White supremacist whines about hate crime charges after being arrested for harassing organizers of a Black flea market

A member of the white supremacist Patriot Front group is charged with hate crimes after allegedly targeting a Black flea market and a Unitarian Universalist Church in Massachusetts, according to the Eagle-Tribune.

During a search of 18-year-old Justin Milaszewski’s home, he reportedly told police, “One sticker and now I’m Hitler?” referring to stickers used by the group to deface the church and harass organizers of the Black flea market.

Although the stickers are one of the hallmarks used by the Patriot Front to spread propaganda, Milaszewski also allegedly displayed a gun, putting a witness in fear, during the flea market organized by Merrimack Valley Black and Brown Voices last month. He was one of at least three armed members of the Patriot Front who showed up at the event, including one with a Nazi-type symbol on his T-shirt, according to police. After someone from the flea market followed the group to a nearby business, Milaszewski pulled up his shirt to display the weapon, before he and the other men fled in an older-model red pickup.

“A coincidental incident earlier that day saw police dispatched to help a man in Washington Square in need of some form of medical treatment,” according to WHAV radio. “The man was carrying 50 propaganda pamphlets on ‘healthy white living’ and 40 to 50 white supremacy ‘Creativity Movement’ stickers, matching ones found June 21 on the Universalist Unitarian Church of Haverhill. The man, later identified as Milaszewski’s father, said he didn’t put the stickers on the church, but knew who did.”

Police found a black Colt replica handgun, determined to be a BB or pellet gun, during their search of the younger Milaszewski’s residence — along with a money order receipt with the handwritten name of Thomas Rousseau, founder of the Patriot Front, and a flag emblazoned with the symbol of the Creativity Movement.

Milaszewski is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, along with property damage for the purpose of intimidation and destruction/defacement of a place of worship, and defacing property.

A judge released him pending trial but placed him on house arrest, and ordered him to surrender all firearms.

“He has no record,” his lawyer, Lee Graham, said after the arraignment. “Based on my reading of the police report, there’s no indication that he was involved in this.”