Aryan Nations

ALTERNATE NAMES: Church of Jesus Christ Christian

Group Status: Active

Aryan Nations is a longstanding neo-Nazi group in the United States that dates back to the 1970s. It is unusual in that it is also a Christian Identity group (Christian Identity is a small, virulently racist and anti-Semitic religious sect prominent in the extreme right in the United States). Its logo consists of a Wolfsangel symbol with a crown-topped sword replacing the cross-bar. Typically this image appears on a blue shield. Aryan Nations was one of the most active neo-Nazi groups in the 1980s and 1990s but went into a substantial period of disintegration and factional fighting after the death in 2004 of its founder, Richard Butler. Since 2004, a number of Aryan Nations factions have emerged, only to fall apart after a few years. The main remaining Aryan Nations faction is Sadistic Souls. However, the "brand name" power of Aryan Nations may result in more factions in the future.

Aryan Nations, the neo-Nazi group, should not be confused with the Tennessee-based white supremacist prison gang of the same name.