Fourteen Words

{{short description|White-supremacist slogans}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2026}} [[File:Elektrostal. Parking No 19. img 046.jpg|thumb|alt=See caption|Graffiti with a swastika and 14/88 on a wall in Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast, Russia]]

"'''The Fourteen Words'''" (also abbreviated "'''14W'''" or "14"; also combined with "88" to form "'''14/88'''" or "1488") is a reference to two slogans originated by the American neo-Nazi David Eden Lane,<ref name="ADL14"/><ref name="Michael2009">{{cite journal |last=Michael |first=George |year=2009 |title=David Lane and the Fourteen Words |journal=Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=43–61 |doi=10.1080/14690760903067986 |s2cid=145438802 |issn=1469-0764}}</ref> one of nine founding members of the defunct white supremacist terrorist organization The Order,<ref name="Balleck 2018 p. 4">{{cite book |title=Modern American Extremism and Domestic Terrorism: An Encyclopedia of Extremists and Extremist Groups |last=Balleck |first=Barry |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2018 |isbn=978-1440852749 |location=United States |page=4}}</ref> and are accompanied by Lane's "88 Precepts". The slogans have served as a rallying cry for militant white nationalists internationally.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2009/supreme-court-requires-prisons-give-special-consideration-racist-pagans |title=Supreme Court Requires Prisons Give Special Consideration to Racist Pagans |date=21 August 2009 |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center |access-date=27 January 2020}}</ref>

The primary slogan in the Fourteen Words is:

{{Blockquote|We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children,<ref name="ADL14" /><ref name="Ph.D.Blanco2016" /><ref name="CarmichaelMaguire2015" /><ref name="Dictionary of White Supremacist Slang" /> }}

It is followed by the secondary slogan:

{{Blockquote|because the beauty of the White Aryan woman must not perish from the earth.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/secrets-sisterhood/|title=Secrets of the Sisterhood|date=14 February 2013}}</ref>}}

The two slogans were coined after Lane was sentenced to 190 years in federal prison for planning and abetting the assassination of the Jewish talk show host Alan Berg, who was murdered by another member of the group in June 1984. They were popularized after Lane's imprisonment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2009/06/17/the-murder-of-alan-berg-in-denver-25-years-later/|title=The murder of Alan Berg in Denver: 25 years later |date=17 June 2009 |website=The Denver Post |access-date=18 November 2019 |quote=Federal authorities tried four suspects in 1987 and the two found guilty were convicted of violating Berg's civil rights. Lane, then 49, was sentenced to 150 years.}}</ref><ref name="SPLC David Lane">{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/david-lane |title=David Lane |website=Southern Poverty Law Center |access-date=18 November 2019 |quote=In 1987, Lane was additionally accused of violating Berg's civil rights by helping to assassinate him, a federal charge. While Lane did not pull the trigger, prosecutors said he drove the getaway car and played a large role in the planning of Berg's murder. He was sentenced to 150 years in prison.}}</ref> The slogans were publicized through print company 14 Word Press, founded in St. Maries, Idaho, in 1995 by Lane's wife, Katja, to disseminate her husband's writings,<ref name="SPLC David Lane"/> along with Ron McVan who later moved his operation to Butte, Montana, after a falling-out with Katja.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mtstandard.com/news/local/wotanism-ritual-in-butte/article_4551d7c2-d1bf-5aa1-b410-8b99c25e67ea.html |title='Wotanism' ritual in Butte |date=22 March 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://mtstandard.com/opinion/editorial/standard-view-a-powerful-photo-and-powerful-reasons-to-publish-it/article_7cdd19db-6939-51b8-9a09-5508b5a7ba5f.html |title=Standard view: A powerful photo, and powerful reasons to publish it|date=26 March 2021 }}</ref>

Lane used the ''14-88'' numerical coding extensively throughout his spiritual, political, religious, esoteric, and philosophical tracts and notably in his "88 Precepts" manifesto. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, inspiration for the Fourteen Words "are derived from a passage in Adolf Hitler's autobiographical book ''Mein Kampf''".<ref name="SPLC">{{cite web |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/american-freedom-party |title=The American Freedom Party |quote=The American Freedom Party (formerly American Third Position) is a political party initially established by racist Southern California skinheads that aims to deport immigrants and return the United States to white rule. |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref> The Fourteen Words have been prominently used by neo-Nazis, white power skinheads and certain white nationalists and the alt-right.<ref name="knowyourmeme">{{cite web|title=14 Words, Know Your Meme |date=10 July 2017 |url=https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/14-words |publisher=Know Your Meme |access-date=29 November 2018}}</ref><ref name="ADL3">{{cite web |url=https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/14-words |title=14 Words |work=Anti-Defamation League |access-date=31 March 2019}}</ref> "88" is used by some as a shorthand for "Heil Hitler", 'H' being the 8th letter of the alphabet,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2015/racist-skinhead-glossary | title=Racist Skinhead Glossary | date=29 January 2010 }}</ref> though Lane viewed Nazism along with America as being part of the "Zionist conspiracy".<ref>{{Cite magazine| magazine=Intelligence Report |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center |date=21 March 2001 |title=Swedish Academic Mattias Gardell Discusses the Rise of Neo-Paganism in America |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2001/swedish-academic-mattias-gardell-discusses-rise-neo-paganism-america |quote=Lane says that from the very beginning, America was part of the Zionist conspiracy. To him, that is why the American military has been engaged in all these wars ever since the country's foundation. All these wars, in Lane's view, were fought to force the nations of the world to submit to the Zionist dictatorship.}}</ref>

Lane's ideology was anti-American, white separatist, and insurrectionist; he considered loyalty to the United States to be "racial treason" and upheld the acronym "Our Race Is Our Nation" ("ORION"),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/orion|title=ORION}}</ref> viewing the United States as committing genocide against white people{{sfnp|Gardell|2003|p=67}}<ref name="adl">{{cite web |url=http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/lane.asp?xpicked=2&item=lane |title=David Lane |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081103094309/http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/lane.asp?xpicked=2&item=lane |archive-date=3 November 2008}}</ref> and as having been founded as a New World Order to finalize a global Zionist government.

Being bitterly opposed to the continued existence of the United States as a political entity, and labeling it the "murderer of the White race",<ref name="SPLC David Lane"/> Lane further advocated domestic terrorism as a tool to carve out a "white homeland" in the Northern Mountain States. To that end, Lane issued a declaration called "Moral Authority", published through now-defunct 14 Word Press and shared through the publications of Aryan Nations, World Church of the Creator, and other white separatist groups, in which he referred to the United States as a "Red, White and Blue traveling mass murder machine", while asserting that "true moral authority belongs to those who resist genocide".<ref name="adl"/>

== Phrasing == {{Neo-Nazism sidebar|culture}} After Lane's publication of the Fourteen Words, they were adopted by white supremacists<ref name="Balleck 2018 p. 4" /> and neo-Nazis,<ref name="Balleck 2018 p. 4" /> white nationalists, identitarians, and members of the far-right and alt-right. The most widely used variation is "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children";<ref name="ADL14">{{cite web|title=Hate on Display: 14 words|url=http://www.adl.org/combating-hate/hate-on-display/c/14-words.html |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |access-date=1 June 2007}}</ref><ref name="Ph.D.Blanco2016">{{cite book|last1=Dunbar |first1=Edward |last2=Blanco |first2=Amalio |last3=Crèvecoeur-MacPhail  |first3=Desirée A. |title=The Psychology of Hate Crimes as Domestic Terrorism: U.S. and Global Issues |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8GZoDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA91 |date=21 November 2016 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781440839078 |pages=91– |access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="CarmichaelMaguire2015">{{cite book|last1=Carmichael |first1=Cathie |last2=Maguire |first2=Richard C. |title=The Routledge History of Genocide |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6rvlCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA211 |date=1 May 2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317514848 |pages=211– |access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref><ref name="Dictionary of White Supremacist Slang" /> a less commonly used variation is "Because the beauty of the White Aryan woman must not perish from the earth".{{sfnp|Gardell|2003|p=69}} They are sometimes combined with the number 88 to form the abbreviations "14/88" or "1488". The 8s represent the eighth letter of the alphabet, H, with "HH" standing for ''Heil Hitler'', according to Neo-Nazis who use the code.<ref name="Dictionary of White Supremacist Slang">{{cite magazine |title=A Complete Dictionary of White Supremacist Slang and Symbols |last=Ruiz |first=Stephen |date=11 January 2017 |magazine=Complex|url=https://www.complex.com/life/2017/01/dictionary-of-white-supermacist-slang-symbols/ |access-date=30 May 2018}}</ref> The number 88 was used by Lane as a reference to his "88 Precepts",<ref name="88 meaning">{{cite news |author=James Ridgeway |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/uselectionroadtrip/2008/oct/28/uselections-obama-racism |title=Fourteen Words that spell racism |date=28 October 2008 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> along with a secondary reference to his "88 Lines and 14 Words". "88", when combined with "14", refers to numerology in Lane's white supremacist neo-pagan religion, Wotanism.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Stephen Ruiz |url=https://www.complex.com/life/2017/01/dictionary-of-white-supermacist-slang-symbols/numbers-abbreves-acronyms-one |title=A Complete Dictionary of White Supremacist Slang and Symbols |magazine=Complex}}</ref>

The slogan has been used in acts of white supremacist terrorism and violence.<ref name="Balleck 2018 p. 4" /> It was central to the symbolism of a 2008 Barack Obama assassination plot,<ref name="NYT 2009-10-28">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/us/politics/28plot.html |title=Arrests in Plan to Kill Obama and Black Schoolchildren |last=Lichtblau |first=Eric |date=27 October 2008 |work=The New York Times |access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref> which intended to kill 88 African Americans, including future president Barack Obama (at that time the Democratic Party nominee), 14 of whom were to be beheaded.<ref name="ABC1027">{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Vote2008/story?id=6122962&page=1 |title=Feds thwart alleged Obama assassination plot |last=Date |first=Jack |date=27 October 2008 |work=ABC News |access-date=28 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030022717/http://www.abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/Vote2008/story?id=6122962&page=1|archive-date=30 October 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> Skinhead Curtis Allgier notably tattooed the words on to his body after he murdered corrections officer Stephen Anderson,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2007/08/23/face-hate-curtis-allgier-explained |title=Face of Hate: Curtis Allgier |last=Sanchez |first=Casey |date=23 August 2007 |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center |access-date=30 May 2018}}</ref> and Dylann Roof's race war-inspired Charleston church shooting was influenced by the slogan, as were Robert Bowers' Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and Brenton Tarrant's Christchurch mosque shootings.

== Origins == Although there is a strong resemblance between the primary slogan and a statement in Adolf Hitler's ''Mein Kampf'', neither Lane, nor Fourteen Word Press, noted any connection. Scholars including Barry Balleck have stated that Lane was almost certainly influenced by Hitler, specifically by the following statement in ''Mein Kampf''.<ref name="Balleck 2018 p. 4" />

{{Blockquote|What we must fight for is to safeguard the existence and reproduction of our race and our people, the sustenance of our children and the purity of our blood, the freedom and independence of the fatherland, so that our people may mature for the fulfillment of the mission allotted it by the creator of the universe. Every thought and every idea, every doctrine and all knowledge, must serve this purpose. And everything must be examined from this point of view and used or rejected according to its utility.|''Mein Kampf'', Vol. I, Chapter 8<ref name="Balleck 2018 p. 4" />}}

According to scholar Mattias Gardell, Lane decoded what Gardell termed the "Pyramid Prophecy",{{sfnp|Gardell|2003|p=203, 381}} which included the concept that the King James Version of the Bible was encoded by Sir Francis Bacon and the concept that Lane was the "man of prophecy", described as the "666 Sun Man",{{sfnp|Gardell|2003|p=203}} incarnated to "warn and save the White Aryan Race from near extinction" – a view that was censored by Ron McVan and others who found the "messianic Antichrist" claims counterproductive.{{sfnp|Gardell|2003|p=382}}

Gardell's book ''Gods of the Blood'' states "The number 1776 appears in the numeric square of Mars in which is found the Star of David and its 741 formula, 741 also being the value of the 14 Words in simple English gematria." Lane claimed that both 14 word slogans came to him whilst he was asleep and that each contained 61 letters, 20 syllables and 74 characters, along with the 741 value.

== Advocates == === United Kingdom === * Nick Griffin, a British politician, a former British National Party leader and a MEP, has stated that his political ideology can be summed up in the 14 Words.<ref>{{cite news |first=Dominic |last=Gover |url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/bnp-leader-nick-griffin-slurred-jews-paki-police-officers-while-his-house-was-searched-1447553 |title=BNP Leader Nick Griffin Slurred 'Jews and Paki' Police Officers While His House Was Searched |date=7 May 2014 |newspaper=International Business Times}}</ref> He has claimed "everything I do is related to building a nationalist movement through which [...] those 14 words can be carried out."<ref>{{cite news |first=Nick |last=Griffin |author-link=Nick Griffin |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/06/nick-griffin-vision-bnp-britain-1990s-police-interviews |title=Nick Griffin's vision for BNP-led Britain shown in 1990s police interviews |date=6 May 2014 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> * Colin Jordan (1923–2009), a leading figure in post-war neo-Nazism in Great Britain and a longtime supporter of the 14 Words; contributed to Lane's book ''Deceived, Damned & Defiant''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Colin Jordan and Britain's Neo-Nazi Movement: Hitler's Echo |pages=230}}</ref> * Millennial Woes, a Scottish alt-right, neoreactionary political activist and a YouTube personality, supports the slogan and in 2017, he stated that the "14 words used to be more controversial than they are nowadays."<ref name="GQ">{{cite magazine|first=Mari |last=Uyehara |date=8 May 2018 |title=How Free Speech Warriors Mainstreamed White Supremacists |url=https://www.gq.com/story/how-free-speech-warriors-mainstreamed-white-supremacists|magazine=GQ}}</ref> Faith Goldy has claimed that he had encouraged her to recite the slogan during an interview.<ref name="RWW">{{cite web|first=Jared |last=Holt |date=29 May 2018 |title=Faith Goldy Defends Her Recital Of '14 Words' |url=https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/faith-goldy-defends-her-recital-of-14-words/ |publisher=Right Wing Watch}}</ref> * The far-right, fascist, National Front political party supports the slogan.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13048754 |title=Scottish election: National Front profile |date=13 April 2011 |work=BBC News|quote=The party says it stands for "white family values" and the "Fourteen Words", a white nationalist slogan that states: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."}}</ref>

=== United States === * Andrew Anglin, an American white supremacist and the founder of ''The Daily Stormer'' website, frequently uses, references, and supports the slogan,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/andrew-anglin |title=Andrew Anglin |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref> and has claimed, "We care not for our own egos or lives. We care only about the agenda, which is: We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."<ref name="ADL2">{{cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/richard-spencer-is-making-common-cause-with-neo-nazis |title=Richard Spencer Is Making Common Cause with Neo-Nazis |date=20 December 2016 |publisher=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref> * Baked Alaska, an American alt-right/far-right social media personality, supports the words<ref name="ADL" /> but he does not support their creator, and he has stated that there's "nothing wrong" with the slogan. Distancing himself from its creator, he claimed, "Just because others have used them doesn't change the meaning."<ref>{{cite web |first=Matt |last=Novak |url=https://gizmodo.com/how-to-tell-if-youre-a-neo-nazi-1797849935 |title=How to Tell If You're a Neo-Nazi |date=15 August 2017 |website=Gizmodo}}</ref> He has frequently promoted the slogan on social media including with monetary receipts, polls, questions and memes.<ref>{{cite web |first=Brett |last=Barrouquere |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/11/16/verified-no-more-twitter-drops-blue-check-white-nationalists-accounts |title=Verified no more, Twitter drops blue check from white nationalists' accounts |date=16 November 2017 |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Brian |last=Feldman |url=https://nymag.com/selectall/2017/08/baked-alaska-charlottesville-and-the-end-of-ironic-nazi.html |title=The 'Ironic Nazi' Is Coming to an End |date=14 August 2017 |magazine=New York Magazine Intelligencer}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Jared |last=Holt |url=https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/alt-right-grifter-baked-alaska-is-plotting-a-comeback-on-youtube/ |title=Alt-Right Grifter 'Baked Alaska' Is Plotting A Comeback On YouTube |date=3 May 2018 |publisher=Right Wing Watch}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Dalrymple II |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/jimdalrympleii/twitter-has-permanently-banned-alt-right-figure-baked-alaska |title=Twitter Has Permanently Banned Alt-Right Troll Baked Alaska |date=15 November 2017 |publisher=BuzzFeed}}</ref> * Craig Cobb, an American white nationalist and separatist, created the video sharing website Podblanc and started a business which he named after the 14 Words,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/craig-cobb |title=Craig Cobb |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref> as well as tried to start a church named after Trump which later burned to the ground.<ref>{{cite news |author=Derek Hawkins |date=24 March 2017 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/03/24/neo-nazi-bought-church-with-plans-to-name-it-after-trump-a-fire-destroyed-it/ |title=Neo-Nazi bought church with plans to name it after Trump. A fire destroyed it. |publisher=The Washington Post Morning Mix blog}}</ref> * Harold Covington (1953–2018), was an American white separatist leader and the founder of the Northwest Front organization, based on the 14 Words.<ref>{{cite news |first=Brendan |last=Kiley |url=https://www.thestranger.com/blogs/slog/2015/06/30/22474472/dylann-roof-and-his-fascination-with-a-seattle-based-white-power-group |title=Dylann Roof and His Fascination with a Seattle-Based White Power Group |newspaper=The Stranger}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Chuck Tanner |url=https://www.irehr.org/2018/07/31/harold-covington-dieswhich-way-the-northwest-front/ |title=Harold Covington Dies. Which Way the Northwest Front? |publisher=IREHR |date=31 July 2018}}</ref> * Nathan Damigo, an American white supremacist, the leader of Identity Evropa and a former US Marine, supports and promotes the slogan with his organization.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/resources/profiles/identity-evropa |title=Identity Evropa |publisher=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref> * April Gaede, an American white nationalist and neo-Nazi stage mom, whose daughters (Prussian Blue) used to sing for Resistance Records; distributed David Lane's cremated remains in "14 pyramids" in order to symbolize the 14 Words.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/april-gaede |title=April Gaede |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Sonia |last=Scherr |date=25 January 2010 |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2010/01/25/neo-nazi-stage-mom-seeks-new-line-work |title=Neo-Nazi Stage Mom Seeks a New Line of Work |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=11 March 2009 |first=Larry |last=Keller |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2009/03/11/combat-18-accused-purloining-david-lanes-ashes |title=Combat 18 Accused of Purloining David Lane's Ashes |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref> * Matthew Heimbach, an American white supremacist and the founder of the Traditionalist Workers Party, has based a part of his party's platform on the "14 Words" and he has also affirmed them in various speeches, including a speech which he delivered to the Council of Conservative Citizens.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Allison |last1=Carter |first2=Bobby |last2=King |date=15 August 2017 |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2017/08/15/what-we-know-matthew-heimbach-indiana-white-nationalist-who-helped-promote-charlottesville/568805001/ |title=What we know about Matthew Heimbach, Indiana white nationalist who helped promote Charlottesville |newspaper=The Indianapolis Star}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/matthew-heimbach |title=Matthew Heimbach |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref> * William Daniel Johnson, an American white nationalist, attorney, and the chairman of the American Freedom Party, is an advocate of the 14 word slogan. He has stated that he and his organization "embrace principles that will secure the existence of our people and a future for our children".<ref name="SPLC" /><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Tina |last=Nguyen |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/05/donald-trump-white-supremacist-delegate |title=Donald Trump's White-Supremacist Delegate May Be Here to Stay |date=11 May 2016 |magazine=Vanity Fair}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Stephen |last=Lemons |url=https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/white-power-american-third-position-party-seeks-toehold-in-arizona-6499191 |title=White Power "American Third Position" Party Seeks Toehold in Arizona |date=21 May 2010 |newspaper=Phoenix New Times}}</ref> He has claimed that Ron Paul withdrew his endorsement of him for a judgeship in California, after media reported that he was an advocate of the 14 Words.<ref>{{cite web |first=David |last=Holthouse |url=https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2011/08/03/fertile-ground-white-nationalists-organize-with/180982 |title="Fertile Ground": White Nationalists Organize Within Tea Party |date=3 August 2011 |publisher=Media Matters}}</ref> * Stephen McNallen, an American neo-pagan leader and the founder of the Asatru Folk Assembly, quoted the 14 Words verbatim<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/neo-volkisch |title=Neo-Volkisch |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref> and based his own slogan "The existence of my people is not negotiable" as a simplified 14 Words.{{sfnp|Gardell|2003|p=283}} * Tom Metzger, an American white separatist leader and the founder of White Aryan Resistance, promoted the 14 Word writings of imprisoned David Lane; he accused the United States government of murdering Lane after Lane died in 2007.<ref name="SPLC2007">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2007/terrorist-14-words-author-dies-prison |title=Terrorist, '14 Words' Author, Dies in Prison |magazine=Intelligence Report |date=Fall 2007 |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=George |last=Michael |editor-first=Joshua B. |editor-last=Morgan |date= 2016 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303446060 |chapter=Chapter 3: This is War! Tom Metzger, White Aryan Resistance, and the Lone Wolf Legacy |title=Focus on Terrorism |volume=14 |publisher=Nova Publishers |isbn=978-1-63484-352-2}}</ref> * Jack Posobiec, an American alt-right conspiracy theorist and a former naval intelligence officer, has repeatedly published information which is related to "1488" and as a result, he has been described as a supporter of the slogan.<ref>{{cite tweet |user=drmistercody |number=1021973081105948672 |date=24 July 2018 |title=Jack: "Being the president of a country is the same as directing superhero films. Also, here's the secret Nazi code 14/88 a few times." |author=Cody Johnston }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Jerry |last=Iannelli |url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/florida-republican-wants-to-add-political-affiliation-to-hate-crime-list-9707608 |title=Florida State Rep. Wants Attacking "Political Affiliation" to Be Hate Crime |date=28 September 2017 |newspaper=Miami New Times}}</ref> * Billy Roper, an American white supremacist who corresponded with David Lane and founded a White power group which he named "White Revolution" and based on the 14 Words.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/billy-roper |title=Billy Roper |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref> * Vox Day, an American writer, video game designer, and alt-right activist, supports the 14 Words,<ref name="ADL">{{cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/from-alt-right-to-alt-lite-naming-the-hate |title=From Alt Right to Alt Lite: Naming the Hate |publisher=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref> promoting the slogan in his ''Sixteen points of the Alt-Right'',<ref>{{cite web |author=Simon Murdoch |url=https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/2017/05/22/online-alt-right-use-facial-recognition-track-anti-fascists/ |title=Online alt-right to use facial recognition to track anti-fascists |date=22 May 2017 |publisher=Hope Not Hate}}</ref> which placed the sentence "we must secure the existence of white people and a future for white children" as the 14th point.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Auerbach |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/from-lucifers-hammer-to-newts-moon-base-to-donalds-wallthe-sci-fi-roots-of-the-far-right |title=The Sci-Fi Roots of the Far Right – From 'Lucifer's Hammer' to Newt's Moon Base to Donald's Wall |date=17 September 2017 |website=The Daily Beast}}</ref> * weev, an American computer hacker and an Internet troll, has shown his support for the slogan, referencing "1488" in numerous computer transactions,<ref>{{cite web |first=Marc |last=Steinau |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/neo-nazis-and-right-wing-extremists-profit-from-the-bitcoin-hype-2018-1 |title=How neo-Nazis and right-wing extremists profit from bitcoin |date=11 January 2018 |website=Business Insider}}</ref> as well as more explicitly discussing the topic on social media.<ref>{{cite news |first=Alex |last=Hern |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/07/twitter-blocks-promoted-tweets-white-supremacist-weev-auernheimer |title=Twitter blocks promoted tweets by notorious white supremacist |date=7 May 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Ashley |last=Feinberg |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/daily-stormer-nazi-style-guide_us_5a2ece19e4b0ce3b344492f2 |title=This Is The Daily Stormer's Playbook |date=13 December 2017 |work=HuffPost}}</ref>

=== Other countries === * Faith Goldy, a Canadian far-right writer and commentator, has recited<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Michael Edison |last=Hayden |date=16 April 2018 |title=Ann Coulter Retweets White Nationalist Charlottesville Leader Who Attacked Trump With Syria Conspiracy Theory |url=https://www.newsweek.com/ann-coulter-trump-white-nationalist-887699 |magazine=Newsweek}}</ref> and supported<ref>{{cite web|date=21 December 2017 |title=How badly is the Bundy case screwed up? Media gear up for voting-rights assault; Faith Goldy recites, embraces the '14 Words'; and more |url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/12/21/hatewatch-headlines-12212017 |publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center}}</ref> the 14 Words,<ref>{{cite news|first=Tom |last=Yun |date=26 March 2018 |title=Open letter petitions U of T to rescind Faith Goldy's student leadership award |newspaper=The Varsity |url=https://thevarsity.ca/2018/03/26/open-letter-petitions-u-of-t-to-rescind-faith-goldys-student-leadership-award/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Nick |last=Taylor |date=27 March 2018 |title=Why We Can't Welcome Faith Goldy |url=https://www.trentarthur.ca/cant-welcome-faith-goldy/ |newspaper=Arthur}}</ref> saying "I don't see that as controversial... We want to survive."<ref name="GQ" /> After being banned by Patreon for her advocacy of the slogan, Goldy defended her views, and gathered petition signatures in public on a document which replaced "white children" with "aboriginal children", to supposedly prove the slogan was not hate speech.<ref name="RWW" /> * Marian Kotleba, a Slovak politician and leader of the far-right Kotleba – People's Party Our Slovakia political party, has been accused of demonstrating support for the slogan,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20881113/kotleba-of-lsns-charged-with-extremism.html |title=Kotleba of ĽSNS charged with extremism |date=30 July 2018 |newspaper=The Slovak Spectator}}</ref> with reference to the 14 Words by making a €1,488 donation to three families.<ref>{{cite news |first=Blaise |last=Gauquelin |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2017/08/02/le-fuhrer-slovaque-de-banska-bystrica-inquiete-par-la-justice_5167684_3210.html |title=Le " Führer " slovaque de Banska Bystrica inquiété par la justice |language=FR |trans-title=Slovak "Führer" from Banska Bystrica worried about justice |date=2 August 2017 |newspaper=Le Monde}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/slovak-far-right-leader-charged-with-promoting-extremism/ |title=Slovak far-right leader charged with promoting extremism |date=28 July 2018 |newspaper=The Times of Israel |agency=Agence France-Presse}}</ref> The donations were used as an evidence in the court in which he was found guilty of supporting and propagating sympathies towards movements oppressing fundamental human rights and was sentenced to four years and four months in prison.<ref>{{cite web|date=12 October 2020 |title=Slovakia far right leader jailed for four years over Nazi symbols |url=https://www.euronews.com/2020/10/12/slovakia-far-right-leader-marian-kotleba-jailed-for-four-years-over-nazi-symbols |access-date=12 October 2020 |website=euronews |language=en}}</ref> The ruling is not valid yet and may be appealed.<ref>{{cite news|author=Spectator Staff |date=12 October 2020 |title=Kotleba sentenced to four years and four months in prison |work=The Slovak Spectator |url=https://spectator.sme.sk/c/22508675/guilty-kotleba-sentenced-to-four-years-and-four-months-in-prison.html}}</ref> *Mika Ranta, leader of the Soldiers of Odin, a Finnish far-right vigilante group, signs his communiques with the 14 Words.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://yle.fi/a/3-8752622|work=Yle|date=2 March 2025|title=Kasvokkain: Tommi Kotonen ymmärtää, miksi Soldiers of Odin valtaa alaa – "Aluksi tarvitaan vain Facebook-ryhmä"}}</ref> *Vilhelm Junnila, far-right Finns Party Minister of Economic Affairs in the Orpo Cabinet, used the 14/88 as his campaign slogan, "Vote on the 14th, 88."<ref name="hs">{{Cite web |title=Elinkeinoministeri Vilhelm Junnila pahoittelee äärioikeistoaiheista vitsailuaan |url=https://www.hs.fi/politiikka/art-2000009673389.html |date=22 June 2023 |access-date=28 June 2023 |website=Helsingin Sanomat 🦝 |language=fi}}</ref>

== References related to terrorism and violence == [[File:CurtisAllgier.jpg|thumb|alt=Mugshot of a skinhead murderer covered in many tattoos with neo-Nazi symbolism on his face and body, including the "14" and "88" symbols on his temples.|Skinhead murderer Curtis Allgier has tattoos of "14" and "88".<ref name=Reavy/>]]

The slogans and the numerology of "14" and "88" have been used by many white supremacists, both before and after committing acts of violence (such as in manifestos), as well as in symbols which have been left at the scenes of criminal acts. These include Order-member David Lane, assassination attempters Paul Schlesselman and Daniel Cowart, and murderers Dylann Roof<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dylann-roof-s-videotaped-confessions-stuns-courtroom-n694036 |title=Dylann Roof's Videotaped Confession Stuns Courtroom |last=Siemaszko |first=Corky |date=9 December 2016 |work=NBCNews.com |access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref> and Curtis Allgier.<ref name="Reavy">{{cite news |last=Reavy |first=Pat |date=28 June 2007 |title=Tattoos tell a tale of intimidation |work=Deseret News |url=https://www.deseret.com/2007/6/28/20027102/tattoos-tell-a-tale-of-intimidation |access-date=8 January 2017}}</ref> Allgier has "14" and "88" tattooed on his forehead above and to the sides of the words "skin" and "head" above his eyes in his mugshot.<ref name="Reavy" />

=== Barack Obama assassination plot === {{Main|Barack Obama assassination plot in Tennessee}}

"14/88" numerology was symbolically included in the Barack Obama assassination plot in October 2008.<ref name="NYT 2009-10-28" /> Both Neo-Nazis, Schlesselman and Cowart were introduced to each other online by a mutual friend who shared their white supremacist beliefs.<ref name="AP1030">{{cite news|url=https://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/10/28/skinhead_plot_news_sweeps_suspects_tenn_hometown/ |title=Authorities say skinhead plot wasn't fully formed |last1=Baird |first1=Woody |date=30 October 2008 |newspaper=Associated Press |last2=DeMillo |first2=Andrew |access-date=29 November 2017}}</ref> Within a month of meeting, they had planned to kill the Democratic Party nominee by driving at their target and shooting from their vehicle. This was to be followed by a killing spree in which the men planned to kill 88 African Americans, 14 of whom were to be beheaded. They were targeting mostly children at an unidentified, predominantly black school.<ref name="ABC1027" /><ref name="NYT1027">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/us/politics/28plot.html?scp=1&sq=Daniel%20Cowart&st=cse |title=Arrests in plan to kill Obama and Black schoolchildren |last=Lichtblau |first=Eric |date=27 October 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times |author-link=Eric Lichtblau |access-date=28 October 2008}}</ref> Shortly after their arrest, their vehicle was discovered to have "14" and "88" written onto it.<ref name="88 meaning" />

=== Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting === {{Main|Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting}} Mass-shooter Wade Michael Page, who killed six and wounded four members of the Sikh community in August 2012, had been a supporter of the Fourteen Words, and was found with "14" onto a Celtic Cross tattooed on his arm,<ref name="Sikh">{{cite magazine |first=Adam |last=Weinstein |url=https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2012/08/wade-michael-page-tattoos-sikh-temple-shooting/ |title=The Sikh Temple Shooter's Racist Tattoos, Deciphered |date=6 August 2012 |magazine=Mother Jones}}</ref> after committing suicide at the scene of the crime.<ref>{{cite news |first=Matthew |last=Goodwin |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/08/wade-michael-page-violent-far-right |title=Wade Michael Page and the rise of violent far-right extremism |date=8 August 2012 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Abby |last=Rogers |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-made-wade-michael-page-racist-2012-8 |title=Wade Michael Page Became A Radical Racist In The US Army |date=10 August 2012 |website=Business Insider}}</ref> About a year before the shooting, Page wrote on the Internet regarding the slogan, "Passive submission is indirect support to the oppressors. Stand up for yourself and live the 14 words."<ref>{{cite news |first=Russell |last=Goldman |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/wisconsin-gunman-wade-michael-pages-tattoos-racist-beliefs/story?id=16949676 |title=Cracking Wisconsin Gunman's Secret Racist Tattoo Code |date=7 August 2012 |work=ABC News}}</ref>

=== Charleston church shooting === {{Main|Charleston church massacre}} After the Charleston mass-murder shooting in June 2015, Dylann Roof's ideology and apparent manifesto emerged in the media with multiple references to "1488";<ref>{{cite magazine |first1=Clara |last1=Jeffery |first2=James |last2=West |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/06/references-dylann-roof-manifesto-explained-1488/ |title=The Deeply Racist References in Dylann Roof's Apparent Manifesto, Decoded. |date=20 June 2015 |magazine=Mother Jones}}</ref> these included several photos of Roof pictured alongside the numbers.<ref>{{cite news |first=Rob |last=Crilly |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11689037/Charleston-church-massacre-Things-we-learned-from-shooter-Dylann-Roofs-racist-manifesto.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11689037/Charleston-church-massacre-Things-we-learned-from-shooter-Dylann-Roofs-racist-manifesto.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Charleston church massacre: Things we learned from shooter Dylann Roof's racist manifesto |date=21 June 2015 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> He symbolically brought 88 bullets to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church to carry out the shooting, in which nine African Americans were killed.<ref>{{cite news |author=AJ Willingham |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/28/us/hate-symbols-changing-trnd |title=These are the new symbols of hate |date=22 February 2017 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Tonya |last1=Maxwell |first2=Tim |last2=Smith |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/01/10/dylann-roof-sentencing/96412218/ |title=Federal jury sentences Dylann Roof to death |date=11 January 2017 |newspaper=USA Today}}</ref>

=== Pittsburgh synagogue shooting === {{Main|Pittsburgh synagogue shooting}} Robert Bowers, the gunman suspected of killing 11 people and wounding 6 at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, included the numeric code "1488" in the header image of his Gab social media account.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://heavy.com/news/2018/10/robert-bowers-social-media-rob-gab |title=Robert Bowers: See Squirrel Hill Suspect's Social Media |date=27 October 2018 |publisher=Heavy.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/robert-bowers-is-neo-nazi-who-posted-about-killing-jews-on-gab |title=Synagogue Suspect Hated Trump—for Not Hating Jews |last=Weill |first=Kelly |date=27 October 2018 |work=The Daily Beast |access-date=10 December 2018 |language=en}}</ref> Bowers also expressed Christian Identity rhetoric declaring "the lord jesus christ is come in the flesh" while espousing anti-Semitic views that "jews are children of satan".<ref>{{cite news |first1=Katie |last1=Zezima |first2=Wesley |last2=Lowery |date=27 October 2018 |title=Suspected synagogue shooter appears to have railed against Jews, refugees online |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/suspected-synagogue-shooter-appears-to-have-railed-against-jews-refugees-online/2018/10/27/e99dd282-da18-11e8-a10f-b51546b10756_story.html}}</ref>

=== Christchurch mosque shootings === {{Main|Christchurch mosque shootings}} Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the Australian shooter responsible for the attacks on two mosques in New Zealand, posted images on Twitter of firearms and published his manifesto "The Great Replacement" which both had the neo-Nazi symbol Black Sun and the slogan (as "14" or "14 Words") written on the weapons and also in the manifesto.<ref name="nzherald_2019-03-15">{{cite news|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12213076 |title=Mosque shooting: Christchurch gunman livestreamed shooting |date=15 March 2019 |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=15 March 2019 |language=en-NZ |issn=1170-0777}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/1e19fefcb2e948a1bf7ce63429bc186e |title=Mosque shooter a white nationalist seeking revenge |last=Gelineau |first=Kristen |date=16 March 2019 |website=The Associated Press |access-date=17 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/597933f5d8454f448db02d1fc077730d |title=Mosque shooter brandished white supremacist iconography |last=Gambrell |first=Jon |date=15 March 2019 |website=The Associated Press |access-date=17 March 2019}}</ref>

=== Kankaanpää and Lahti terror plots === {{Main|Atomwaffen Division#Finland (AWD Finland)|Kankaanpää terrorism arrests}} Finnish Atomwaffen members plotted assassinating Prime Minister Sanna Marin, derailing trains and killing members of ethnic minorities, and multiple men from Kankaanpää and Lahti were convicted of terrorism offenses and for possessing illegal weapons and explosives.<ref name="mtvuutiset.fi">{{cite web|url=https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/suunnitelmissa-sanna-marinin-ampuminen-ja-junien-suistaminen-suurista-aikeista-huolimatta-lahden-aarioikeistoryhman-iskut-jaivat-postilaatikoiden-rajayttelyyn/8776190|title=Viestittelyä Sanna Marinin ampumisesta ja junien suistamisesta – suurista aikeista huolimatta Lahden äärioikeistoryhmän iskut jäivät postilaatikoiden räjäyttelyyn|work=MTV News|date=13 September 2023|quote=Poliisin mukaan termejä käytetään varsinkin uusnatsien sekä valkoista ylivaltaa kannattavien keskuudessa. Numerot 14 ja 88 viittaavat natsiaatteeseen.}}</ref><ref name=IL>{{cite web|url=https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/1720f84f-a9de-4c0e-953d-9059a8c9fc0f|title=Kolmelle miehelle tuomiot terrorismirikoksista|work=Iltalehti|date=31 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://yle.fi/a/74-20058829|title=Salaisuus metsässä|work=Yleisradio|date=8 November 2023}}</ref> One man is also suspected of a string of letter bombs sent to Social Democrat, Green and Left party offices.<ref name="Yleisradio">{{cite web|url=https://yle.fi/a/74-20059419|title=Puoluetoimistojen valepommi-iskuista epäilty "maisteri" on ollut perussuomalaisten jäsen|work=Yleisradio|date=9 November 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Terroristiepäilyjen taustalla pahamaineinen Siege-kulttuuri – tästä siinä on kyse| work=Iltalehti | date=7 December 2021 | url=https://www.iltalehti.fi/kotimaa/a/323fc7b7-1b05-4cfa-bcc1-22e4fa056c20}}</ref> Finnish AWD members ended communiques with "14/88".<ref name="mtvuutiset.fi"/>

== References == {{reflist}}

===References=== * {{cite book |last=Gardell |first=Mattias |year=2003 |title=Gods of the Blood: The Pagan Revival and White Separatism}}

Category:1990s neologisms Category:Neo-Nazi concepts Category:Slogans Category:White genocide conspiracy theory Category:White nationalist symbols Category:14 (number)