DeseretNationalism, popularized online as #DezNat,[1][2] is a far-right Mormon nationalist movement in the United States. It was originated in 2018, following the Unite the Right rally. by Logan Smith, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), who is known as "JP Bellum" on Twitter.[3] While the term originated as a Twitter hashtag, collecting upwards of 114,000 original posts, its significance goes beyond social media.[4] DezNat represents a loosely affiliated group of LDS Church members who share common ideals and values,[5][6] despite the Church's negative stance on the concept.[7][4] The impact of DezNat can be observed through the actions and behaviors of its followers in their communities.[8][9]
Contributors to media outlets The Daily Beast and The Daily Utah Chronicle have described DezNat as an extremist alt-right, white nationalist movement,[10][11][12] Similarly, journalists at The Guardian consider the group right-wing with elements of the far-right and eugenics.[13][14][2][15] In contrast, the Salt Lake Tribune described it as "a little bit more ambiguous than that."[4] DezNat participants have typically insisted that their sole purpose is to gather orthodox Latter-day Saints and defend the Church against critics. Correspondingly, they see the term “alt-right” as inaccurate and even defamatory.[16]
Logan Smith, known as "JP Bellum," suggested that although DezNat operates independently of official LDS Church endorsement, it fosters a community dedicated to supporting LDS doctrines and its members. However, some within the DezNat community have advocated for the restoration of the historical State of Deseret as an independent state outside of U.S. jurisdiction.[17][18] As well as the secession of a theocratic Mormon state, some DezNat commentators have suggested this should be a white ethnostate using both neo-Nazi and far-right accelerationist imagery.[17][19][13] Users of the hashtag say they are not alt-right but are simply unapologetic about their beliefs.[11][20][12] Smith says the hashtag recognizes faithful LDS Church members as "a unique people and should be united spiritually, morally, economically, and politically behind Christ, the prophet, and the church" adding that DezNat "is the idea that devout members ought to work together to support the church, its doctrines, and each other, on social media and in their communities to further build the Kingdom of God".[10][21][22][23][24][25][26]