Face to face with hate

Warsaw, Ind., (WANE) - - Less than two weeks after reporting that the number of hate groups is up dramatically, NewsChannel 15 spoke exclusively to the head of one of those groups close to home.

We traveled to the small city of Warsaw, just northwest of Fort Wayne to meet 70-year-old Tom Metzger. He's one of the most visible faces of "The Insurgent," a hate group cited annually in a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"We don't pull any punches, we're white racial separatists," explains Metzger. "We're out for the best interest of white people who care they're white."

To ask Tom, hate is too strong of a word to describe the group, even though a quick check of "The Insurgent" website reveals plenty of racist propaganda, and a self proclaimed title of "Messenger of Hate".

The group formerly held the title of "White Aryan Resistance".

Metzger's not shy about his separatist views, and tells NewsChannel 15 that he believes races should not mix.

"We're all equal? That's the biggest lie ever told," chuckles Metgzer. "People are not equal, races are not equal. I believe in different races having separate nations, separate governments."

Metzger's group is one of two hate groups in Northeast Indiana.
That's according to the Southern Poverty Law center. The center monitors the activities of hate groups across the country and publishes its findings annually in a study on hate. The center's also located a white nationalist group in Roanoke, IN called WTM Enterprises.

SPLC officials tell Newschannel 15 the number of hate groups is growing at a shocking rate.

"We've had a steady increase, four, five, six percent since 2000," says Heidi Beirich, Director of Research and Special Projects for the SPLC. "In 2000 we had 202 hate groups. This year we're up to 926. So, it's been like a step ladder of hate."

Beirich says the numbers have climbed up 54 percent higher than what they were in 2000.

The results aren't surprising to Metzger. He says he's also seen an increase in interest.

"We get a lot more people saying I thought you were nuts a few years ago, but now I see you're right," says Metzger. "We get a lot of that now, and we're getting a lot of more young people."

What's even more disturbing, Metzger says he can't and won't say how many people are followers of "The Insurgent".

"We don't operate like any other groups, we don't carry membership cards, our people are quite quiet, they infiltrate every level of society and keep their mouth shut," explains Metzger. "We're hopefully not going to stand by and let other races take over the entire country."

NewsChannel would like to stress that the views included in this story in no way represent those of WANE-TV.