Mike Enoch

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Mike Enoch
Mike Enoch 2020.png
Enoch in 2020
Born
Michael Isaac Peinovich

1977 (age 43–44)
Career
ShowThe Daily Shoah
StyleNeo-Nazi, anti-Semite, Holocaust denier
CountryUnited States

Michael Isaac Peinovich (born 1977),[1] commonly known by his pseudonym Mike Enoch, is an American neo-Nazi,[2][3] anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist, Holocaust denier,[4] blogger, and podcast host. He founded the alt-right media network The Right Stuff and podcast The Daily Shoah. Through his work, Peinovich ridicules African Americans, Jews, and other minorities, advocates racial discrimination, and promotes conspiracy theories such as Holocaust denial and white genocide.[5][6]

Peinovich first drew media attention for his use of the "Sieg Heil" salute at a conference organized by Richard B. Spencer to celebrate Donald Trump's election as President; in response to Spencer's cry of "hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!," Peinovich led the audience in a series of Nazi salutes.[5] The salutes were performed in front of journalists, and footage of the speech and the Peinovich-inspired salutes was circulated by the mainstream media. According to Andrew Marantz, the event marginalized the alt right by defining it to the public as a neo-Nazi movement, and led to an exodus of Trump supporters.[7]

In early 2017, while operating his anti-semitic media network under the pseudonym Mike Enoch, he was doxxed by fellow neo-Nazis, who released biographical information about Peinovich that contradicted his professed ideology.[8][9] The dox revealed that Peinovich’s own wife was Jewish, and that their wedding had featured traditional Jewish rites and chanting.[10] Prior to the dox, Peinovich's Jewish wife had appeared as a guest on The Daily Shoah, in which she had concealed her ethnicity while promoting anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi memes. When the dox revealed that she herself was Jewish, many listeners of TDS questioned the authenticity of Peinovich's commitment to the views he espoused on the show.

In addition to his founding of a neo-Nazi media network, Peinovich has drawn attention for his role in organizing book burnings.[6]

Early life[]

Peinovich grew up in Maplewood, New Jersey, in an upper-middle class Episcopalian family. His parents divorced at a young age. He is of Norwegian and Serbian descent.[11] Peinovich attended Columbia High School.[12] While in high school, Peinovich worked jobs delivering pizzas and chemically testing pools. After graduating high school, he attended and dropped out of several universities.[13] He worked in a warehouse for a stereo and electronics store, before eventually obtaining a more lucrative job in programming.

The Right Stuff[]

Main article: The Right Stuff (blog)

The Right Stuff (TRS) is a white nationalist, neo-fascist neo-Nazi blog founded by Peinovich that hosts several podcasts, including The Daily Shoah and Fash the Nation. The blog is best known for popularizing the use of "echoes", an antisemitic marker which uses triple parentheses around names used to identify Jews and people of the Jewish faith on social media.[14][15][16] It is part of the broader alt-right movement in the United States.[17][18]

The royal commission of inquiry into the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings stated that the shooter donated to several far-right groups and individuals, including $131.02 to TRS Radio in September 2017.[19]

The Right Stuff was among the first websites to make use of the term "cuckservative".[20][21] According to the Anti-Defamation League, The Right Stuff, like similar organizations such as The Daily Stormer (a neo-Nazi website founded by Andrew Anglin), has coalesced into a network of regional groups known as "TRS Pool Parties" to coordinate activities in the real world, such as posting fliers promoting "white heritage" in various cities and universities in the United States and Canada.[22]

The Daily Shoah[]

First broadcast in August 2014 and published weekly (and now three times every week),[23] The Daily Shoah's name uses the Hebrew language word referring to the Holocaust.[24] Peinovich originally created the show to be libertarian, and later began sharing antisemitic conspiracy theories around Episode 19, after reading The Culture of Critique series of books by Kevin B. MacDonald.[25][26][non-primary source needed]

On the show Peinovich, along with co-host Jesse Dunstan ("Seventh Son") and a rotating panel of co-hosts and guests (known as "the Death Panel") has addressed topics such as immigration, white nationalism, race relations, feminism, Zionism, anti-globalization and political correctness.[27]

The podcast is credited with creating the triple parentheses meme, also known as (((echo))), an antisemitic symbol that has been used to highlight the names of individuals of Jewish ethnicity.[28][29][30]

As of January 2017, The Daily Shoah reportedly had an audience of 100,000 listeners.[17]

Doxing incident[]

In January 2017, users of the imageboard website 8chan leaked the identities of several of its key contributors, including Peinovich, and revealed that his wife was Jewish.[8][9] Other information released included the names of his family members, his job as a software developer, his home address on Manhattan's Upper East Side neighborhood, and his hometown of Maplewood, New Jersey.[31] After initially attempting to deny the reports, Peinovich later admitted that the allegations were true.[17] Though Peinovich initially planned to leave the network, he quickly changed his mind and vowed to continue his activities.[32]

In an audio statement released on their podcast, Daily Shoah co-host Seventh Son announced that Peinovich and his wife were separating.[32][25] The revelation was met with mixed but mostly supportive reactions from individuals including David Duke,[33] and Richard B. Spencer.[32]

Peinovich’s father asked him to change his surname in light of his neo-Nazi political activities as "Mike Enoch."[11]

Political activities[]

After U.S. Congressman Steve King tweeted praise for Netherlands political candidate Geert Wilders's stance against further immigration to Europe, Peinovich joined other alt-right voices in approval of King's position, stating "King doubles down. Great job. Take note cucks, this is how you *actually* fight the left."[34]

Peinovich had expressed support for Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election and the first months of his term, but disavowed him in April 2017 after Donald Trump ordered missile strikes against Syria. On April 9, Peinovich took part in an anti-war protest opposing the 2017 Shayrat missile strike, in which 59 Tomahawk Cruise missiles were launched by the United States against the Shayrat Airbase controlled by the government forces of Bashar al-Assad.[35] The protest, organized by Richard B. Spencer, was counter-protested by anti-fascist activists.[35] On the next episode of The Daily Shoah, Peinovich and Spencer railed against the perceived attitudes of mainstream conservatives, especially Baby Boomers, and spoke about the growing (and, in their opinions, undue) influence of Ivanka Trump and Senior Adviser Jared Kushner on President Donald Trump,[36][37] as well as neoconservative and pro-Israel influences within the Trump administration.[38] He also commented that the alt-right was now "the only legitimate anti-war movement in the United States," and that the Antifa counter-protesters supported Trump and the military strike by virtue of counter-protesting an anti-war demonstration.[38]

On 18 April 2017, Peinovich joined Richard B. Spencer in giving a talk at Auburn University where he expressed that he and the movement were breaking away from the new direction that the Trump administration was taking.[39] While Auburn administration had initially cancelled the planned event, citing safety concerns, Peinovich assisted Spencer in filing a lawsuit on First Amendment grounds.[39] United States federal judge William Keith Watkins issued a ruling requiring Auburn to allow Spencer and Peinovich to speak.[40]

In April 2018, he was retweeted by Ann Coulter following his dissemination of conspiracy theories relating to the Douma chemical attack in Syria claiming it was faked. After Newsweek asked Twitter for a comment, his account was suspended.[41]

See also[]

  • Antisemitism in the United States
  • Criticism of multiculturalism
  • Criticism of Judaism

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ "Michael "Enoch" Peinovich | Southern Poverty Law Center". Splcenter.org. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  2. ^ Lisi, Brian (January 17, 2017). "Neo-Nazi blog struggles after founder's wife is revealed to be Jewish". Daily News. New York City. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  3. ^ Friedman, Dan (January 15, 2017). "Neo-Nazi Rivals Claim Their Media Kingpin Lives on Upper East Side With His Jewish Wife – The Forward". Forward.com. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  4. ^ (Marantz 2019, pp. 275-314)
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Sheffield, Matthew (16 January 2017). "The alt-right eats its own: Neo-Nazi podcaster "Mike Enoch" quits after doxxers reveal his wife is Jewish". Salon. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Hayden, Michael (1 May 2019). "Prolific Alt-Right Propagandist's Identity Confirmed". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  7. ^ (Marantz 2019, p. 45)
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Sheffield, Matthew. "The alt-right eats its own: Neo-Nazi podcaster "Mike Enoch" quits after doxxers reveal his wife is Jewish". Salon.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "White supremacist outed for having Jewish wife". The Times of Israel. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  10. ^ (Marantz 2019, pp. 275-314)
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Marantz, Andrew (October 16, 2017). "Birth of a White Supremacist". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018.
  12. ^ Staff. "Philly.com: Top Neo-Nazi Shock Jock Grew Up in Maplewood NJ", Village Green of Maplewood and South Orange, October 26, 2017. Accessed July 3, 2019. "According to a report on Philly.com today, neo-Nazi shock jock and white supremacist Mike Enoch grew up in Maplewood NJ and attended Columbia High School."
  13. ^ "Birth of a White Supremacist". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  14. ^ "(((Echoes))), Exposed: The Secret Symbol Neo-Nazis Use to Target Jews Online". Mic.com. June 1, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  15. ^ Joshua Eaton (June 6, 2016). "Secret Neo-Nazi Message on Social Media: (((Echoes))) - Anti-Semitism". Teen Vogue. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  16. ^ "Anti-Zionist Chrome extension highlighted Jews for attack online". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c Palmer, Ewan (January 17, 2017). "Founder of Neo-Nazi blog quits after he was revealed to have Jewish wife". International Business Times UK. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  18. ^ Sara Ganim and Chris Welch. "How white nationalists are losing faith in Trump". CNN. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  19. ^ Part 4 - The terrorist | 4. General life in New Zealand Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Terrorist Attack on Christchurch Mosques on 15 March 2019.
  20. ^ "Getting Cucky: A Brief Primer On The Radical Right's Newest 'Cuckservative' Meme | Southern Poverty Law Center". Splcenter.org. August 7, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  21. ^ Weigel, David (July 29, 2015). "'Cuckservative' — the conservative insult of the month, explained". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  22. ^ "Alt Right Moving From Online to Real-World Activity". Anti-Defamation League. February 13, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017. During the fall of 2016 up until the present, people associated with alt right groups such as Identity Evropa, American Vanguard and The Right Stuff (TRS) have been posting fliers that promote "white heritage" at campuses around the country. TRS is a website but some of its followers have cohered into something like a real-world group.
  23. ^ Seventh Son (August 3, 2014). "The Daily Shoah! Episode 1". The Daily Shoah. The Right Stuff Radio. Retrieved August 28, 2016.[dead link]
  24. ^ "For the Alt-Right, the Message Is in the Punctuation". The New York Times.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b Seventh Son (January 17, 2017). "The Sorta Shoah". The Right Stuff. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  26. ^ Musonius Rufus (January 18, 2017). "Rebel Shoah 20170118 Fashy Struggle Session". SoundCloud. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  27. ^ "About Us". The Right Stuff. Archived from the original on September 1, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  28. ^ Fleishman, Cooper; Smith, Anthony (June 1, 2016). "(((Echoes))), Exposed: The Secret Symbol Neo-Nazis Use to Target Jews Online". Mic.com. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  29. ^ Anti-Defamation League. "Echo". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  30. ^ Fleishman, Cooper; Smith, Anthony (June 6, 2016). "The Neo-Nazi (((Echoes))) Symbol Is Officially Hate Speech". Mic.com. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  31. ^ Dan Friedman (January 15, 2017). "Racist Rivals Claim Neo-Nazi Media Kingpin Lives on Upper East Side With His Jewish Wife". The Forward. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b c Sheffield, Matthew. "Disgraced Neo-Nazi pundit "Mike Enoch" vows to expand racist podcast network, despite alt-right doxxing war". Salon. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  33. ^ "Neo-Nazi blog struggles after founder's wife identified as Jewish". NY Daily News. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  34. ^ "White Supremacists Praise Rep. Steve King's Racist Tweet". Anti-Defamation League. March 15, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  35. ^ Jump up to: a b Wallace, Hunter (April 9, 2017). "Antifa Protest Alt-Right For Protesting Trump's Syrian Intervention". Altright.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  36. ^ Baker, Peter; Thrush, Glenn; Haberman, Maggie (April 15, 2017). "Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump: Pillars of Family-Driven West Wing". nytimes.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  37. ^ Dawsey, Josh; Vogel, Kenneth P.; Isenstadt, Alex (April 1, 2017). "Kushner's privileged status stokes resentment in White House". POLITICO. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  38. ^ Jump up to: a b Seventh Son (April 11, 2017). "THE DAILY SHOAH #146: Soldiers of Foreskin". radio.therightstuff.biz. Retrieved May 1, 2017.[dead link]
  39. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Alt-Right and Donald Trump Get a Divorce". New Republic. April 26, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  40. ^ Travis M. Andrews (April 19, 2017). "Federal judge stops Auburn from canceling white nationalist Richard Spencer speech. Protests and a scuffle greet him". Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2017. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins in Montgomery, Ala., Tuesday barred Auburn from blocking Spencer, stating there was no evidence that he advocates violence. "Discrimination on the basis of message content cannot be tolerated under the First Amendment," he wrote in the ruling.
  41. ^ Hayden, Michael Edison (April 16, 2018). "Ann Coulter retweets White Nationalist Charlottesville Leader who attacked Trump with Syria Conspiracy Theory". Newsweek.

References[]

  • Marantz, Andrew (2019). Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation. Penguin. ISBN 9780525522263.
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