Augustus Sol Invictus (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

for 'majestic undefeated sun'; born Austin Mitchell Gillespie; July 31, 1983) is an American

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

political activist, attorney, blogger, and

white nationalist White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara. ''Hate Crimes''. Greenwoo ...

. Invictus was a candidate for the Libertarian Party nomination in the

2016 United States Senate election in Florida The 2016 United States Senate election in Florida was held November 8, 2016 to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Florida, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to ...

. Local party chairman Adrian Wyllie resigned over his candidacy and the unwillingness of the party to disavow it. He lost overwhelmingly in the

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works ...

to opponent Paul Stanton, garnering 26.5% of votes cast. In a press release from 2015, Invictus was accused by the

Libertarian Party of Florida The Libertarian Party of Florida, or LPF, is the state of Florida's official affiliate with the Libertarian National Committee. The organization was founded in 1987 and its executive committee was incorporated in 2012. Current Officers: Steven N ...

of advocating for

eugenics Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior o ...

and "state-sponsored murder". In April 2017, the Libertarian Party of Florida, following

mediation Mediation is a structured, interactive process where an impartial third party neutral assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques. All participants in mediation are ...

, issued a retraction of the 2015 press release, stating that "it exceeded the mandate of the executive committee", and declaring that "Mr. Invictus has always been a member in good standing, is a past chair of the Libertarian Party of Orange County, a sponsor of the 2016 and 2017 LPF State Conventions, as well as a dedicated volunteer on the Legislative Review Committee." In July 2017, Invictus changed his party affiliation to

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, announcing his candidacy for the

2018 United States Senate election in Florida The 2018 United States Senate election in Florida was held on November 6, 2018, alongside a gubernatorial election, elections to the U.S. House of Representatives and other state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson ...

. Invictus was a headline speaker at the

Unite the Right rally The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, Kl ...

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen C ...

, on August 12, 2017, that ended with three deaths. He has represented Marcus Faella, the former head of the white-supremacist group American Front, in court. Invictus is the publisher of ''The Revolutionary Conservative'', a publication which calls for a violent uprising and states that its aim is to restore the American republic and defend Western civilization. He was controversial within the Libertarian Party for his

neo-fascist Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration ...

political views and history of racist associations. He has been described by media reports as being associated with the

alt-right The alt-right, an abbreviation of alternative right, is a far-right, white nationalist movement. A largely online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late 2000s before increasing in popularity during the mid-2 ...

movement. He has proposed the repeal of several amendments to the US Constitution, stipulating that only white male citizens should be allowed to vote or own real property.

Career

Invictus graduated from the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...

with a BA with honors in philosophy. Following his graduation, he attended

DePaul University College of Law The DePaul University College of Law is the professional graduate law school of DePaul University in Chicago. The College of Law’s facilities encompass nine floors across two buildings, with features such as the Vincent G. Rinn Law Library and ...

and graduated in 2011. While in law school, Invictus earned a fellowship at the International Human Rights Law Institute. His work centered on international criminal law and the laws of armed conflict. He has been admitted to the bar in Florida, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, and the Middle District of Florida in the US District Court. He was managing partner of Imperium, P.A., a law firm he founded in 2013, until his retirement from the practice of law in 2017. Invictus is currently the publisher of ''The Revolutionary Conservative'', a far-right publication with the stated aim of "restoring the American republic and defending Western Civilization". Invictus was a headlined speaker at the

, on August 12, 2017, where a white supremacist drove his vehicle into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer. The ''

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.nvictushad."

2016 U.S. Senate campaign

On May 19, 2015, Invictus announced his campaign for the U.S Senate as a candidate for the Libertarian Party in the 2016 Florida election. In response to Invictus's campaign, Adrian Wyllie resigned from his position as chairman of the

, calling Invictus a "violent

Fascist Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...

and

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

" whose ideology was incompatible with

libertarianism Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's en ...

and saying he did not want to be part of the same party. The chairman also accused Invictus of supporting

and of "sadistically dismembering a goat in a ritualistic sacrifice". Invictus responded by admitting that he once wrote a paper advocating eugenics but saying that he has since changed his mind. He said he had sacrificed the goat and drunk its blood as part of a ritual to give thanks for surviving a pilgrimage in spring 2013, but denied it was "sadistic". He has also said that he is not a

white supremacist White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White s ...

, citing the fact that his children are part

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

; he acknowledged that some white supremacists support his campaign, while claiming he does not associate with them. In 2014, he acted as attorney for Marcus Faella of the American Front in his legal appeal. In May 2016, Invictus began the "Possibility of Revolution" tour in Florida, speaking in Orlando, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Tampa, Fort Myers, and Miami in one continuous circuit. At the end of this tour, Paul Stanton entered the Senate race, creating the first Libertarian primary for the United States Senate in Florida history. Invictus lost the primary election on August 30, 2016, with Stanton receiving 73.5% of the vote.

Views

During his campaign, a letter written by Invictus in 2013 came to light in which he renounced his citizenship and claimed to have plans of venturing out in the woods only to return bringing war: Invictus has been accused of supporting state-sponsored eugenics for a paper he wrote as a law student. Invictus, however, wrote a disclaimer to the paper stating that although he believes the strong and intelligent should breed and the weak and stupid should not, he does not believe that the government can be trusted to implement such a program. Invictus has been identified as a

Holocaust denier Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: * ...

. He has said: "Do I believe that 6 million Jews were killed by evil Hitler? Is that what you’re asking me? ... Okay, then I am still waiting to see those facts." Invictus has proposed repealing the Fourteenth,

Fifteenth In music, a fifteenth or double octave, abbreviated ''15ma'', is the interval between one musical note and another with one-quarter the wavelength or quadruple the frequency. It has also been referred to as the bisdiapason. The fourth harmonic, ...

, and Nineteenth Amendments to the

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the nati ...

, insisting that only white male citizens should have the right to vote or own real property. Invictus believes that the United States should embrace a

non-interventionist Non-interventionism or non-intervention is a political philosophy or national foreign policy doctrine that opposes interference in the domestic politics and affairs of other countries but, in contrast to isolationism, is not necessarily opposed t ...

approach to foreign policy, arguing that an interventionist approach has resulted in the loss of American lives and the accumulation of trillions of dollars in debt. He opposes using the U.S. military to protect US national interests or prevent meddling in US affairs. Invictus advocates for balancing the budget, shrinking the size of government, ceasing "reckless" government spending and deregulating American business. He is also in favor of repealing the

personal income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...

, abolishing the

IRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...

and recreating the tax code. He is for an expanded federal role in protecting the environment. According to Invictus, he does not support mass immigration and is against open borders for the United States. However, he supports policies that would streamline the process of immigration and

naturalization Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

so that immigrants who wish to integrate and work in the United States can do so with ease. Invictus believes that abortion should be illegal in most circumstances. Invictus is opposed to the

War on Drugs The war on drugs is a global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the United States.Cockburn and St. Clair, 1 ...

and has labeled it a failure. He supports repealing the

Controlled Substances Act The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is the statute establishing federal U.S. drug policy under which the manufacture, importation, possession, use, and distribution of certain substances is regulated. It was passed by the 91st United States ...

and abolishing the DEA. He believes that the United States should find alternative forms of energy so as to reduce U.S dependence on foreign energy. He does not believe there should be a trade-off between

economic freedom Economic freedom, or economic liberty, is the ability of people of a society to take economic actions. This is a term used in economic and policy debates as well as in the philosophy of economics. One approach to economic freedom comes from the l ...

and the destruction of the environment.

Personal life

He dropped out of college and by 2006 he was married, and a father of four

multi-ethnic Mixed race people are people of more than one race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyethnic'', occasionally ''bi-eth ...

children. Augustus Invictus was born Austin Gillespie, and in 2006 he legally changed his name to Augustus Sol Invictus. Until 2022 he was a

Thelemite Thelema () is a Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley (1875–1947), an English writer, mystic, occultist, and ceremonial magician. The word ...

, though was expelled from the Thelemic fraternal organization, Ordo Templi Orientis; he also identified as a

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. I ...

. As of 2022, he has reverted to the

Catholic Faith The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and identifies as a traditionalist.

Legal issues

Invictus has been accused of crimes including domestic violence, stalking, and threats of bodily harm verbally and with a firearm, which have been reported to law enforcement in Florida at least ten times. The first such allegation which gained public attention was reported in 2017 by his ex-fiancée. The ''Huffington Post'' reported that in July 2017, police in Orlando, Florida, "recommended that charges of domestic battery by strangulation and aggravated battery be filed against Invictus." According to the article, charges were never filed due to both a lack of evidence and a lack of cooperation from the alleged victim. The victim stated to police that she hesitated as a result of feeling intimidated by Invictus's connections to white-supremacist organizations and legal expertise in addition to her allegations of serial acts of violence. Invictus was arrested in Melbourne, Florida, on January 1, 2020, on charges of "kidnapping, 'high and aggravated' domestic violence and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence". Upon his arrest in Melbourne, Invictus was then extradited to Rock Hill, South Carolina, where the alleged crimes, this time against another woman, who is his estranged wife, occurred. He requested a bail hearing which occurred on February 14, 2020, and his accuser made a statement to the court recounting her allegations. Her claims match as a pattern, the description of the acts Invictus's prior accuser had alleged he perpetrated. For example, his wife alleged he had abused her for 6 years via assaults including punching her in the stomach to avoid visible bruises, and locking her in the bedroom for days. Also as in prior allegations by the other victim, Invictus's wife independently reported to law enforcement that he had repeatedly strangled her, threatened her life with a firearm, and used the threat to use his extremist followers to silence her, claiming he would send them to target her and end her life if she escaped. On February 14, 2020, Judge Hall in

Rock Hill, South Carolina Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fifth-largest city in the state. It is also the fourth-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte, Concord, and Gastonia (all located in North Carolina, ...

, ordered that Invictus be held in jail without bond. On February 19, 2020, kidnapping charges were dismissed after the judge asserted that the charge lacked probable cause; however, the charges of "high and aggravated" domestic violence and possession of a firearm in commission of a crime of violence remain. On March 31, 2020, the court determined that Invictus could be freed on bail after his public defender cited the risk posed to inmates by the coronavirus pandemic. However, less than three weeks after Invictus's release he was re-arrested in violation of the terms of his bond. Despite her restraining order, Invictus's wife reported that he made threatening and harassing contact with her over twenty times. He allegedly made an implied threat of violence at which point she agreed to meet him in a park with their children. At that time, Invictus allegedly spoke to their child referring to his accuser with derogatory slurs. On July 23, 2020, Invictus was denied a fourth request for bail by a judge in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Stalking charges in Florida were dropped on August 4, 2020, after prosecutors determined the case was "not suitable for prosecution". On August 25, 2020, Invictus was granted release bail in York County, South Carolina. On April 19, 2022, Invictus was found not guilty of all charges after the jury deliberated for 30 minutes. The alleged victim, Invictus's wife, did not attend the trial to testify. After his acquittal, Invictus publicly requested letters of apology from authorities responsible for his arrest and prosecution.

Electoral history

References

External links

The Revolutionary Conservative

Invictus for Senate

Invictus for President MMXX
{{DEFAULTSORT:Invictus, Augustus Sol 1983 births Living people 21st-century American lawyers American Holocaust deniers American traditionalist Catholics Traditionalist Catholic conspiracy theorists Converts to Roman Catholicism from pagan religions Candidates in the 2016 United States Senate elections Candidates in the 2018 United States Senate elections DePaul University alumni American drug policy reform activists Florida lawyers Florida Libertarians Florida Republicans Non-interventionism University of South Florida alumni American neo-fascists Candidates in the 2020 United States presidential election American Thelemites Far-right politicians in the United States