COURT DOC: AG Nessel Charges Leader of White Supremacist Group The Base

Multiple felony charges have been filed against the self-proclaimed leader of The Base a national white supremacist group with violent inclinations and an associate of the group, following an investigation by Michigan State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The suspects are linked to a December 2019 incident in Dexter, in which a family was terrorized at their home after the men allegedly used intimidation tactics on the premises and posted messages to other The Base members targeting the home.

Founded in 2018, The Base is a White supremacy organization that openly advocates for violence and criminal acts against the U.S., and purports to be training for a race war to establish White ethnonationalist rule in areas of the U.S., including Michigans Upper Peninsula. The group also traffics in Nazi ideology and extreme anti-Semitism, at one point requiring its members to read neo-Nazi books that urge the collapse of Western civilization.

The Base leaders have used online chatrooms to encourage members to meet in-person and engage in military training to prepare for the insurgency against the U.S. government.

Watkins claims to have been appointed leader of The Base, and reportedly ran a ‘hate camp’ for members of the group, where he led tactical and firearms training for participants with the goal of being prepared for the violent overthrow of the government. (Source: Michigan Attorney General)