Patriot Front propaganda litters campus on Super Tuesday

Multiple stickers belonging to Patriot Front, a white supremacist group, were posted on top of stickers that endorsed Bernie Sanders for president. The stickers were found March 3. LOUISA MARSHALL Editor-in-Chief

Stickers belonging to the white supremacist group Patriot Front were found on campus for the third time this academic year March 3, the morning of Super Tuesday. Multiple stickers, including one that read “Life of our nation, liberty of our people, victory of the American spirit,” were posted on top of stickers that endorsed Bernie Sanders for president.

Patriot Front, a Texas-based offshoot of the white supremacist group Vanguard America, became prominent after the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, according to The Southern Poverty Law Center.

“We will continue to document and investigate incidents to try and find those responsible for the stickers. We work with student affairs on having the stickers removed for violation of the posting policy,” Chief of Public Safety Randy Burba told The Panther. “Where the stickers cause damage, we will treat as criminal vandalism. We also will continue to share with our law enforcement partners when these incidents occur. We encourage anyone with any information to reach out to us.”

The Orange Police Department (OPD) is working with Public Safety to identify the individual or individuals responsible. They are reviewing campus security camera footage as part of the investigation according to Sergeant Phil McMullin. McMullin also encouraged anyone with any information to contact OPD or Public Safety.

Patriot Front propaganda was found on campus prior to the March 3 stickers during the fall semester. MIA FORTUNATO Photo Editor

Patriot Front propaganda first appeared on Chapman’s campus Aug. 26 and then again Sept. 15. In the first two incidents, stickers were posted on informational boards and benches and some were posted on busts around campus, including the busts of Abraham Lincoln and former president of Mexico, Benito Juarez. Others obscured fliers advertising the school’s event series, La Frontera, which focused on humanitarian and immigration issues.

Chapman launched an initial investigation into who posted the propaganda on campus after the Aug. 26 incident, but multiple people and organizations claimed responsibility for the stickers, according to Dean of Students Jerry Price. It is unclear if all on-campus propaganda drops were conducted by students or individuals not affiliated with Chapman.

Patriot Front has targeted Orange County locations within the last week, graffitiing the headquarters of the Orange County Democratic Party Feb. 29 with propaganda stickers. Although the OC Democratic Party did not release the name of the group involved with the hit to “minimize press attention that the group may receive,” photos from the scene identified Patriot Front as the organization responsible, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A police report was filed about the incident, according to a press release from the Democratic Party of Orange County. A hate crime report was also filed with the Orange County Human Relations Commission. Pete Simi, a professor of Sociology at Chapman who specializes in studying hate groups, said the third sticker drop is likely a sign of more to come and could possibly be connected to a nationwide effort. Patriot Front will continue to try and remain relevant, especially as the general election approaches, he said. He also said there is no “recipe” for how to respond to the propaganda since there’s a difficult balance between being reactionary and transparent.

“You have to be careful of characterizing (the incident) and not shining too much attention on it, but if students have concerns, that needs to be taken seriously,” Simi said. “It’s about not sending the message that ‘It’s just stickers, whatever, get over it.’ The key is not trying to be so responsive. It’s more about Chapman doing everything it can do to promote an environment of diversity and inclusion.”

This is a developing story. Follow The Panther as we continue to update the Chapman and Orange community.