Joseph Charles Tommasi (April 15, 1951 – August 15, 1975) was an American

Neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

who founded the

National Socialist Liberation Front The National Socialist Liberation Front (NSLF) was originally established as a youth wing of the National Socialist White People's Party in 1969. In 1974 it was reconstituted as a separate neo-Nazi organization after its leader Joseph Tommasi ha ...

. He advocated

extremism Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied share ...

and armed

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...

against the U.S. government and what he called its "Jewish power structure." Tommasi wanted

anarchy Anarchy is a society without a government. It may also refer to a society or group of people that entirely rejects a set hierarchy. ''Anarchy'' was first used in English in 1539, meaning "an absence of government". Pierre-Joseph Proudhon adopted ...

and

lawlessness Lawlessness is a lack of law, in any of the various senses of that word. Lawlessness may describe various conditions. In society Anomie is a breakdown of social bonds between an individual and their community, in which individuals do not feel bo ...

so that the "system" could be attacked without protection. Tommasi was derisively nicknamed "Tomato Joe" by rival neo-Nazis because of his Italian heritage and "less than Nordic complexion."

Politics

Influenced by

William Luther Pierce William Luther Pierce III (September 11, 1933 – July 23, 2002) was an American neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and far-right political activist. For more than 30 years, he was one of the highest-profile individuals of the white nationalist movem ...

, Tommasi first rose to prominence as a young leader within the National Socialist White People's Party (NSWPP, earlier known as the

American Nazi Party The American Nazi Party (ANP) is an American far-right and neo-Nazi political party founded by George Lincoln Rockwell and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The organization was originally named the World Union of Free Enterprise National ...

) in

Arlington County, Virginia Arlington County is a County (United States), county in the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the Washington, D.C., District of Co ...

. In 1969, Tommasi launched the

(NSLF) as a youth wing of the American Nazi Party. In 1970,

David Duke David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is an American white supremacist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, far-right politician, convicted felon, and former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. From 1989 to 1992, he was a member ...

joined the organization. In February 1972,

Irv Rubin Irving David Rubin (April 12, 1945 – November 13, 2002) was a Canadian-born American political and religious activist who served as chairman of the Jewish Defense League (JDL) from 1985 to 2002. He committed suicide in jail when awaiting trial on ...

, a Jewish militant of the

Jewish Defense League The Jewish Defense League (JDL) is a Jewish far-right religious-political organization in the United States and Canada, whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary". It has been classified as "a right w ...

, was arrested after firing at Tommasi. The NSWPP had splintered following the 1967 murder of

George Lincoln Rockwell George Lincoln Rockwell (March 9, 1918 – August 25, 1967) was an American far-right political activist and founder of the American Nazi Party. He later became a major figure in the neo-Nazi movement in the United States, and his beliefs, st ...

, and Tommasi frequently found himself at odds with Rockwell's successor,

Matthias Koehl Matthias Koehl Jr. (January 22, 1935 – October 9, 2014) was an American Marine, neo-Nazi politician and writer. He succeeded George Lincoln Rockwell as the longest serving leader of the American Nazi Party, from 1967 to 2014. Like the Ch ...

. Koehl, a strait-laced follower of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

, objected to Tommasi's radical viewpoints, as well as his personal habits, which included smoking

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

, wearing long hair, listening to

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

and inviting a girlfriend for sex at NSWPP headquarters. These led to Tommasi being ejected from the NSWPP in 1973. In March 1974, Tommasi launched the NSLF as a separate organization. The group attracted many of the younger and more radical members of the NSWPP. It used propaganda such as pictures showing the twisted wreckage of a

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...

branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk (botany), trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term '' ...

. Tommasi sought membership among white college students who felt alienated by both the radical

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

movement as well as the mainstream conservative right. However, Tommasi had not given up trying to regain control of the NSWPP.

Death

On August 15, 1975, Tommasi was killed by a single bullet to the head in front of the headquarters of the NSWPP in

El Monte, California } El Monte (Spanish for "The Mountain") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city lies in the San Gabriel Valley, east of the city of Los Angeles. El Monte's slogan is "Welcome to Friendly El Monte" and is historically ...

. Numerous weapons were found at the headquarters, including a gun that had been recently fired. David Rust, who was with Tommasi at the time, stated that someone had directed an obscene gesture towards them. Witnesses said that Tommasi walked into the front yard carrying a club and got into an argument. One NSWPP member allegedly told him that if he came any closer, he would be shot. Jerry Keith Jones, 18 years old, was suspected in the murder. Tommasi was buried at

Rose Hills Memorial Park Rose Hills Memorial Park is located in Whittier, California. It is currently owned and operated by Service Corporation International (formerly, Loewen Group). It claims to be the largest cemetery in North America. Sites ; Mausoleums * Whittier ...

Legacy

Tommasi's life inspired fellow neo-Nazi

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was the top box-office attraction in the UK in 1944 and 1945; his British films inc ...

to revive the NSLF in the early 1980s as a leaderless "philosophical concept or a state of mind" called Universal Order and to resurrect Tommasi's "Siege" periodical.

Publications

*
Building the revolutionary party
' Chillicothe, Ohio : National Socialist Liberation Front * ''POLITICAL TERROR'' (1974 leaflet)

References

External links

The Post-war Paths of Occult National Socialism
From Rockwell and Madole to Manson by Jeffrey Kaplan {{DEFAULTSORT:Tommasi, Joeseph 1951 births 1975 deaths American people of Italian descent American neo-Nazis Leaders of political parties in the United States American murder victims Deaths by firearm in California 1975 murders in the United States American Nazi Party members