Welcome to Part I of a series about Rose City Nationalists and their members. In the following weeks we will be releasing articles focusing on the different individuals in the group. This project is a collaboration between several antifascist organizations across Oregon - Corvallis Antifa, Rose City Antifa, and Stumptown Research Collective.
If you have any information on RCN or any of their members / friends, please reach out to us at [email protected]
Rose City Nationalists
Rose City Nationalists started in the spring / summer of 2022 as a small group of white supremacists. They are antisemitic, openly racist, misogynist, advocate for the genocide of queer and trans individuals, and embrace Nazi imagery and ideology. The group models themselves as an “active club” that focuses on hyper-masculinity, a style popularized by groups like the Rise Above Movement. While RCN call themselves “Rose City”, the majority of their membership is spread throughout a number of towns far outside of the Portland Metro area.
Postings on their social media, particularly their Telegram, give a clear indication of their overall politics. These are just a sampling of their public posts and do not include some of their more inflammatory material.
In July 2022 RCN reposted images from Patriot Front’s social media (more on that connection soon).
In September 2022 they posted an image of a White Lives Matter banner that included RCN’s Telegram account.
RCN cross-posted martial arts training images from Pride & Combat PNW in November 2022.
That same month, RCN posted an explanation that they are a white-only organization and only European-descendant white people are actually American.
During the midterm elections RCN discussed how only white men should be able to vote, explicitly noting that women and people of color should be barred.
“Activism”
Borrowing from Patriot Front, RCN does “activism” via banner drops, posting videos of themselves placing stickers in remote areas, and short flag wave events. They occassionally show up to other larger events put on by different far-right organizers.
The Rose City Nationalists sometimes plan their “activism” around the White Lives Matter (WLM) monthly “day of action”. WLM is a big tent network of white nationalist groups and individuals who organize and coordinate together. Active clubs like RCN often participate, but WLM is not exclusive to active clubs. The specific location of a WLM “activism” is rarely announced beforehand, so they can be difficult to anticipate and counter. For a good overview of the national WLM movement through the lens of their “activism” in Ventura County see this LCRW writeup. Leaked chat logs show how neo-Nazis use the WLM network to radicalize more mainstream MAGA types.
RCN started with small events such as placing White Lives Matter stickers in Newberg, OR on May 16, 2022.
They followed up with a banner drop on June 25, 2022 in North Plains, OR. The banner had the slogan “Stop The Great Replacement” and they placed it in a rural community west of Portland that has large population of Hispanic agricultural workers.
As part of the White Affinity “activism initiative” on July 9th, five members of RCN dropped a banner over the Vista Ridge Tunnel in Portland that read “End White Genocide”.
Also in July, RCN gathered with white nationalists from WLM Washington to throw a bonfire party where they burned Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ signs.
Later that same month, on July 27, RCN hiked to Tillamook State Forest and posted photos of their group with a Sonnenrad flag while throwing up Nazi salutes. The Sonnenrad, or “Black Sun”, was originally used by the Nazi SS and has become a popular image used by more modern neo-Nazi and white supremacist movements. RCN openly embraces Nazi imagery and does not shy away from being explicit about their ideology.
On August 6, 2022, RCN placed a “Reclaim Portland” banner on the Darlene Hooley Pedestrian bridge over I-5 in SW Portland while waving a Sonnenrad flag. Their banner was a local twist on Patriot Front’s slogan “Reclaim America”.
That same month, on August 20th, RCN coordinated their “activism” to align with the national White Lives Matter schedule for the first time. RCN dropped a “We Will Have Our Home Again” banner in Portland on SW 1st Avenue over the eastbound side of I-405.
That banner was replaced quickly by antifascists the same day.
RCN continued to time their activities with the national WLM dates on September 17, 2022. That month, nine of their members held a “Gender Theory is Poison” banner, along with a Betsy Ross, Appeal to Heaven, and Sonnenrad flag, in Newberg, OR. They did not remain long. Within minutes of their arrival, three antifascists confronted the group and walked them out. As they were being escorted out, the group ran away into a park where they sought refuge before returning to their cars.
The following month, “Newberg Rejects White Supremacy” held a rally to celebrate a recent court ruling that struck down the local school board’s ban on BLM and Pride flags. The community timed their celebration to coincide with the national WLM schedule on October 15 and held their rally at the same location RCN had used the month before.
Newberg’s show of solidarity against hate on October 15 worked. The night before the rally, RCN snuck around town and slapped up a few stickers “ahead of a planned sodomite groomer rally,” as they put it. But they skipped doing a public WLM ‘activism’ that day. Instead, they went on a hike in the Tillamook state forest, where they posed in the trees with their standard flags - a Sonnenrad, a Betsy Ross American flag, and an Appeal to Heaven flag.
Later in October, RCN made some inflammatory posts in the lead-up to an all-ages drag event in Eugene, OR where other far-right individuals were planning on holding a protest in front of Old Nick’s Pub.
Eight RCN members attended the October 23 protest in Eugene, along with Proud Boys, hate preachers, and assorted fascist individuals such as Audra Price and David Willis. RCN avoided all of the actual confrontations that day, although one of their members did throw a Nazi salute repeatedly for the cameras.
Community members, counter protestors, and other accomplices successfully defended the drag event, eventually chasing the crowd of fascists away. As mentioned previously, RCN did not attempt to engage in any way and they were some of the first to flee while a handful of Proud Boys and others tried to hold their line.
At the end of the month, on October 29, RCN held a WLM banner and waved flags on the Monterey Ave overpass in Happy Valley. They also claimed that they assaulted an antifascist.
In the early morning hours of October 31 an individual walked up the driveway of a home in Newberg, lit a pride flag on fire, and threw a Nazi salute in front of the home’s security camera.
While it is not clear if this was an RCN member, it is clear that local white nationalists are feeling emboldened by having neo-Nazis waving flags in Newberg. This action, in turn, encouraged RCN to return to Newberg shortly after.
RCN did another banner and flag wave on the Wynooski Street overpass in Newberg on November 12, 2022. Their banner read “There is No Political Solution”. Unsurprisingly, law enforcement did nothing to stop them and at least one local stopped to shake hands with them, at least according to RCN tweets.
RCN Founder Casey Knuteson
Rose City Nationalists was founded by Gaston, OR resident Casey Knuteson. Casey has been written about before in articles by Rose City Antifa. We recommend taking a quick look at previous articles for a refresher on his history of being a white supremacist as a former member of the Proud Boys and Patriot Front. Based on his history and continued white supremacist activity, Casey should be considered a threat to his community.
Full name: Casey James Knuteson
DOB: 8/14/94
Location: 39358 SW Hartley Rd. Gaston, OR 97119
Vehicle: 1999 Black Chevy Tahoe ZAF 753
Social Media Accounts: Telegram - @ALTheGreat14 (Alfred the Anti-Semitic Penguin)
Casey was a Portland-chapter Proud Boy for most of 2020 and part of 2021 before he joined Patriot Front. He used his connections within the Proud Boys and other far-right channels to promote Patriot Front imagery and ideology. Casey often bemoaned that Proud Boys weren’t racist enough for his white identity politics.
During a July 2022 interview on the horrific Night Nation Review show Casey aka Alfred, stated that his dream is to “have 50 of us marching through downtown Portland with black sun flags and black polos and khaki pants chanting fuck antifa.” Unfortunately, that interview is now behind a paywall so you cannot enjoy the segment where Casey boasts about “having pretty good opsec.”
It does not take much to link Casey with his new alias Alfred. First, his old Twitter handle during his PF days was “CanuteTheGreat” compared to his latest incarnation, Alfred the Great (currently ALTheGreat14 on Telegram aka Alfred the Anti-Semitic Penguin). Second, the voice in the NNR interview closely matches the voice of “Leo OR” in PF private calls that were previously leaked by Unicorn Riot.
In the Night Nation Review interview, Casey criticized the Proud Boys for being civnats, or “civic nationalists” who were not racist enough for his tastes. He shared this criticism in Patriot Front chats that were later leaked, such as the message exchange below where Casey posted as “Leo OR”.
Outside of Portland, the Rose City Nationalists have focused a lot of their attention on Newberg, and Casey is one of the reasons why. Not only is his Gaston home nearby, but he has a history of doing “activism” there that predates RCN. In July 2021, while still a Patriot Front member, Casey complained that people would quickly deface stickers that he placed in the area. He also posted an image in their chats asking who stickered Newberg before he had the chance.
Casey and his crew appear to believe, like many on the far-right in Yamhill County, that Newberg represents the encroaching values of Portland, and that a line must be drawn there in defense of white western traditional values.
Casey at RCN Events
Casey helped to put up RCN’s banner on June 25, 2022 in North Plains. This was not Casey’s first time “doing an activism” there. When he was still with Patriot Front in the summer of 2021, Casey remarked on how long banners would stay up when hung in North Plains. “It’s a farming town,” he said. “Nothing but rednecks and Mexicans who can’t speak/read English anyway.”
While Casey’s racism about Mexican people isn’t surprising in the least, it is worth noting his casual disdain for the “redneck” residents of the area.
Casey also organized the group hike on July 27, 2022. He often brings his black and white Corgi dog, Loki, with him at group events.
Casey was present on the ground at the September 17 flag wave in Newberg, where he carried an iPad that he used for videography. Casey often serves as the documenter of RCN “activisms”.
It is worth noting that many of RCN’s tweets include an “Twitter for iPad” mention.
Casey led the group for their private little hike on October 15, 2022 and was once again accompanied by a dog that deserved better.
Casey was conspicuously absent from the RCN contingent on October 23 in Eugene, when a hodgepodge of local fascists protested across the street from Old Nick’s Pub. His absence on the ground was likely a result of the tensions between him and local Proud Boys.
Afterwards, Casey got into a heated Telegram argument with far-right streamer Robert Zerfing, aka The Common Sense Conservative, over trans “Gays Against Groomers” activist Freya Lee’s presence at the Eugene protest. When Eric Rohde, a Jewish militia leader in the Washington state Three Percenters (WA3%), waded into the argument, Casey’s violent antisemitism kicked in. “If you’re seen in our local area you’re getting your skin fileted and fed to the pits you fucking little manlet-Jew cuck.”
Casey joined briefly for the banner and flag wave on the Wynooski Street overpass in Newberg on November 12, 2022 after he did a few passes with his video camera.
While some may scoff at Casey and his Rose City Nationalist Club’s “activism”, it is important to remember that white supremacist propaganda helps to normalize and spread their ideas to a larger audience. They target resentful and lonely young men. It’s in their aesthetic - the “culture thug” rebelling against degeneracy to reclaim his white inheritance.
A lot of what they do can be dorky, even funny sometimes. But behind all that is a very deep hatred. Every sticker, every banner drop, every flag wave is a neo-Nazi recruitment drive. RCN is a danger to the community.
That’s all for this time but join us in two days when we catch up with some of the other members of Rose City Nationalists.
In the meantime, if you have any information on Casey Knuteson or other individuals involved in RCN, please send those tips to: [email protected]