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Thomas Robb (Ku Klux Klan)

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Thomas Robb
Robb standing in front of a Ku Klux Klan building
Born (1946-10-13) October 13, 1946 (age 78)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Known forLeader of the Ku Klux Klan
TitleNational director of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
Pastor of the Christian Revival Center
Children3

Thomas Robb (born October 13, 1946) is an American white supremacist, Ku Klux Klan Imperial Wizard and Christian Identity pastor.[1][2] He is the National Director of the Knights Party, also known as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan,[3] taking control of the organization since the year 1989.[2]

Early life

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Robb was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Tucson, Arizona. He attended college in Colorado.[2]

Christian Identity and Klan activities

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As of April 2023, Robb is the pastor of the Christian Revival Center in Zinc, Arkansas, a Christian Identity center where Robb espouses racism and antisemitism. Robb's "Thomas Robb Ministries" website declares that "the Anglo Saxon [sic], Germanic, Scandinavian, and kindred people are THE people of the Bible."[2]

In 1989, Robb took over the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, originally led by David Duke. In a bid to gain mainstream acceptance, he took the title of "National Director" instead of the title of "Imperial Wizard", and he chose to rename the organization "The Knights Party". He also decided to accept members via mail-in forms, rather than through initiation rites that had been common Klan practice in the past.[2] Robb defends the Klan as a harmless organization, claiming that it is "gentle, upbeat, and friendly";[4] when featured in the PBS documentary Banished, Robb compared a Klan hood to a businessman's tie, claiming that "it's just tradition".[5]

Robb has maintained his ties with other far-right groups; he has spoken at the Aryan Nations' annual "World Congress" of hate group leaders, he has appeared on Jamie Kelso's white supremacist Voice of Reason Radio Network, and he has regularly contributed to the white supremacist Internet forum Stormfront.[2] In 1996, Robb began to pioneer the concept that white people were being targeted for genocide.

In 1999 Robb was interviewed separately by British journalists Louis Theroux and Jon Ronson, and featured in documentaries produced by both.[6]

In 2009, Robb's daughter Rachel Pendergraft and his granddaughters, Charity and Shelby Pendergraft, formed a white nationalist band which they called Heritage Connection.[7]

Robb's Party publishes The Crusader, a quarterly publication. In November 2016, just days before the presidential election, Robb wrote a front-page article under the title "Make America Great Again" in The Crusader, devoted to a lengthy endorsement of Donald Trump and Trump's message. The Trump campaign responded by denouncing the Crusader article.[8]

In May 2022, British YouTuber Niko Omilana published a video in which he described his experiences in Zinc and Harrison while he disguised himself as a journalist for the BBC. The video includes an interview with Robb, and during the interview, Robb unwittingly shouts out fake Instagram users whose names phoneticize phrases such as "BLM" (Black Lives Matter).[9]

In April 2023, reports about Robb's death began to circulate, however, his church quickly contradicted those reports by stating that Robb was in "excellent health."[10]

References

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  1. ^ Conant, Eve (May 4, 2009). "Rebranding Hate in the Age of Obama". Newsweek. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Thomas Robb". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  3. ^ Jones, Jonathan D. (October 18, 2006). "Ku Klux Klan files suit against Rhino Times". News & Record. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2008.
  4. ^ Ronson, Jon (2001). "New Klan". Archived from the original on May 15, 2008.
  5. ^ Maguire, Ellen (February 9, 2008). "PBS's 'Banished' Exposes the Tainted Past of Three White Enclaves". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  6. ^ Sweeting, Adam (August 3, 1999). "The Knight rider". The Guardian. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  7. ^ "Another Adorable White-Power Sister Act". Southern Poverty Law Center. August 6, 2009. Archived from the original on August 9, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
  8. ^ Holley, Peter (November 2, 2016). "KKK's official newspaper supports Donald Trump for president". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  9. ^ Browning, Oliver (May 16, 2022). "YouTuber pranks KKK leader into saying 'BLM' during fake BBC interview". The Independent. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "Pastor Robb Alive and Well – Christian Revival Center – Love God and Love Your People".
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