’s dedication and investigatory skill set is confirmed by Ben CO to Thomas a few days later. Ben CO recommends Conor rejoin the hate group. He also notes Conor has a professional LinkedIn, presumably for his job.
(Sidebar: Patriot Front Network Director [ND] Ben CO’s real name is Nathan Brenner and he lives in Louisville, CO.
Patriot Front Colorado Network Director (chapter leader) "Ben CO" has been identified as Nathan Brenner of Louisville, CO. pic.twitter.com/HRSCPRA7kN
— Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists (@COSAntiFascists) June 12, 2022
Nathan was arrested with Conor in Coeur d’Alene, as noted by comrades at CO Springs Anti-Fascists and archived here)
Additionally, as network leadership is responsible for managing their chapters, directors typically discuss circumstances amongst themselves. The initials for their positions are indicated in front of their moniker. Directors, Scribes and PCs direct message one another about Conor’s re-entry, making some of Conor’s personal details public knowledge. First it becomes known that Francis IL moved to Colorado, as Jason, the network scribe, is checking on a former member from IL with the UT-area network director.
Further internal discussions reveal that Conor as Francis IL was the Network Direct (ND), or chapter leader, for Illinois before Anthony IL, who has since left the organization.
During his tenure as IL Network Director Francis, Conor didn’t hesitate to enforce his own standards for his men, including former member James IL. To the Utah network director, Conor confirms his previous involvement and leadership role:
In the DMs, interviewers share private details about Conor’s life, including the industry in which he works
From there, we located Conor’s employer, bolstered by the fact that the his fellow fascists discussed his personal LinkedIn as well as his industry:
Interestingly, Conor’s LinkedIn profile is no longer available possibly due to quick deletion after being bailed out from the Idaho jail. Fortunately, we captured a version of the profile. And then we compare face pics, especially zooming in on his very particular ear shape:
It’s a match. If his LinkedIn is accurate, Conor Ryan works for Executive Security International (aka ESI Bodyguard School) out of Grand Junction, CO. Conor mentions in his Patriot Front interviews that he is broke as a joke and that money was a reason he left the organization in 2020. It is unclear if he still works as a Certified Protection Specialist after being arrested in ID with a cargo hold’s worth of neo-Nazis but we’re definitely interested in finding out. [Editors note: The pictures in the gallery can be found at the following links: Unicorn Riot leak 2018, Northern Idaho News, & LinkedIn]
Executive Security International (ESI) offers private security training classes and certificates, and appears to have an inclusive, multicultural corporate identity which must get under Conor’s skin to no end. While it’s unclear which classes Conor has taken, Conor spoke about his investigator skills with his interviewers when he was reapplying to Patriot Front. Conor shared that with regard to his “security background, [Conor] took some crazy course last summer learning how to follow people, know if you’re being followed, do secret service type work for people, do surveillance, plan ops etc. [He said that] In a lot of ways PF gave him experience to work with, scoping out areas and planning activism runs.” We can extrapolate that Conor intends to use the skills he’s gained working for and with ESI to help Patriot Front create a whites-only ethnostate, continue to commit hate crimes, propagandize for American fascism, and intimidate people of color, LGBTQ folks, women, Jews, leftists, and anyone else they deem to be unworthy.
ESI offers a host of training packages for the security and private investigation industry including Surveillance/Surveillance Detection; Executive Protection Program; Corporate Security Management Program; Tactical Medicine for the Executive Protection Professional; and Covert Protection Program. ESI also offers training programs for Executive Protection Program/Intelligence-Based Close Protection Certified Protection Specialist; Corporate Security Management Course: A Protective Intelligence Program; Certified PSD Protection Specialist, CPSDS; and Designated Defensive Marksman.
Make no mistake, Conor’s skill sets, beliefs, and involvement with neo-nazis elevate his threat potential for the Thornton, CO community and vulnerable communities across the country. We have seen him in DC and ID. Readers can jump to the Action Items section on the next page to learn who to contact at ESI to let them know that their employee is a member of a fascist organization.
We find it terribly amusing that immediately upon Conor’s reentry into the hate group, Patriot Front’s DC march chokepoints were attacked, their internal communications and unredacted face pics are leaked, their members are identified, and most recently, they’re all arrested in Coeur d’Alene, which lead to more identifications. Conor, after years of dodging accountability for his role in spreading hate and fear in the Chicagoland area, is finally outed and will face consequences at this employer as well as with his landlord. This is what happens when one joins a fascist organization pyramid scheme that’s micromanaged by a sentient cowboy hat and belt buckle. To the remaining Patriot Front fascists: get out now. Leave the hate group, deradicalize and take accountability, then rebuild your life. If you stay, we will find you. Every last one of you.
Conor Ryan’s timeline within Patriot Front
- pre- and post-Charlottesville 2017, when Patriot Front was still known as Vanguard America (background info)
- 2017 to 2018, when Thomas allowed fascists to select their own usernames (accompanying context)
- 2021, this most recent and damning set, including hours of audio (more info)
– Roosevelt University, Chicago Fall-Winter 2017 –
Thomas Ryan is the group’s leader, Thomas Ryan Rousseau. So we know that Conor is in Chicago and founding a College Republicans club at his university.
And that he is staying on campus. His oversharing continues, as he tells people what his real email is:
Conor talks about his plans for College Republican recruitment, including bringing them into the white power neo-nazis and connecting them with NSM, which stands for National Socialist Movement, the largest neo-nazi organization in the country. The same NSM of which Jeff Schoep was the leader until it was convenient for him to jump ship to a fake de-radicalization organization.
Ohp, is there a Roosevelt University in Chicago? There is, indeed. It’s located in the heart of the loop, at 430 S Michigan Ave, Chicago. Thanks for sharing! Interestingly, one of the pics that Conor posts has a street sign in the background. That reads Michigan Ave.
Conor gets in trouble with Roosevelt University administration for posting a Pepe frog (a symbol of the alt-right) on his College Republicans recruitment flyer, which he intentionally chose to dog whistle to potential club members. Conor also shares that he’s leaving Roosevelt University for a manufacturing job. His first College Republicans meeting is a success and he plans to do more with them in the future.
Hussar would go on to be identified as Jakub Zak, then 19, of Vernon Hills, IL, after wearing a Patriot Front shirt to his college after a tipster warned the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that Zak was interested in guns. In April 2018, the tip led law enforcement to Zak’s home, where they found Zak possessed five guns without a license, in violation of Illinois law (archive here). He would serve 18 months probation for his weapons and was no longer a student at College of Lake County, per local media and archived here.
Apprently masked nazi nerds ran away after chanting on the sidelines for literally no more than 25 seconds.
— Jewish Solidarity Caucus🌹✡️🇵🇸 (@solid_jews) December 8, 2017
Out of the Discords, Into the Streets: Early 2018
Their effort was to no avail, as he and his fellow fascists were aborted from the March for Life by the anti-abortionists. The only coverage of the incident is from an anti-abortion website but we won’t be boosting them. For transparency, the archive link is
. Unwittingly, Conor and Daily Stormer Book Club nazis LARPing as Patriot Front would set the stage for the next four years; Thomas would set his sights on sneaking into the Chicago and DC Marches for Life with the goal of being accepted as brethren.
– The Spencer talk at MSU in March 2018 –
Also fortunately, Conor wears the exact same Patriot Front gaiter whenever he does a white nationalism so he’s pretty easy to pick out in a crowd:
At the MSU protest against Spencer and the rising tide of fascism, Conor notes that Patriot Front was taunted after being identified.
– Conor Ryan’s First Dox, March 2018 –
(Content advisory: sexual assault)
Patriot Front members are told that in an American ethnostate, rape is OK "as long as you're raping.. your own race." "Ethnostate rape gangs" would target unmarried white women who didn't adhere to "traditional values" https://t.co/lEVX6Izuzn pic.twitter.com/nIoL9skbNn— UNICORN RIOT (@UR_Ninja) March 5, 2018
Further, the media collective dives deeper into the Roosevelt University College Republicans, noting that Conor Ryan’s name was listed under “President” on the College Republican directory:
– Conor as Francis IL’s involvement & leadership –
Not many specifics are known about Conor’s activities after the 2018 leaks until his resurgence as a medic at Patriot Front’s VA campground in December 2021 but we can assume he had a hand in IL propaganda campaigns as well as attending their mandatory national events. Per internal documents leaked by Unicorn Riot in 2022, Conor, previously Smiter would now be known as Francis CO, and before that Francis IL. After being doxxed, Conor stayed with Patriot Front and was promoted to network director in IL where he removed another member, led propaganda campaigns, and organized flash mobs at the March for Life events from 2018-2020. He moved to Colorado and has since reapplied to the organization.
In 2018, Patriot Front posted hate propaganda 18 times in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, per the zionist ADL’s heatmap. We can only assume that as network director Conor played a role in those stochastic terror campaigns until his departure from Patriot Front in 2020.
From a reportback from the January 16, 2019 March for Life Chicago: “At one point, six masked members of the new Nazi group Patriot Front, joined by anti-choice extremists Abolish Human Abortion, unfurled a banner on a corner opposite the pro-choice demonstration, before they were shouted down by our side,” per the Socialist Worker article “We Stand for Choice in Chicago,” archive .
In 2019, Patriot Front was responsible for 48 postings of hate material in Chicago and the suburbs.
Action Items
Wow, what a ride! It’s relieving to have finally identified and unmasked Conor. A huge thank you to all the researchers for their support. Next, let’s inform everyone in Conor’s orbit exactly who he is:
- We strongly believe Conor to be working for ESI Bodyguard School, unless he’s been fired after his arrest in ID. Let’s politely notify Bob Duggan, office manager Brandy and the Board of Directors that their employee Conor Ryan is a hardcore and dangerous neo-nazi. He is an active member of the white nationalist group Patriot Front, who’s seeking to violently create a white ethnostate. Further, kindly ask that ESI rescind all the certificates Conor earned and publicly disavow him so that he cannot continue working in the security industry.
- Email: Office manager Brandy: brandy@esi-lifeforce.com & cc esi@esi-lifeforce.com
- Phone: 1-866-659-8626 (use *67)
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The.Swallows.Lifeforce
- Linkedin Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3058749/
- Due to the publishing requirements of this platform, we cannot post people’s private information like home addresses, phone numbers, emails, etc. But! We can link to this entirely separate website that hosts that all information: https://postimg.cc/1gNRybJg
- Although Conor’s landlord/property management company looks a lot like a sketchy shell company for investors, do give them a heads up about the neo-nazi living in their Thornton, Colorado apartment complex in unit #608. Skyline’s phone number is (720) 740-6245 and (720) 740-3581 Kindly request they perform an immediate eviction and send out a notice about a violent white nationalist living in the complex so the community can protect one another.
- Conor also talks about being a member of American Kulaks in Denver, which appears to a brand new shadowy conservative group. One wonders if he’s joining with the same intentions of radicalizing them into white nationalism, similar to Roosevelt University’s College Republicans club. Let’s let them know! Their twitter is https://twitter.com/americankulak and you can submit this article to their inquiry page: https://americankulak.org/inquiry/
- Spread the word! Share this article far and wide, making sure to let Conor’s neighbors and coworkers know about the white supremacist among them.
- Other things folks can do is to explore the website where Patriot Front members from across the country are identified then circulate the info to your communities and networks. Further, check out the gallery of as-yet-unidentified members of Patriot Front and if anyone is familiar, reach out with info. We are in the process of identifying every last fascist.
Finally, we are overjoyed to answer Conor’s inquiry from 2017: