Tom Metzger
Tom Metzger was an American political activist known for his involvement in white supremacist movements. Originally from Indiana, he served in the U.S. Army before relocating to California, where he became active in right-wing groups, including the John Birch Society and the anti-Communist Minutemen. In 1975, he joined the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, eventually rising to the position of grand dragon in California. Metzger gained notoriety for organizing the Border Watch group, which targeted illegal immigration, and later formed the California Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
Metzger's activities extended into politics when he won the Democratic primary for a U.S. Congress seat in 1980, although he lost in the general election. He then founded the White American Political Association and later the White Aryan Resistance (WAR), which promoted white supremacist ideology through various media channels, including cable television and a monthly newspaper. Despite facing censorship and legal challenges, such as a lawsuit after a murder committed by skinheads, Metzger continued to advocate for his beliefs, often causing controversy through his provocative actions and merchandise. His influence persisted into the 1990s, even as he faced significant opposition from civil rights organizations.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Tom Metzger
Identification: Founder of the American white supremacist group White Aryan Resistance
Significance: Censored from most mainstream media because of his racist ideology, Metzger pioneered the use of cable-access television as a propaganda tool
Metzger, originally from Indiana, served in the US Army before moving to California and becoming involved in right-wing groups. He was part of the anti-Communist John Birch Society but left because the group did not espouse his anti-Semitic views. He then joined the anti-Communist paramilitary organization the Minutemen for a time, and campaigned for presidential candidates Barry Goldwater and George Wallace. In 1975 he joined the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (KKKK) led by David Duke, and later became the group's leader, or grand dragon, for California. He also organized the Border Watch vigilante group against illegal immigration, gaining significant media attention.
Eventually Metzger broke away from the KKKK, forming the California Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which was involved in armed confrontations with anti-Klan demonstrators. He then won the Democratic primary for a US Congress seat in 1980, bringing him further publicity, although he lost the general election. He then left the Klan altogether to form the White American Political Association and ran for the US Senate in 1982, again losing. He changed the name of his group the White Aryan Resistance (WAR), and attempted to spread his message of white supremacy through alternative channels.
Metzger’s White Aryan Resistance, based in Fallbrook, California, became a significant white supremacist movement by using cable television and by recruiting members of skinhead groups. His programs first appeared on community access channels in San Diego, California, and Austin, Texas, in 1984. However, because of his extremist views various groups attempted to limit his exposure. In 1988, for example, Metzger engaged in a month-long battle in Kansas City, Missouri, to broadcast his Race and Reason program on a cable service. Rather than give Metzger air time, the city council voted to eliminate the public access channel. In 1989 Metzger’s plans for an “Aryan Woodstock” concert featuring rock ’n’ roll music by neo-Nazi bands was thwarted by a Napa County, California, judge because he lacked a permit for a concert.
Metzger also used other media to avoid censorship by mainstream channels. WAR published its own monthly newspaper, with racist and anti-Semitic writing as well as cartoons and information about like-minded music and books appealing to racist skinheads. Metzger also promoted a special telephone hotline for spreading his movement's information, and even an electronic bulletin board where interested people could communicate freely. In 1988 he coordinated the Aryan Fest hate rock festival, held in Oklahoma, together with his son John. And despite being mostly censored by the mass media, Metzger appeared on the Geraldo Rivera Show that same year, with the broadcast featuring an infamous brawl.
In 1990 Metzger, his son John, and his organization were sued by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for inciting Oregon skinheads who murdered an Ethiopian immigrant. Metzger claimed that the suit was an attempt to persecute them for exercising their right of free speech. The Oregon chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, in a friend-of-the-court brief, argued that certain aspects of the suit could have violated First Amendment rights of the defendants; however, in October, 1990, a jury ruled against Metzger and awarded the victim’s family $12.5 million.
Although the lawsuit damaged WAR's stature, Metzger continued to promote his views, occasionally gaining attention for various controversies. For example, in 1991 he was sued for making shirts featuring the character Bart Simpson wearing Nazi attire and banned from selling them.
Bibliography
"Extremism in America: Tom Metzger." ADL. Anti-Defamation League, 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"Tom Metzger." SPLC. Southern Poverty Law Center, 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
"Tom Metzger: A Short Biography." Resist.com. WAR, 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Zeskind, Leonard. Blood and Politics: The History of the White Nationalist Movement from the Margins to the Mainstream. New York: Farrar, 2009. Print.
Zeskind, Leonard. Tom Metzger and the White Aryan Resistance: Racist Violence in the Electronic Age. Atlanta: Ctr. for Democratic Renewal, 1992. Print.