Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons On October 2nd, four members of the anti-Semitic Rise Above Movement were arrested after being charged with conspiracy and incitement of a riot and participating in attacks against counter-protesters at the Charlottesville Unite the Right rally last year. The defendants, who are currently in custody in California, each face up to 10 years in prison. A federal arrest affidavit claims that the defendants were “among the most violent individuals present in Charlottesville,” citing photos and video footage as evidence that they attacked counter-protesters during the rally. Government investigators were able to place these men at the rally using social media posts and bank records. They are believed to have traveled to Virginia for the white nationalist rally held on August 12, 2017 with the “intent to encourage, promote, incite, participate in, and commit violent acts in furtherance of a riot.” US Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Thomas Cullen said that “with their hands taped and ready to do street battle,” the four “committed multiple acts of violence, including punching, kicking, head-butting and pushing numerous people.” According to the Anti-Defamation League, the Rise Above Movement is “a white supremacist group based in Southern California whose members believe they are fighting against a ‘modern world’ corrupted by the ‘destructive cultural influences’ of liberals, Jews, Muslims and non-white immigrants. They refer to themselves as the ‘premier MMA (mixed martial arts) club of the Alt-Right.’” Instead of charging them under a hate crimes statute, officials elected to charge each defendant with violating the federal riots statue and with conspiracy to violate the riots statute. According to Virginia Code §18.2-408, “Any person who conspired with others to cause or produce a riot, or directs, incites, or solicits other persons who participate in a riot to acts of force of violence, shall be guilty of a Class 5 felony.” US Attorney Cullen said that officials were “more comfortable that the riot act was a better fit,” primarily because they would not have to ascribe motivations to their actions. However, it is possible that additional charges will be added in the future. While these men participated in the Charlottesville rally, the affidavit also claims they had taken part in “acts of violence” at rallies in Huntington Beach and Berkley, California. US Attorney Cullen said, “These guys came to Charlottesville in order to commit violent acts, and it wasn’t the first time they’d done it.”