Christopher Cantwell

This article is about the neo-Nazi. For other uses, see Christopher Cantwell (disambiguation).

Christopher Cantwell
Still image from a video of Cantwell, who is wearing a black and white striped polo shirt and looking down at a cell phone in his hand.
Cantwell in 2014
Born
Christopher Charles Cantwell

(1980-11-12) November 12, 1980 (age 44)
Other namesThe Crying Nazi[1][2][3]
Occupation(s)Podcast and radio host, writer, far-right provocateur
Notable workRadical Agenda
Criminal statusReleased[4]
Conviction(s)
Criminal penalty3 years and 5 months imprisonment

Christopher Charles Cantwell (born November 12, 1980), also known as the Crying Nazi,[1][2][3] is an American white supremacist, neo-Nazi, and antisemitic conspiracy theorist.[1][5][13]

A member of the broader alt-right movement, Cantwell earned attention during and immediately after his participation in the August 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.[17][18] Cantwell was featured prominently in a Vice News Tonight documentary about the rally and its participants, in which he is shown threatening to kill protesters, wielding rifles and a handgun, and joining fellow antisemitic conspiracy theorists in marching with tiki torches, chanting "Jews will not replace us!"[9][19][20]

Shortly after the rally, Cantwell published a video in which he wept while sharing that he had learned there was a warrant for his arrest. The video went viral, with some observers noting the discrepancy between the emotional video and the tough persona Cantwell had projected in the Vice documentary.[19] He has since been widely referred to and ridiculed as "The Crying Nazi".[24]

In July 2018, Cantwell was convicted after pleading guilty to two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery for pepper spraying two people at the rally.[21] On September 28, 2020, Cantwell was found guilty on one felony count of transmitting extortionate communications and one felony count of threatening to injure property or reputation.[25][26][5] Cantwell was sentenced to three years and five months in prison on February 24, 2021.[27][28] The charges stemmed from Telegram messages Cantwell sent to a member of a rival neo-Nazi group, in which he threatened to rape the man's wife in front of his children if he did not give Cantwell information about the identity of another member of the group.[29][30]

In 2021, Cantwell and others were found liable for civil conspiracy and racially motivated harassment or violence in Sines v. Kessler, a federal civil suit against organizers, promoters, and participants in the Unite the Right rally.[31]

  1. ^ a b c d Lenz, Ryan (March 29, 2018). "The 'Crying Nazi' from Charlottesville admits he is working with the feds". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Marcin, Tim (August 31, 2017). "Christopher Cantwell, the Charlottesville 'Crying Nazi,' Wants Your Sympathy From Jail". Newsweek. Archived from the original on September 17, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Fox-Crying was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2022-release was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Madani, Doha (September 28, 2020). "'Crying Nazi' Christopher Cantwell found guilty of extortion in rape threat case". NBC News. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference businessinsider-cantwell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Simon, Darran; Flores, Rosa (August 24, 2017). "White supremacist Christopher Cantwell surrenders to police". CNN. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  8. ^ Stevens, Matt (August 21, 2017). "Christopher Cantwell, White Nationalist in Vice Video, Braces for Charges". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c "Charlottesville: Race and Terror". Vice News. August 16, 2017. Archived from the original on December 2, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Facebook bans white nationalist's accounts over hate speech". Associated Press. August 16, 2017. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  11. ^ Murdock, Sebastian (July 21, 2018). "Crying Neo-Nazi Chris Cantwell Pleads Guilty To Assault At Charlottesville Rally". HuffPost. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  12. ^ Hayden, Michael Edison (March 27, 2018). "White supremacists are investing in a cryptocurrency that promises to be completely untraceable". Newsweek. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  13. ^ [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
  14. ^ "From Alt Right to Alt Lite: Naming the Hate". Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  15. ^ Jan, Tracy; Dwoskin, Elizabeth (August 16, 2017). "Silicon Valley escalates its war on white supremacy despite free speech concerns". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 3, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  16. ^ Bonos, Lisa (August 17, 2017). "OkCupid kicks out white supremacist Chris Cantwell: 'There is no room for hate'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  17. ^ [9][10][14][15][16]
  18. ^ Madani, Doha (September 28, 2020). "'Crying Nazi' Christopher Cantwell found guilty of extortion in rape threat case". NBC News. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  19. ^ a b Boddiger, David (July 21, 2018). "'Crying Nazi' Banned From Virginia for 5 Years". Splinter News. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ a b Moyer, Justin Wm. (July 20, 2018). "'Crying Nazi' pleads guilty to assault committed during Charlottesville rally". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  22. ^ Rozsa, Matthew (August 24, 2017). ""Crying Nazi" Christopher Cantwell gives himself up to police". Salon. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  23. ^ Mazza, Ed (August 31, 2017). "Christopher Cantwell Really Hates Being Called The Crying Nazi". HuffPost. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  24. ^ [1][2][3][21][22][23]
  25. ^ Sargent, Hilary (September 28, 2020). "Christopher Cantwell guilty of extortion and threats". The Informant. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  26. ^ "Keene Man Convicted of Extortion and Threat Offenses". The United States Attorney's Office, District of New Hampshire. United States Department of Justice. September 28, 2020. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  27. ^ "Keene Man Sentenced to 41 Months for Extortion and Threat Offenses". www.justice.gov. February 24, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference :14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. ^ Mathias, Christopher (January 23, 2020). "'Crying Nazi' Christopher Cantwell Arrested In Attempt To Extort Information About Rival Nazi". HuffPost. Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  30. ^ Cite error: The named reference :9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  31. ^ Cite error: The named reference :15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).