Augustus Invictus gets another shot at release

Hi, and welcome to The Informant, a publication covering hate and extremism in America, written and edited by me, Nick R. Martin.

Today’s edition is being published in the afternoon rather than the morning because it took me a little extra time to get the key information I needed. But here it is.

As a reminder, The Informant is totally free right now. But eventually, I’ll have ways that you can support the work financially. Maybe sooner rather than later? We’ll see. In the meantime, you can show your support in two small ways. First, click the little heart icon at the top of this post. That shows me that you appreciate the work and want to see more of it. Second, sign up for the newsletter below. It’s as simple as typing in your email address.

Augustus Invictus gets another shot at release

Augustus Sol Invictus, a white nationalist with a long history of allegations that he has been violent and abusive with women, will get a second chance at being released from jail this week.

Invictus was arrested in late 2019 and charged with domestic violence, kidnapping and using a weapon in the commission of a crime. The accusations were made by his wife, who told police in Rock Hill, South Carolina, that he beat her, held a gun to her head, and then forced her to travel with him to Florida against her will.

Invictus, who worked as an attorney in Florida before his arrest, was initially ordered held without bond by a municipal court judge in Rock Hill. But he will get another chance to ask for his freedom in front of a circuit court judge.

Assistant solicitor Leslie Robinson confirmed to me today that Invictus’ bond hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. local time on Friday in South Carolina’s 16th Judicial Circuit Court.

The hearing comes just days after a jailhouse message supposedly written by Invictus appeared online. In it, he complained about jail conditions and declared his innocence. He also claimed his jailing was political and compared it to the nine-month imprisonment of Hitler in 1924.

“I am a white lawyer in America,” the statement read. “If anyone in this nation is entitled to due process, it is me.”

Invictus, who legally changed his name from Austin Mitchell Gillespie in 2006 and who at different times has described himself as an emperor, a prophet and a god, is a prominent figure in the racist “alt-right” movement. Most notably, he was a featured speaker at the deadly 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is currently being sued for his role in organizing the violent gathering.

Invictus has also been accused of violence by multiple women in recent years — accusations which he has denied.

The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Rachel Janik covered many of those accusations in a 2017 article about him, which cited police reports detailing allegations that he stalked, beat, and sexually assaulted women. In one instance, according to the article, he allegedly choked and smothered a woman’s nose and mouth with his hand. In another instance, he allegedly beat and threatened a woman at gunpoint.

Although he has unsuccessfully run for office in the past, Invictus announced in August that he is going to try again, this time running for president as a Republican. His campaign platform is filled with racist ideas, including the notion of allowing only white males to vote and own property in America. He has also floated the idea of creating an entirely new territory within the boundaries of the U.S., where black people would be sent to live apart from whites.

His campaign website says it is “currently offline.”

Help make The Informant even better. Give me feedback, point out factual errors or typos, or send me news tips. Reach me at nick@informant.news.