Louis Beam
Encyclopedia
Louis Beam is a Texan white nationalist
. After high-school he served as a helicopter door-gunner in Vietnam
. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
. Back in the U.S. he became a Klansman
, leading a maritime Louisiana KKK element against government help to Vietnamese immigrant fishermen. He became active with Aryan Nations
in the early 1980s. He is considered to be the first important proponent of the strategy of leaderless resistance
. In recent years, Beam has maintained a significantly lower profile.
According to ADL
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, he has been fighting against a government he views as "tyrannical and controlled by Jewish conspirators" for more than thirty years. He first became engaged on the far right
as a paramilitary
Klansman, later with ties to Christian Identity
groups. In both roles he was one of the most influential figures on the far right
. He cites Thomas Jefferson
in resistance to tyranny. Beam refused Aryan Nation's head Richard Girnt Butler
offer of leadership of the religious group in 1988 and chose to continue to work alone. During the past ten years he has limited his activity to his web site. His essay Leaderless Resistance has been translated into seven languages.
White nationalism
White nationalism is a political ideology which advocates a racial definition of national identity for white people. White separatism and white supremacism are subgroups within white nationalism. The former seek a separate white nation state, while the latter add ideas from social Darwinism and...
. After high-school he served as a helicopter door-gunner in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
. Back in the U.S. he became a Klansman
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, leading a maritime Louisiana KKK element against government help to Vietnamese immigrant fishermen. He became active with Aryan Nations
Aryan Nations
Aryan Nations is a white supremacist religious organization originally based in Hayden Lake, Idaho. Richard Girnt Butler founded the group in the 1970s, as an arm of the Christian Identity organization Church of Jesus Christ–Christian...
in the early 1980s. He is considered to be the first important proponent of the strategy of leaderless resistance
Leaderless resistance
Leaderless resistance, or phantom cell structure, is a political resistance strategy in which small, independent groups , including individuals , challenge an established adversary such as a government. Leaderless resistance can encompass anything from non-violent disruption and civil disobedience...
. In recent years, Beam has maintained a significantly lower profile.
According to ADL
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
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Law Enforcement Agency Resource Network
Law Enforcement Agency Resource Network is a website run by the Anti-Defamation League designed to help law enforcement. It provides news, information and analysis but it also facilitates inquiries, on a daily basis, from law enforcement officials looking for information. It provided key...
, he has been fighting against a government he views as "tyrannical and controlled by Jewish conspirators" for more than thirty years. He first became engaged on the far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
as a paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
Klansman, later with ties to Christian Identity
Christian Identity
Christian Identity is a label applied to a wide variety of loosely affiliated believers and churches with a racialized theology. Many promote a Eurocentric interpretation of Christianity.According to Chester L...
groups. In both roles he was one of the most influential figures on the far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
. He cites Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
in resistance to tyranny. Beam refused Aryan Nation's head Richard Girnt Butler
Richard Girnt Butler
Richard Girnt Butler was an American aerospace engineer for Lockheed, who later became the leader of the Christian Identity white supremacist group Aryan Nations.-Biography:...
offer of leadership of the religious group in 1988 and chose to continue to work alone. During the past ten years he has limited his activity to his web site. His essay Leaderless Resistance has been translated into seven languages.
External links
- Entry with the ADLAnti-Defamation LeagueThe Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
/LEARNLaw Enforcement Agency Resource NetworkLaw Enforcement Agency Resource Network is a website run by the Anti-Defamation League designed to help law enforcement. It provides news, information and analysis but it also facilitates inquiries, on a daily basis, from law enforcement officials looking for information. It provided key... - Louisbeam.com - Essays by Louis Beam
- Essays by a klansman : being a compendium of Ku Klux Klan ideology, organizational methods, history, tactics, and opinions, with interpolations by the author