Target of online trolls suing neo-Nazi website's publisher

Andrew Anglin, publisher of the white supremacist website the Daily Stormer, is accused of organizing a "troll storm" against Tanya Gersh, a Jewish woman who lives in Montana.

The Daily Stormer is one of America's most popular neo-Nazi websites and its founder, Andrew Anglin, is well-known for his buddy-buddy relationship with white supremacist Richard Spencer, hisadmiration for disgraced YouTuber PewDiePie, as well as his endorsement of Donald Trump.

The campaign escalated to the point that Anglin planned an armed march in Whitefish that he threatened would end at Gersh's home.

The Daily Stormer's trolling targets have included prominent journalists, a Jewish congressional candidate in California, a British Parliament member and Alex Jones, a radio host and conspiracy theorist whom Anglin derided as a "Zionist Millionaire".

In an SPLC press conference Tuesday morning, Gersh said that the abuse from Anglin's followers had made her fear for her life and that her hair had fallen out because of the stress. Spencer and Anglin have appeared on a podcast together and are both leading figures in the alt-right movement.

Anglin, based in OH, called for a "troll storm" against Gersh in a December 2016 story in which he accused her of trying to extort money from Richard Spencer's mother.

"Tell them you are sickened by their Jew agenda", Anglin wrote under the headline "Jews Targeting Richard Spencer's Mother for Harassment and Extortion - TAKE ACTION!"

The court filing claims that after the original post and dozens of follow-up stories, Gersh and her family received 700 instances of harassment via phone, postal mail, email, and social media.

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Anglin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After Anglin's call to arms, Gersh claims she was terrorized for months, including phone calls that were nothing but gunshots, and messages talking about putting Gersh and her family in ovens and gas chambers, and other anti-Semitic threats.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which researches hate groups, provided legal counsel to Gersh. "We intend to hold him accountable for the suffering he has caused Ms. Gersh and to send a strong message to those who use their online platforms as weapons of intimidation".

Anglin continued to attack the child: "The scamming little kike has 12 followers - presumably all "friends" that he knows IRL - and he's pushing advertising scams on them!" "And with the love and support of my family and others, we will take a stand against hate". And people in Whitefish, where his parents live and where he spends time, took notice.

Gersh says Sherry Spencer published a blog post on the website Medium in late November alleging that Gersh had tried to threaten and extort her into agreeing to sell her building, and making a donation and denouncing her son's views. Spencer owns a commercial building and she was considering selling it.

Gersh said she also received death threats and "was told I would be driven to the brink of suicide". The alt-right is a loose movement of white supremacists, white nationalists and fellow travelers, operating mainly online.

"Are y'all ready for an old fashioned Troll Storm?"

The SPLC said that in their view - and in the view of several attorneys who've analyzed the suit - Gersh has a solid case against the neo-Nazi publisher since his campaign violated the Montana Anti-Intimidation Act, which is aimed at preventing the type of cyber-bullying Gersh claims to have endured.

Anglin published phone numbers, email addresses and business addresses for numerous town's Jewish residents, who he said were trying to shame Spencer's mother because of her son's views. It turned out to be nothing more than an electrician in Australia. "This was really terrorism", Gersh said on a press call on Tuesday.