Latest news with #RTTL
The Independent
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Far-right group establishes ‘whites-only' community with 40 residents
Joe Sommerlad Thursday 24 July 2025 17:12 BST Return to the Land's first settlement site in rural Arkansas (Aarvoll/YouTube) Return to the Land (RTTL), a far-right ethnonationalist group, has established a "whites-only" community in remote Arkansas and is reportedly planning expansion into Missouri. Describing itself as a private membership association, RTTL welcomes only individuals of "European ancestry" with "traditional views," aiming to separate from modern society. RTTL's flagship community spans approximately 150 acres of land, is home to 40 inhabitants, and features its own cabins, roads, wells, a community center, and a schoolhouse. A second community was established near the first in January this year and the group lists aspirations to move into the Appalachian mountains on its website. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, the NAACP, and the Anti-Defamation League have raised significant concerns, accusing RTTL of racial discrimination and attempting to revive segregation. In full
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Whites-only community plotting expansion to another state as its efforts to build a ‘white nation' continue
A far-right ethnonationalist group that has set up a 'whites-only' community in a remote part of the Ozarks in northeastern Arkansas is reportedly exploring the possibility of expanding north into Missouri. Return to the Land (RTTL), which describes itself as a private membership association (PMA) for individuals with 'traditional views and European ancestry,' opened its first community in Arkansas in October 2023 and is now considering entering a second state, likely near Springfield, according to NBC's regional affiliate KSNT. The group is opposed to mass immigration, multiculturalism and 'forced integration' and reportedly does not welcome non-white, non-Christian or LGBT+ people, explaining that its members are seeking to 'separate ourselves from a failing modern society' and return to pastoral living. 'You want a white nation? Build a white town?' RTTL's co-founder Eric Orwoll asks in an X video promoting the initiative. 'It can be done. We're doing it.' RTTL's flagship community spans approximately 150 acres of land, is home to 40 inhabitants, and features its own cabins, roads, wells, a community center, and a schoolhouse. It was followed by a second site nearby that opened in January this year, with the group listing a further Ozarks site as upcoming and aspirations to move into the Appalachian mountains on its website. Speaking to Sky News journalist Tom Cheshire – who visited RTTL's first 'fortress for the white race' and found a world of fresh goat's milk, flute recitals, family kickball games and creek swimming – Orwoll expressed a nostalgia for the America of the 17th century encountered by the Virginia settlers. 'I would probably feel more comfortable there because I'm white and that's the way this country was when my ancestors came there,' he said, overlooking the Native Americans soon to be displaced by the colonists. 'Even if an individual has all the same values that I have, if they have an ethnic identity that other people share and care about, their children will also have that identity, and their children might not necessarily have all the same beliefs that they have.' On his ambitions for RTTL's expansion, he said: 'I would like to have more communities so that people in all parts of the U.S. have this as an option if they want. I would also like us to network and branch out internationally.' Part of that branching out includes online fundraising campaigns, one of which seeks donations to enable the group to pay 'cash rewards to parents of newborns as a means to incentivize population growth,' which was halfway towards its modest $10,000 goal at the time of writing. For a back-to-nature movement, RTTL is surprisingly active on social media, posting updates on the progress of its construction projects, wildlife photography, and even illustrations from children's books to promote its vision of rural idyll. Orwoll – who frames the debate surrounding his project as a 'First Amendment issue' and a 'freedom issue' about 'doing what we want on our own private land' – has invested tens of thousands of dollars into research on its legality. 'The attorneys we've consulted believe what we're doing is legal,' he told KSNT. 'Americans have the right to freely associate and form intentional communities on whatever basis they choose.' Orwoll believes its PMA status exempts it from legislation like the Civil Rights Act or the Fair Housing Act, which mandate equality and outlaw discrimination, although that is by no means an opinion shared by all experts. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, for one, said in a statement responding to RTTL's practices: 'Racial discrimination has no place in Arkansas or anywhere in a free society. These allegations raise all sorts of legal issues, including constitutional concerns. My office is reviewing the matter.' Barry Jefferson, president of the Arkansas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), said: 'I just truly believe that we don't need to get back to the Jim Crow era. We've been through that before. I think no one should be discriminated against because of their skin colour. 'If you really look deep into the Civil Rights Act, it doesn't state that. I think they're misunderstanding what it states because there have been many organisations that tried to carve that out. That's not right.' The Anti-Defamation League has been even more blunt about RTTL, accusing it of trying to revive 'discredited and reprehensible forms of segregation.' Asked by Sky about the more overtly racist aspects of his organization, including the sharing of white supremacist slogans in its Telegram channel and his own thoughts on a 'second coming' of Adolf Hitler, Orwoll did not shy away, saying conventional opinion on the Nazi leader is 'one-sided' and informed by Second World War propaganda. 'I think all historical figures are complex, multi-dimensional,' he said. 'But when I say, 'you're gonna have to wait for that new Hitler to arise', I'm not saying you're going to have to wait for a new person to start a new Holocaust. 'I am saying you are going to wait for a charismatic leader who is going to advocate for your interests because that's how a lot of people see Hitler.' Solve the daily Crossword
Sky News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Inside the whites-only settlement in Arkansas: The group building a 'Fortress for the White Race'
by Tom Cheshire, Data and Forensics Correspondent "You want a white nation? Build a white town," Eric Orwoll says, in one video posted on social media. "It can be done. We're doing it." As the Arkansas sun beats down, dozens of men are hammering posts into the red-brown earth, building a fence to mark out the boundary. Over the last year and a half, high up in the hills and woods of the Ozarks, the group has been working hard: levelling the land, laying roads, building cabins. There are wells, a community centre and a school house, where the children do their lessons. The settlement sprawls over 160 acres and it's called Return to the Land. Its founders say it is an "intentional community based around shared ancestry". Writing on X, they are more straightforward: "We started a Whites only community." Around 40 people live here and hundreds more, from all around the world, have paid to be members. Warning: this report contains themes of racism and homophobia which some readers might find distressing Orwoll is the leader of Return to the Land, or RTTL. Blonde-haired and blue-eyed, he says he is building a "fortress for the white race". And he has invited me in. RTTL is at the vanguard of an ethnonationalist movement that has been organising online – a network that aims to define countries by ethnicity but which links across borders. There are plenty of Nazi references on the group's public chat on Telegram. Peter Csere has posted the phrase 1488. 14 refers to the "14 words", a white supremacist slogan. And H is the eighth letter of the alphabet, so 88 means HH, which means "Heil Hitler". He says that is "a funny comment, a throwback". Orwoll, in his videos, has talked about the coming of a second Hitler, saying he won't arrive unless people "do the work". I ask him about this. "Well, there I am, honestly, I'm addressing the sentiments of my audience," Orwell says. "Hitler is a very controversial historical figure. I think the mainstream view is one-sided. It's informed by World War II propaganda, but also the contrary position that Hitler did nothing wrong, that many people online say: that's also a one-sided view. "I think all historical figures are complex, multi-dimensional, but when I say, 'you're gonna have to wait for that new Hitler to arise', I'm not saying you're going to have to wait for a new person to start a new Holocaust. I am saying you are going to wait for a charismatic leader who is going to advocate for your interests because that's how a lot of people see Hitler." Orwoll insists what he is doing is entirely legal, because it is a private club and so exempt from equality legislation. Experts I spoke to doubt that. But the group has invested tens of thousands of dollars in legal research and believes that it has created a viable framework for many more communities to come - both in the US and worldwide. Three other settlements are under way right now, all part of what Orwoll sees as a "path to power". THE LAY OF THE LAND Friday evening, and around 20 members of RTTL are sitting outside on the benches in the communal area, eating burgers and drinking warm milk, fresh from the goats kept on the land. Many of the wider group did not want to be here with journalists; I'm told they include law enforcement officers and federal agents. The site is at the end of a dirt road, through a small river and then up into the hills. The nearest community is Ravenden, population 423. These are remote parts and RTTL chose them deliberately. This is an online movement that picked Arkansas for its real world action because of its low land prices and less demanding building regulations. It is scratchy living, extremely hot even in May, and full of ticks that burrow into people's skin. I'm interested to see what makes people give up their old lives for this. David and Caitlin are two of them. They were among the first to sign up more than a year ago, separately. They got married last month. "Somebody had posted a video of Eric," David tells me. "I saw videos of him building stuff, and thought, 'Oh man I got to come check this out'." Caitlin felt the same. "I figure there's nothing else like this in the country, it should at least exist. Do people really think we should never be able to choose our neighbours?" IS THIS EVEN LEGAL? This is a worldview that is shared by everyone I speak to, a reaction against what they see as left-wing politics pushed too far. But many of the opinions we hear have become relatively mainstream: that mass immigration is out of control, that Western societies are in danger of losing their fundamental character as a result. That evening, it starts raining hard, and lightning flashes across the valley. People shelter inside the portacabin schoolhouse, furnished with pianos and shelves lined with books, mainly Neoplatonist philosophy, Orwoll's particular passion. More goat's milk is served before everyone goes back to their own cabins. The next day, Orwoll organises the work party, a mixture of members and people who have come to check out the project. To join the group, you have to sign up to the Private Members Association, or PMA. Followers of "non-European religions", such as Islam, are banned. So are gay people. Anything that doesn't conform to what RTTL calls "traditional views" or "European ancestry". This is RTTL's logo, a rune, inspired by Norse mythology. It sits around the camp... ...and on their website. RTTL classes itself as a Private Membership Association (PMA). The PMA is what they believe keeps this all legal. Once people have been vetted, including with a video interview to confirm their ethnicity, they can buy shares in the Limited Liability Company or LLC. Those shares translate to acres of land that members can build on. The private members' club That means, RTTL believes, they can circumvent civil rights legislation, such as the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability. Peter Csere is Orwoll's de facto number two, providing the details to fill out Orwoll's vision, including the legal framework. I ask whether this legal structure is designed as a way around the civil rights legislation - and Csere agrees. "But is this a loop hole?" he asks. "Or is this your way to maintain your right to free association, your right to various other rights that we have in the Constitution?" The civil rights challenge Barry Jefferson is the president of the Arkansas branch of the NAACP, America's oldest civil rights organisation. "I just truly believe that we don't need to get back to the Jim Crow era [of segregation]," he says. "We've been through that before. I think no one should be discriminated against because of the skin colour. "If you really look deep into Civil Rights Act, it doesn't state that. I think they're misunderstanding what it states because there have been many organisations that tried to carve that out. "That's not right." The Arkansas attorney general, Tim Griffin, gave me this statement: "This is the first I've heard of these allegations. Racial discrimination has no place in Arkansas or anywhere in a free society. These allegations raise all sorts of legal issues, including constitutional concerns. "My office is reviewing the matter." Growing a white population A lot of this is reaction to identity politics - critical race theory, and movements like Black Lives Matter. And fundamentally, this is still identity politics - but white identity politics. This is a safe space, just for people of European ancestry. While the men labour, the women of RTTL are at work too, looking after the six children who are home schooled here, and preparing the food for tonight's community dinner. The theme is colonial. Niki is 32, Alison 29 and Caitlin is 31 - none of them want their surnames to be included here. This is vital to RTTL's mission, which aims "to promote strong families with common ancestry". And it has an online fundraiser, to give, quote "cash rewards to parents of newborns as a means to incentivize population growth". Just before we arrived they donated $1,000 to a family for having their sixth child. Like many far-right movements before them, RTTL's mission is to show that by excluding others, they can live purer, more natural lives: as they put it on their website, quote, "to cultivate wholesomeness, beauty, health, and hope". So I watch on as the group plays kickball, a cross between football and rounders, before they head down to the creek for a swim. FEARS OF A RETURN TO SEGREGATION As much as RTTL might like, they do not exist in a separate world. Pocahontas is the nearest proper town to the settlement, a half-hour drive away. In a quiet residential street lies the Eddie Mae Herron centre, a low wooden building that used to be a small school. Until 1964, it was called the "Pocahontas Colored School" and it's where Pat Johnson was educated in the 1950s. She lived her formative years under segregation, when African American children were not allowed to attend schools reserved for white students. 'We could not go to school together,' Johnson, tells me. 'We couldn't eat together. We couldn't do everyday things together. So the way I felt as I grew older, that each day, that you leave your home, you were under rejection.' When I explain what Return to the Land is doing, not so far away, she worries that segregation, or at least the attitudes that allowed it to flourish, are returning: 'When you hear things like that, it causes you to be fearful and you don't know who to trust.' 'I think it's the change of our presidency,' Johnson says. 'That's what I'm going to say, because I feel like that's where the change is. It's allowing people to have the right… to be open for hatred." And the data backs that up. There's been a rise in white supremacist incidents - demonstrations, flyering, meetups and recruitment drives - over the last four years, according to ACLED, which monitors violent conflict and protest around the world. A fortress for the white race It's my last day at RTTL and Orwoll is giving a flute recital. "It's a German flute. It was a very popular instrument in colonial America," he says. Orwoll studied music at university and he plays well. His is one act in a concert put on for our entertainment, the theme, once again, colonial. Peter Csere plays the piano. Caitlin sings a song about the Virginia settlers. Orwoll would prefer those times, would prefer the US to be an entirely white country. "I would probably feel more comfortable there because I'm white and that's the way this country was when my ancestors came there." That ignores the indigenous Native Americans who were there before the Europeans, or the slaves brought over in bondage from Africa. For all Orwoll's talk of different cultures or moralities, skin colour is what matters to him. I'm white. And when I ask whether I would be accepted into RTTL on that basis, Orwoll says I probably would. I point out that I don't know anything about "White American Culture", but that he'd rather have me than say, an American from a mixed heritage background. The problem, he says, is their children. "Even if an individual has all the same values that I have, if they have an ethnic identity that other people share and care about, their children will also have that identity and their children might not necessarily have all the same beliefs that they have." Orwoll believes in the far-right conspiracy theory of "white genocide", that white people are being destroyed, deliberately, by mass immigration and cultural indoctrination. RTTL is his response to this. "When I was a kid, I suppose I interpreted racism to be judging someone solely on the basis of their race. And is that a good or bad thing?" he says. "I think the basic moral consensus treats it as automatically a bad thing without a lot of reflection." Orwoll believes social media makes his movement "far more possible". He has a network, a legal framework, and a settlement. "I would like to have more communities so that people in all parts of the US have this as an option if they want. I would also like us to network and branch out internationally." If this is the first "fortress for the white race", Orwoll would like there to be many more to come. CREDITS Reporting team: Tom Cheshire, Maz Poynter and Chris Gordon Editor: Chris Howard Production: Maz Poynter, Sara Thompson, Kaitlin Tosh, Kate Schneider and Michael Drummond Graphics: Taylor Stuart, Annie Adam and Reece Denton Top Built with Shorthand
ABC News
16-06-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Unlikely Pacific rugby alliance steps up to support Timor-Leste in sports spotlight
Timor-Leste loves sport. The streets of Dili are a cacophony of noise and kaleidoscope of colour around the clock during FIFA World Cups, city beaches are alive with pickup games every sunset, and almost every minibus, or mikrolet , crawling the streets of the capital adorns its windows in effigies of Jesus - and football stars. So the chance to host the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) Games, and welcome junior athletes from Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe, is both a significant coming-of-age event for a country once solely focused on recovering from war, and a chance to indulge one of the population's great passions. But national broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Timor-Leste | RTTL, eager to bring the Games to the host nation and beyond, found itself short of equipment, and live sports broadcasting experience with the opening ceremony – set for July 17 – approaching fast. So, the network's new President asked ABC International Development's (ABCID) Indo-Pacific Broadcast Strategy team to help find a solution. Timorese energy meets Fijian know-how Délsio Dos Santos De Jesus and Joel Da Costa Dos Reis - camera operators/switchers for Radio-Televisão Timor Leste (RTTL) - watch the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) Sports team in action at the U20s Oceania Rugby Championship in Fiji. ( Fernanda Maria ) With the cooperation of a complex network of supportive partners, it did, but not in the most obvious way. Instead, a plan was hatched to take a team of Timorese to the sideline of a rugby pitch 5600 kilometres away. 'Rugby is brutal - they are so big and so physical,' says wide-eyed RTTL Graphic Designer and Camera Operator Joel, just three weeks later at the Oceania Women's Rugby Union Championship in Sigatoka, on the south coast of Fiji's biggest island. For all its sporting passion, rugby is virtually unknown in Timor. Women's rugby played at this elite level, unimaginable. But a Timorese team of three, supported by ABCID's Dili-based Project Coordinator Fernanda Maria, made the long trip South-East to observe how Fiji's MaiTV and FBC broadcast teams deliver world-class live sports coverage with minimal equipment and crew, at the women's series in Sigatoka, and the Oceania Under-20 Men's Championships in Nadi. They then travelled to the Fijian capital to see the operations at FBC headquarters. The Radio-Televisão Timor Leste (RTTL) sports team joined forces with the Oceania Rugby Commentary and Mobile Journalism Program participants in Sigatoka, Fiji ( Fernanda Maria ) RTTL's Chief of Sport Atanásia De Jesus Araújo Guterres and camera operator/vision switchers Délsio Dos Santos De Jesus and Joel Da Costa Dos Reis are buzzing at how the learnings could be applied at the Games in July, and beyond. 'Everything was new for me,' says Délsio. 'I was impressed with how the TV crews work, especially their teamwork and communication during the live broadcast, and I would like to do the same during the CPLP Games.' Atanásia is similarly impressed by the Fijians' professionalism. 'They use the equipment and deploy crew based on the budget allocated or offered by the steering committee of the sport event,' she says. 'The crew was very solid and the way they communicate with each other was very good.' An unlikely connection Délsio Dos Santos De Jesus and Joel Da Costa Dos Reis learn from Mai-TV's team at the Women's Oceania Rugby Championship in Sigatoka, Fiji ( Fernanda Maria ) The unlikely connection was made possible when, after hearing the RTTL President's plea, ABCID's Timor team contacted the ABCID Commentary and Mobile Journalism (CAMP) delivery team, knowing they would also be in Sigatoka, working with Oceania Rugby in June. It was perhaps the only sports event in the world that would serve the Timor broadcaster's needs in the time available. But for the plan to work, it would need the support of the rugby and broadcast fraternity and when the call went out, Oceania Rugby's Senior Manager of Women's Projects, Sheridan Graham-Tupaea sprung into action. 'As people of the Blue Pacific, we never hesitate to share knowledge and welcome others with open hearts,' she says. 'Building connections across various sporting codes is huge and knowing that from their experience here at our championships they'll take away so much and be able to deliver coverage of multiple sports at the games is amazing. 'It's a powerful reminder of how collaboration in sport can create lasting impact.' Connections across codes, countries and media professionals 'When our ABCID teams told me they had this idea to facilitate two of our most important partner countries to learn from each other and forge new relationships and professional exchange, I encouraged them to go for it, but I was very aware how complex it would be and the tight timeframes to pull it together,' says ABC International Development Lead, Jo Elsom. 'To see it happen so quickly and so successfully is really satisfying. 'Plugging in' our many highly skilled partners in this way is something we can only do because of a long time spent building trust and connections.' ABCID has also supported the delivery of new broadcast equipment to ensure RTTL is CPLP Games ready, and discussions are underway to expand live sports coverage, once the Games are finished. Given the Timorese' undying love of football, it might be a while before we see rugby played on the beaches of Dili. But rugby and the place that loves it arguably more than anywhere else, Fiji, have at least four new converts in the fledgling Asian nation. And Timorese football fans are set to get local live sports coverage like they've never seen before.
Associated Press
29-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
AMTSO's Threat Intel Sharing Platform First to See Nearly One Third of Submitted Threat Samples
A flagship initiative by AMTSO, the organization's threat intel sharing platform sets the standard for malware sharing and early threat detection with industry-leading visibility and high-quality data SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA / ACCESS Newswire / April 29, 2025 / AMTSO, the cybersecurity industry's testing standard community, today announced new milestones for its threat intel sharing platform, the Real-Time Threat List (RTTL). With contributions now averaging over 75,000 new samples per month, the platform has firmly established itself as a cornerstone of the global threat intelligence ecosystem. 'RTTL is a vital resource for the cybersecurity community,' said Alexander Vukcevic, CTO of AMTSO. 'It provides a centralized platform for the submission and sharing of malware samples and threat intelligence. With its robust features, extensive contributor network, and comprehensive sandbox integration, RTTL plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality and objectivity of anti-malware testing methodologies.' The threat intel sharing platform now processes: This positions RTTL not just as a data-sharing platform, but as a key threat intelligence hub, often the first to detect emerging cyber threats. Through strict quality control, including outreach to contributors of low-value samples, RTTL maintains a high integrity threshold. All AMTSO members are encouraged to contribute at least 200 malicious samples per day to gain full access to the feed, including unique CERT and independent researcher submissions. Non-members, such as CERTs, can also contribute without cost, making RTTL an accessible and valuable resource across the cybersecurity landscape. RTTL's infrastructure includes: Developed and operated by AMTSO, the organization's Threat Intel Sharing Platform is a collaborative platform connecting security vendors, test labs, certification bodies, CERT organizations, and independent researchers. Its mission is to support the timely and objective sharing of real-world malware data, enabling more accurate and relevant antimalware testing. Testers can access not only vendor-submitted samples but also unique contributions from CERTs and independent researchers - ensuring broad and realistic threat coverage. RTTL also provides a centralized channel for non-member organizations to share threat data with the wider security industry. With continuous improvements, driven by community feedback, RTTL incorporates machine learning, automation tools, and new analysis capabilities to stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape. Organizations and individual researchers can sign up here: *numbers based on AMTSO member telemetry. Contact InformationMarina Ziegler CMO, AMTSO SOURCE: AMTSO press release
