Read more at Chicago Anti-Fascist Action and the Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists
Update: Conor James Ryan is now living in Brighton. His new address is available here.
On June 11, 2022, American Neo-Nazi group, Patriot Front, made international news for the mass arrest of 31 members in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, ahead of a gay pride event taking place that day. Flagpoles, shields, shin guards and action plans were confiscated from the U-Haul, and most of the members had been riding in the cargo section. All 31 men were charged with conspiracy to riot and bailed out by the following day. Conor James Ryan was one of them.
Once members are granted access to the Patriot Front internal communications server, they choose a false name for themselves and include the state they live in and their title, if applicable. Conor first became a member of the hate group after it rebranded post-Charlottesville in 2017 but then left in 2018. He then rejoined again later in 2018 and was involved until 2020, when he retired from a leadership position in the group (when he was in Illinois) and resigned. He mentioned contact with the FBI several times. Conor previously used the pseudonyms “Smiter-IL” and “Francis IL” for Patriot Front internal communications, some of which are hosted on Unicorn Riot. He now goes by Francis CO.
Conor attended Richard Spencer’s Michigan State University speaking event in March 2018, alongside fascists representing the now-defunct Traditionalist Workers Party and Identity Europa/ American Identity Movement. Patriot Front was there to provide security and attendance for Spencer’s talk. Conor eventually became a Network Director within the Patriot Front organization when he lived in Chicago, where he led propaganda campaigns, and organized flash mobs at the March for Life events from 2018-2020. After moving to Colorado, 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. He then was arrested in Idaho in June 2022 with other members of Patriot Front.
