Kyle Chapman is organizing a “fraternal order,” he says, to protect free speech for the “alt-right.”

By Sam Kestenbaum April 28, 2017

Members of the “alt-right” claim to be forming a fraternal gang in order to better defend their free-speech rights — with violence if necessary — when police fail to do so.

“Our emphasis will be on street activism, preparation, defense and confrontation,” Kyle Chapman, a California activist known online as “Based Stickman,” wrote on Facebook on April 21. “We will protect and defend our right wing brethren when the police and government fail to do so.”

“This organization is for those that possess the Warrior Spirit,” Chapman wrote, dubbing his new group the “Fraternal Order of Alt Knights.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Chapman was arrested earlier this month in a clash in Berkeley, Calif. between anti-fascist protesters and pro-Trump demonstrators. He named his new group the “tactical defensive arm” of the Proud Boys, another group that shows up at pro-Trump rallies and has clashed with counter-protesters, according to a Southern Poverty Law Center report.

Proud Boys organizer Gavin McInnes — a co-founder of the website and magazine Vice who now moves in “alt-right” circles — called his group a “pro-Western fraternal organization” for men who “refuse to apologize for creating the modern world.”

Email Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @skestenbaum

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount