A Las Vegas-based lawyer specializing in free-speech cases is representing the publisher of a leading neo-Nazi website who has been sued for orchestrating an anti-Semitic online trolling campaign against a Montana family.<\/p>\n
Marc Randazza told The Associated Press on Friday that his law firm is defending The Daily Stormer's founder, Andrew Anglin, against a federal lawsuit that real estate agent Tanya Gersh filed against him in April. <\/p>\n
\"Everybody deserves to have their constitutional rights defended,\" Randazza said. \"Nobody needs the First Amendment to protect Mr. Rogers. That's not what it's there for.\" <\/p>\n
Gersh is represented by attorneys from the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups. <\/p>\n
Gersh's suit claims anonymous internet trolls bombarded her family with hateful and threatening messages after Anglin unleashed a \"campaign of terror\" by publishing their personal information, including her 12-year-old son's Twitter handle and photo. <\/p>\n
In a string of posts, Anglin accused Gersh and other Jewish residents of Whitefish, Montana, of engaging in an \"extortion racket\" against the mother of white nationalist Richard Spencer. <\/p>\n
The suit accuses Anglin of invading Gersh's privacy, intentionally inflicting \"emotional distress\" and violating a Montana anti-intimidation law. <\/p>\n
Randazza, who said Anglin never directly sent any messages to Gersh, argued the suit's allegations \"leave room for disagreement\" over whether Anglin did anything wrong. <\/p>\n
Randazza's clients have included adult entertainment websites; the 8chan online message board, a popular forum for racist internet trolls; and Mike Cernovich, a right-wing author and attorney who has promoted a conspiracy theory about Democrats running a child-sex slavery ring from a Washington pizza restaurant's basement. <\/p>\n
\"If it's unpopular and people want to shut it up, then we have represented them,\" Randazza said. <\/p>\n
The Daily Stormer used a crowdfunding website, WeSearchr, to raise more than $152,000 in donations from nearly 2,000 contributors to help pay for its legal expenses. <\/p>\n
Anglin uses a mailing address in Worthington, Ohio, for his website, which takes its name from Der Strmer, a newspaper that published Nazi propaganda. The site includes sections called \"Jewish Problem\" and \"Race War.\" <\/p>\n
Other targets of The Daily Stormer and its \"Troll Army\" of readers have included prominent journalists, a British Parliament member and Alex Jones, a radio host and conspiracy theorist whom Anglin derided as a \"Zionist Millionaire.\" <\/p>\n
Gersh's lawsuit said she agreed to help Richard Spencer's mother sell commercial property she owns in Whitefish amid talk of a protest outside the building. Sherry Spencer, however, later accused Gersh of threatening and harassing her into agreeing to sell the property. <\/p>\n
Anglin's initial Dec. 16 post about Gersh urged readers to \"take action\" against her and other Jewish residents of Whitefish, posting their telephone numbers, email addresses and Twitter handles. <\/p>\n
\"And hey if you're in the area, maybe you should stop by and tell her in person what you think of her actions,\" he added. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
See the rest here:<\/p>\n
First Amendment lawyer defending neo-Nazi website publisher - San Francisco Chronicle<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Las Vegas-based lawyer specializing in free-speech cases is representing the publisher of a leading neo-Nazi website who has been sued for orchestrating an anti-Semitic online trolling campaign against a Montana family. Marc Randazza told The Associated Press on Friday that his law firm is defending The Daily Stormer's founder, Andrew Anglin, against a federal lawsuit that real estate agent Tanya Gersh filed against him in April. \"Everybody deserves to have their constitutional rights defended,\" Randazza said. Continue reading