Burt Colucci arrest photo, Arizona April 2021
Burt Colucci is an American neo-Nazi and leader of the National Socialist Movement (NSM), once one of the largest white supremacist groups in America founded in 1974 as a splinter group from the American Nazi Party.
Colucci took power of NSM in 2019 when longtime leader Jeff Schoep stepped down and denounced antisemitism and racism. Colucci immediately changed the logo of the group to include a swastika.
This past weekend, Colucci and his fellow NSM members organized and participated in a neo-Nazi rally in Chandler, AZ (a suburb of Phoenix) to mark Adolf Hitler's birthday. Colucci was photographed participating in the ripping apart of the Israeli flag together with Ronald Murray, a member of an allied neo-Nazi group '14 First'.
An altercation between Colucci and a group of black men later occurred at the rally where Colucci allegedly drew a gun and threatened the men. Colucci was subsequently arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and released on a $2,500 bail.
According to the police report, Colucci claimed he had merely brought his semi-automatic pistol into a "low ready" position, but the victims maintained that he had aimed it at them and threatened to kill them.
Burt Colucci, circled in red, watching and smiling as 14 First member Ronald Murray (right) tears apart the Israeli Flag
This wasn't the first time Colucci had altercations that required police intervention. At a 2019 NSM rally in Michigan, Colucci and other NSM members protested Detroit’s Motor City Pride Festival, carrying guns and shouting homophobic and antisemitic slurs.
Police were called and the NSM group was moved to a designated protest area. Members of the group shouted obscenities at festival attendees and one NSM member (Mike Schloar), posed as if he were urinating on an Israeli flag. Colucci created event “souvenirs” by tearing the flag to pieces. Participants also chanted white supremacist slogans and obscenities including "Sieg Heil", "white power" and "Jews will not replace us" until eventually forced to leave by law enforcement.
Burt Colucci, center, at the 2019 Detroit protest
Thankfully, under Burt Colucci's leadership, the NSM's membership has drastically decreased to just a few dozen members. However, to increase his power and popularity, Colucci started collaborating more and more with '14 First', headed up by fellow neo-Nazi Eddie McBride. McBride claims he does not support violence but was present during Colucci's gun incident which led to his recent arrest.
Eddie McBride (left circled) and Burt Colucci (right circled) together at the Chandler, Arizona neo-Nazi rally
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"The hate that begins with Jews never ends with Jews" - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks