One of the most insidious neo-Nazi internet sites in recent years was the ‘Iron March’ forum.
With some 1,000 users across the globe Iron March (IM) fomented many of the ideas that have given birth to the new breed of neo-Nazi terrorist.
Launched in 2011 by the Russian Alexander Slavros, Iron March was niche for the worldwide neo-Nazi movement. Whereas more popular and populated forums like Stormfront were saturated with aged and angry white men (and women) sharing stories of deflation, IM was dominated by tech savvy young Nazis heavily schooled in using the internet.
It was via the forum that the British terror group National Action recruited and the American terror group Atomwaffen Division formed, mutated and aped National Action (NA).
In its very early days, NA’s founder Ben Raymond inundated the forum with exaggerated and inflated updates on the progress of what would always remain a tiny but nasty group.
His constant postings, under the username “Daddy Terror” titillated enough people around the world to plant National Action (temporarily) at the very top of the Nazi terror network.
In 2015, encouraged by National Action, some US based users of the forum formed Atomwaffen Division (AWD), going further than National Action in espousing not just child rape but also Satanism and murder. Although National Action members dabbled (or tried to) in all three, AWD excelled in the practice which became known as ‘White Jihad.’ AWD’s leader even visited the UK to meet with Raymond (“Daddy Terror”) and one other NA member that we cannot name for legal reasons.
Other users of the forum include notorious Satanist and paedophile Ryan Fleming, the man National Action tried to hide in their ranks.
Iron March disappeared in November 2017 when it became so apparently obvious that it was a breeding ground for terrorism that is assumed Slavos lost his nerve to keep hosting the forum.
By the time Slavros may or may not have lost his nerve, both NA and AWD were heaving involved in murder plots of their own.
After two years of silence, Iron March is back in the news again. American antifascists have very kindly put the details of all the forum’s former users on line along with their personal messages, IP and email addresses.
The next few days will be interesting, least of all for British antifascists who will be having a deeper look into the warped minds of former National Action members.
Raymond, of course, wont be embarrassed. Despite his self-declared obsession with terrorism, he has never been charged with his part in forming and encouraging a terrorist organisation. Raymond is still active on the internet, including Deviant Art, which has also been linked to Nazi terrorism. On twitter, Raymond even brags “when people say terror they praise my name.” Most actually ask how does he get away with it.
While many of those he encouraged to engage in terrorism are rotting away in prison, Raymond rots away in bedsit in Swindon dominated by overflowing ashtrays and his obsession with violent pornography.
Let’s see if the next few days can prompt some action on that front, least of all the mysterious and unresolved case of who radicalised and encouraged Zack Davies.
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