If you experience or witness discrimination, threats, harassment, or violence or see demonstrations by extremist groups, please report them to Catalyst Montana. By tracking these activities, we better understand the escalation of these groups.

As we enter the new year, Montana continues to grapple with issues related to white nationalism and political extremism. This month's update delves into recent legislative developments, immigration concerns, the activities of white nationalist groups statewide, and the presence of bad actors within Montana communities. As the first extremism report by Catalyst Montana, this will be slightly longer as to include more background information on some of the groups and individuals mentioned below.

White Nationalist Activist & Hate Group Activity

Broadly, we can think of two camps of white nationalists:

Activists - people who have engaged in white nationalist activity in the last 12 months
Passive Supporters - people who follow or support white nationalist ideology, but have not engaged in white nationalist activity in the last 12 months

While it is true that there are dozens of racially motivated groups active in Montana, the total number of activists in Montana remains less than 200 total individuals. Many white nationalist groups consist of 2-5 people with only a couple boasting membership over a dozen individuals. Even the most active groups in the state only have 10-20 members total, or are not resident to the state.

The three most active groups white nationalist hate groups in Montana are:

Patriot Front – One of the most visible national groups, the Patriot Front (PF) does not have an active chapter in Montana currently, making our state one of only two or three without a resident chapter. The activity we have seen in the past year, including a demonstration at Livingston Pride and the defacing of several state parks in April and May were carried out by members of Network XVIII (Idaho/Washington/Oregon), Network V (Wyoming/Utah/Arizona), and Network III (Colorado/New Mexico). PF maintains tight controls on certain actions like stenciling and leafleting, so without local direction the activities are far fewer than we might expect at this time. Montana is a target region for PF in 2025, and we are actively monitoring several potential recruits in the Flathead, Park County, and Billings who may be in the vetting process at this time. PF has a close relationship with Active Clubs, which act as feeder cells for recruitment and cross organizational networking.

Big Sky Active Club – This organization is part of a network of so-called Active Clubs around the United States, Australia and Europe. With over 50 active chapters in good standing, these groups focus on physical fitness and fraternal activities through MMA fighting, hiking, and outdoor recreation. The brainchild of white nationalist Rob Rundo, Active Clubs are often seen as White Nationalism 3.0. Members view themselves as training for an ongoing war being waged against the white race by Jewish people, DEI initiatives, and mainstream political parties. Chapters have ballooned their ranks over the past few years by focusing recruitment efforts on disillusioned young white males looking for an outlet for frustration and isolation. There is a large crossover here with Incel, Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW), traditionalism and accelerationism communities. Big Sky Active Club has between 5 and 15 active members across multiple Montana cities and has been involved in several instances of activism in the past 12 months. The total number of supporters, non-actives and hangabouts in the state is likely around 50 to 100.

White Lives Matter Montana – White Lives Matter Montana (WLM) is part of a national reactionary movement formed in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. There are dozens of known chapters in the US and Europe, but WLM operates on a more decentralized cell based system. Chapters have a lot more autonomy to do whatever activism and demonstrations they want without a central point of decision making. While this group has received a lot of attention for some public demonstrations, the active members currently number less than a dozen. They do a lot of literature distribution and honk and wave demonstrations, and have showed up in towns to protest Pride events. Numbers prior to 2024 were closer to several dozen, however, infighting and movement of members out of the state has drastically reduced active membership. WLM Montana was also responsible for several antisemitic literature drops in 2024 targeting American Prairie Reserve.

Extremists in the Legislature

Montana’s 69th legislative session started on January 6. We’re closely monitoring the activity of the Montana Freedom Caucus, a caucus of far right legislators formed in 2023. Their priorities for this session include “stopping the Obama Medicaid Expansion”, “Banning Diversity Equity, and Inclusion and Critical Race Theory programs”, and “Illegal Immigration”. You can keep track of legislative updates and action alerts by following our 2025 Legislative Updates!

Immigration Issues

Montana’s immigrant community is facing heightened concern over federal anti-immigration measures by the Trump administration as well as several proposed bills introduced to the Montana State Legislature. There are over two dozen bills filed on the direct topic of immigration, yet draft language has not been finalized. We are working with a coalition of immigrant rights groups across the state to monitor and respond to developments in the legislature. Other concerns we are closely monitoring are racially motivated attacks and incidents targeting young hispanic males, vigilante groups threatening “illegal aliens,” and cases of racial profiling and discrimination across Montana.

Update: Montana Tech & Trenin Bayless

In July of last year, Montana Human Rights Network released a report detailing Trenin Bayless’s accelerationist and white nationalist activity. Catalyst Montana continues this work.

After many attempts to get a response from Montana Tech regarding the employment of Bayless, an identified accelerationist and white nationalist, Catalyst Montana remains opposed to his employment at the University where he holds a position of power over students as an instructor and post-doctoral researcher. As of January 15, 2025 it is our understanding that his contract will be renewed by Montana Tech at the end of the teaching year. Allowing an avowed white nationalist to remain in a position of influence within the academic community not only undermines the safety and well-being of students and faculty but also tarnishes the reputation of Montana Tech as a beacon of learning and integrity.

For a full background on Trenin Bayless and his white nationalist activities, please check out the stories below:

New Documentary: RETURN: Former White Supremacists Talk About How They Left Hate Behind