After Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd in late May 2020, the U.S. and the world were on the precipice of a cultural reckoning on racial injustice, marked by mass protests that swept the world. The day after the murder, as video of the violence hit the news and tensions were about to ignite, Bedford County, Virginia, passed a resolution in support of “the militia.” A similar resolution had passed in Campbell County, Virginia, earlier that year.

A member of the white nationalist hate group Patriot Front who appears to operate a social media account that disclosed personal information about perceived political enemies – including journalists, left-leaning activists, politicians and community members – is an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Army, a Hatewatch investigation has revealed.