‘Political prisoner’ Robert Rundo freed after case dismissed by federal judge

Santa Ana, California – Active Club founder and political prisoner Robert
Rundo, who had languished in federal custody since March of 2023, has
finally been released.

The news comes amid a federal court decision to drop all charges due to
perceived “selective prosecution” in the case, which stems from violence
during a series of Antifa-led ambushes in places like Charlottesville,
Virginia, and Berkeley and Huntington Beach, California, in 2017. It would
be the second time the same case against him would be dismissed in five
years.

Rundo, the pro-White activist with founding ties to numerous advocacy
organizations—including the Rise Above Movement (RAM), Active Clubs (AC),
and Will2Rise (W2R)—had sought refuge in Eastern Europe in the face of what
could only be described as a political witch hunt.

Facing a trumped-up charge of “conspiracy to commit violence,” Rundo would
eventually be captured in Romania and extradited to the United States in
2023. He has sat in a California jail cell ever since.

In newly released court documents, U.S. District Court Judge Cormac J.
Carney granted a motion to dismiss the charges, pointing to substantial
evidence that so-called “antifascists” and other “left-wing” extremists
were just as violent—if not more—than Prosecutors alleged Rundo had been
during these same rallies.

“Prosecuting only members of the far right and ignoring members of the far
left leads to the troubling conclusion that the government believes it is
permissible to physically assault and injure Trump supporters to silence
speech,” read Carney’s decision. “It was groups like Antifa that went to
pro-Trump rallies with the intent to use violence to disrupt protected
political speech.”

“When announcing this case, the United States Attorney for the Central
District of California at the time explained this case was initiated
because of ‘an orchestrated effort to squelch free speech as members of the
conspiracy traveled to multiple locations to attack those who hold
different views,’” he continued. “The problem in this case, though, is that
sentiment equally describes Antifa and other extremist, far-left groups.”

According to LA Times reporter Brittny Mejia, Federal prosecutors had
appealed Judge Carney’s decision, which demanded that Rundo be held in
custody “because (he) presents a grave risk of flight, as well as a danger
to the community.”

Carney, however, denied the request, adding, “I don’t believe it’s
warranted that Mr. Rundo spend one minute more in custody, so I’m going to
release him forthwith.”

“I feel very comfortable in the decision I’ve made,” he said. If the motion
to keep Rundo in custody fails, he could expect to walk free as early as
Thursday

In the wake of Rundo’s release, a veritable chorus of support—and hate—has
seeped into online spaces and from both sides of the political spectrum. On
social media, members of the anti-White extremist movement, commonly
referred to as “Antifa,” were upset that a member of their political
opposition was being spared state oppression.

The TORCH Antifa-linked Atlanta Antifascists—whose violent NorCal chapters
were present in some of the very same places where Rundo and his crew were
ambushed in 2017—said, “We don’t rely on the cops or courts to do our work
for us…We must rely on ourselves to protect ourselves and stop the
fascists,” in a veiled threat made to their official Mastodon page.

Many would even go on to parrot baseless Antifascist conspiracy theories,
downplaying the existence of “Antifa” as a singular group while masking its
true status as a movement. Others would attack the judge, likening Carmac
to a “fascist” whose decision was somehow evidence of “corruption,” “White
supremacy,” and “racism” in American government.

On the right, however, Rundo was being hailed as a hero who, despite the
odds, went face to face with an “anti-White” system and emerged victorious.
Widespread support of Rundo’s plight could be evidenced on social media
accounts belonging to dozens of affinity groups that compose the greater
nationalist scene, which, for months, had fundraised and clamored for his
eventual release.

Lifelong pro-White advocate and self-professed “one-man think tank,” Nathan
Damigo, professed he was “gobsmacked” at the Federal government’s decision.
In an exclusive request for comment by the Justice Report, Damigo said that
justice under the “anti-White regime” was rare, and was excited to hear of
Rundo’s release from custody.

“I am absolutely gobsmacked at this decision, and I couldn’t be more
excited for Robert Rundo in this case,” said Damigo. “It is so rare that
someone in our movement, in our cause, receives justice under this
anti-White regime. The judge’s decision was absolutely correct.”

"Things like selective prosecution have existed in this country my entire
life, but it ramped up around the time of 2016 and 2017," he elaborated.
"During the inauguration of Donald Trump, scores of anti-White terrorist
groups posted on Facebook that they were going to disrupt the inauguration
and try to stop it. All of them went to D.C., and they all rioted in Black
Bloc."

"They arrested hundreds of these rioters, and they had them dead to rights
conspiring to do so on video. Almost every single charge was dropped, with
the exception of a guy who hit a cop, and guess what he got? Four months.
That's it," he continued. "(The feds) are clearly disinterested in
prosecuting the many flagrant violent crimes committed by anti-white
terrorists, or anyone on the Democratic side of this regime."

Nathan Damigo is an influential pro-White advocate who can be found on
Telegram, Substack, Odysee, and elsewhere.

Prominent White civil rights activist and long-time supporter of Rundo's
political advocacy, Mike Peinovich, highlighted the fact that this would be
the second time federal prosecutors attempted to jail Rundo over
Antifa-inspired street clashes in 2017. The reason? Because Rundo is White.

"This is a rare piece of justice in an America that is characterized by
political persecution of White people and White advocates," said Peinovich
in a request for comment by the Justice Report. "This is the second time
that Rob has been through this exact process. "

"It should be obvious by now that this case was never about the facts or
the law, but the persecution of one man by the state for his political and
racial views," he continued.

Mike Peinovich is a White civil rights activist and podcaster whose
commentary can be found nearly every day of the week on the TRS Network.

Also adding to the conversation was author, journalist, and VDare
contributor Jason Kessler, a monolith in pro-White organizing who praised
Carney for finally "acknowledging the truth" about left-wing violence,
which permeated throughout 2017.

"Thank God judges are starting to acknowledge the truth about the protest
environment in 2017 now that some time has passed for emotions to cool
off," said Kessler in a request for comment by the Justice Report. "From DC
to Berkeley, to Charlottesville, it was Antifa and BLM instigating violence
all year long and men like Rundo refusing to back down in defense of their
rights."

"Now a federal judge has confirmed what we all knew: that the feds were
prosecuting him for his constitutionally protected political beliefs," he
continued.

Jason Kessler is an author and journalist whose work can be found on VDare,
Counter-Currents, and Telegram. He is currently writing a book chronicling
the events of 2017's Unite the Right titled "Charlottesville and the Death
of Free Speech."

Right-wing podcaster, blogger, and political commentator Chris Cantwell,
however, expressed several doubts about the future of the case, especially
if a Federal appeal is upheld. Still, he praised the decision as a "rare
bright spot" in America's increasingly delegitimized criminal justice
system and used his own experience as a political prisoner to opine about
the situation.

"This is a rare bright spot in our justice system, though a tenuous one,"
he said in a request for comment by the Justice Report. "Carney knows that
Rundo fled the jurisdiction before...I have my doubts this has a happy
ending, sadly."

"The 9th Circuit will now be forced to rule on the question of selective
prosecution. It is unlikely, in my view, that they will concede Carney's
point. This would then be on its way to the Supreme Court, assuming any of
the Defendants are still in the country when that decision is
overturned..." he continued.

"If the 9th Circuit does uphold the dismissal, or the Supreme Court does
intervene, this would be a binding precedent, and that would be exceedingly
good news," he said.

Christopher Cantwell is a prolific right-wing political broadcaster found
on SurrealPolitiks. Mr. Cantwell's full comment to the Justice Report was
published on his website and can be viewed HERE:
<https://surrealpolitiks.com/2024/02/21/thoughts-for-tonights-surrealpolitiks-member-chat-20240221/>

Rob Rundo's latest victory at the federal level and subsequent release from
custody should be seen as a significant triumph for nationalists organizing
in the Western world. The decision comes at a time when free expression is
continually trampled upon by once-trusted institutions, often done so in
the name of eradicating opposition to state-authorized political narratives
that remain necessary for the status quo.

In Albany, New York, a pro-White, anti-Zionist street activist was arrested
and stripped of his firearms for a series of stickers found on public
property. For merely expressing his political opinion—which opposed
uncontrolled immigration and Israeli warmongering—the State government
justified a gun grab by interpreting his political views as in violation of
an obscure "mental hygiene" code. The laws would later be deemed
unconstitutional in the courts, but not before he had already been
subjected to a raid of his family home and villainization by local
journalists.

Government prosecution based on one's political beliefs transcends borders,
however. In the United Kingdom, prominent pro-White activist Sam Melia made
headlines when a Leeds court found him guilty of "stirring up racial
hatred" over a series of political stickers. The stickers, whose content
was confirmed in court as "truthful and legal," merely raised awareness of
demographic replacement and other related discussions. As a result, some
fear he may now serve years in prison and potentially miss the birth of his
next child.

The case of Robert Rundo further demonstrates that grassroots political
advocacy, right-wing mutual aid, and closing ranks behind a common ally are
effective strategies in the ongoing and uphill battle for White civil
rights, and should open up previously unexplored doors for all of its
tireless champions.

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