Right Wing Death Squad, often abbreviated to RWDS, is a slogan used in the 21st century by U.S.
far right extremists. The term was first used in the 1970s to describe Latin American paramilitaries who targeted their
left-wing opponents.
The term was first used in the 1970s to describe Latin American paramilitary
death squads who targeted left-wing opponents.[1]
From the 2010s onwards, the term was used in the U.S. by far right extremists. The term, often abbreviated to RWDS is used in
memes,[2] in online forums, on clothing, patches, and stickers.[1] The
Global Project Against Hate and Extremism attribute the terms' popularity to usage by the American neo-fascist organisation the
Proud Boys. The slogan is often accompanied by the words "
Pinochet Did Nothing Wrong"[3] and the abbreviation RWDS is used as a hashtag #RWDS.[4]
A 2019 Facebook group called Right Wing Death Squad was monitored by the
FBI due to the violent, anti-semitic, and white supremacist content being posted.[5]
Mauricio Garcia, the perpetrator of the
2023 Allen, Texas outlet mall shooting wore a RWDS patch when he killed eight people.[6] After the shooting, former Proud Boys regional leader
Jeremy Bertino[7] spoke of his regret about wearing a Right Wing Death Squad patch.[8]