"The Daily Stormer" Troubles Not Over

There's a storm brewing for Andrew Anglin, founder of neo-Nazi website "The Daily Stormer."

Sirius XM host Dean Obeidallah, who is of Muslim-American descent, is suing because a June 1 article posted on "The Daily Stormer" implied that Obeidallah was behind the Manchester, England bombing at a May 22, 2017 Ariana Grande concert. 22 people were killed at 59 were injured.

The suit alleges that "The Daily Stormer" altered messages to make it seem as though they were from Obeidallah's account and embedded them in the article, and the radio host said what happened next was catastrophic.

Obeidallah said he received death threats, including statements that he'd "earned a spot at the gallows," and his suit says while he supports the First Amendment strongly, he does not believe that should extend to defamation of character.

"He recognizes the importance of freedom of speech and political discourse, regardless of viewpoint. But the First Amendment does not license defamation," the suit reads.

This will not have been the first time that "The Daily Stormer" has faced legal action. Montana mom Tanya Gersh was, in April of this year, embroiled in a lawsuit against the neo-Nazi site due to what she called a “coordinated, repulsive, threatening campaign of anti-Semitic harassment.” The harassment against her and her family—simply because they were of Jewish descent and were somehow, at least because they were Whitefish, Montana residents, embroiled in a dispute with Richard Spencer, a prominent white nationalist—became so bad that she says she had bags packed by the door in the event she, her husband, and their 12-year-old son had to flee their home in the middle of the night. Reportedly, Gersh was accused, via the site, of trying to extort Spencer's mother, while Gersh said that there was a misinterpretation regarding their communication.

Andrew Anglin, publisher of "The Daily Stormer," said that while he'd briefly been able to publish the site via a Russian domain earlier on August 17, he was effectively "banned from the internet," and was struggling to find a provider so he could continue to publish content for the website.

Part of the reason why Obeidallah came to the attention of "The Daily Stormer" is because of a 2015 article he wrote for The Daily Beast, calling on Republicans to denounce white nationalists who had been openly supportive of Donald Trump's run for the presidency.

The suit was filed in the United States District Court in the Southern District of Ohio, naming Anglin and other publishers of "The Daily Stormer" as defendants. Compensatory damages and a jury trial are being sought, while the suit alleges libel and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Obeidallah noted that in the current political climate, it was more important than ever before to stand up and speak out when hateful rhetoric appears to reign supreme.

Seeming to paraphrase Trump's words from a few days ago, Obeidallah said, "There aren’t two sides to white supremacy, white supremacism, anti-Muslim bigotry, or racism.”

Obeidallah may be the latest in a number of individuals who have been targeted by "The Daily Stormer" and its audience, but it's clear that, like so many others that are trying to make their voices heard in the United States, he is determined to not let hate win. While Anglin continues to try and find a home for his website and deal with the lawsuits from Gersh and Obeidallah, there's also a voice still being heard that's fighting for peace and the hate to settle down. Both sides—the hate and the peace—will no doubt continue to fight to be heard for some time to come.