HELENA – Montana Attorney General Tim Fox has filed a motion in federal district court to intervene in a Whitefish woman’s case against a Neo-Nazi blogger she’s accusing of intimidation under Montana’s anti-intimidation law.
Neo-Nazi blogger Andrew Anglin has challenged the constitutionality of Montana’s anti-intimidation statute, claiming it violates his First Amendment rights.
“The people of Montana passed the Anti-Intimidation Act to prevent the type of intimidation and threats of violence alleged in this lawsuit,” Fox said in a news release. “Montanans have made it clear they support protecting each other from intimidation through the laws of our state. I took an oath to defend all laws passed by the people of Montana.”
The case against Anglin stems from a number of posts he published on his blog The Daily Stormer calling on like-minded followers to target Tanya Gersh, a Whitefish-based real estate agent.
The troll storm by Anglin and his followers directed at Gersh began after her interaction with the mother of Richard Spencer, a well-known alt-right leader who lived in Whitefish for a time, according to the news release.
The lawsuit filed by Gersh accuses Andrew Anglin of launching a terror campaign, also known as a “troll storm” on his neo-Nazi website.
Gersh alleges in the lawsuit that Anglin justified his call to arms as retribution against Gersh who he accused of extorting part-time Whitefish resident Sherry Spencer, the mother of white nationalist leader Richard Spencer.
Richard Spencer gained notoriety when a viral video emerged of Spencer spouting racist rhetoric and declaring “Hail Trump! Hail our people! Hail Victory!” at a gathering of white nationalists giving Nazi salutes in Washington D.C. after the November election.
Montana’s anti-Intimidation statute was passed in 1996 by voter-approved ballot initiative.
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