Colby "Ace" Alexander Frank is a violent figure within the white supremacist organization Goyim Defense League (GDL). He actively espouses Holocaust denial and participates in the littering of hate-filled antisemitic flyers aimed at the Jewish community. Frank frequently appears alongside GDL founder and leader Jon Minadeo at neo-Nazi rallies, taking part in antisemitic banner drops along U.S. highways, and intimidating Jewish individuals as they attend their Shabbat services.
Online, Frank refers to himself as "Ace" and prominently displays a banner on his profile declaring "Hitler was Right." On February 17, 2023, he joined forces with more than a dozen activists from the GDL in a protest outside a Chabad synagogue located in Orlando, Florida. During this demonstration, GDL members brandished antisemitic signs, verbally abused pedestrians and drivers they identified as Jewish using hateful language. Frank, along with fellow GDL member Nicholas Bysheim, approached a man on the street whom they believed to be Jewish and offered him a bar of soap while callously remarking, "He's got some soap. It's made out of your ancestors! It's made out of your grandma!"
Jon Minadeo (Left) Colby Frank (Center) & Nicholas Bysheim (Right) protesting outside a Florida Chabad
On April 9, 2023, Frank and a cohort of neo-Nazi activists orchestrated the placement of antisemitic banners on a pedestrian bridge spanning a highway in Orlando, Florida. Notably, participants from the GDL, NatSoc Florida (NSF), and the National Socialist Movement (NSM) were involved in this event. During the demonstration, Frank proudly displayed the NSF flag, which features the letter "N," a Sowilō rune, and the Wolfsangel, a symbol infamously associated with Nazi Germany and utilized in the insignias of various Waffen-SS units.
The banners displayed by these neo-Nazi groups conveyed highly provocative messages. The first banner featured the word "Problem" alongside symbols representing a Jewish Star of David and a communist hammer and sickle, followed by the word "Solution" paired with neo-Nazi imagery, including a swastika. The subsequent banners carried messages like "The Great [Jewish] Replacement IS REAL"
White supremacist groups hang antisemitic banners from a Florida highway
Frank and Minadeo were both arrested in Florida on May 20, 2023. During the arrest of Minadeo, Frank got involved in a confrontation with a police officer, leading to concerns about his threat level. Minadeo captioned a video of the incident as: "HT & ACE GET ARRESTED & TAKEN INTO CUSTODY BY ZOGBOTS IN FLORIDA!!!" "ZOG" is an acronym for "Zionist Occupied Government," an antisemitic conspiracy theory often used by radial leftists alleging covert Jewish control over Western governments.
This past Wednesday, GDL associates disrupted a Women's Republican Event held at the Space Coast Convention Center in Florida. Prior to this incident, they engaged in the unwelcome surveillance and intimidation of Representative Randy Fine, who was scheduled as the keynote speaker. Frank physically confronted Rep. Fine, who is Jewish, over his sponsorship of HB269 legislation in Florida, which criminalizes the targeting of minority groups, including antisemitism.
Frank questioned by police after physically confronted Rep. Randy Fine
These ongoing hate crimes are a reminder to continue reporting all antisemitic acts or even warning signs by calling StopAntisemitism at 877-411-HATE (4283) or submitting a report HERE. It is important to be vigilant as these incidents of provocation often devolve into violence.