Three Percenters

**Three Percenters** also known as **III%ers** is an American and Canadian armed group (also called a "militia"). According to the Anti-Defamation League, some Three Percenters take weapons and form militias, but others do not.  Some Three Percenters plan terrorist crimes but others only talk to each other online.  The Three Percenters started in 2008, but they are part of a larger militia movement that started in 1993 or 1994.  According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Three Percenters are more of a way of thinking and group of ideas than a group of people. Former Neo-Nazi Maxime Fiset called them the most dangerous terrorist group in Canada.

## Name
The name "three percenters" comes from the idea that only three percent of Americans fought in the American Revolutionary War for independence from Britain in the 1700s.  This idea is not true.  The percentage was really much higher.

"...we must dissolve this organization effective immediately. It appears that other 'Three Percenter' groups no longer hold the values and morals that we have held in our organization for so long. The DC riots and Capitol breach has hurt the patriot movement drastically and as a result brought an end to our organization. It's quite unfortunate that we've come to this. The media refuses to differentiate between the different 'Three Percenter' organizations and groups, leaving all of the fingers constantly pointing towards us."

This only ended the nationwide American group.  Other groups of Three Percenters, for example local chapters, continued to operate after this.

## Activities
The Three Percenters show up with weapons when they think that the federal government is abusing someone.  For example, Three Percenters showed up to a ranch where a man had said he would not pay federal grazing fees for his animals.  They said they wanted to protect him.  Three Percenters also show up to liberal and left-leaning events.  Sometimes they are there as counter-protesters.  Sometimes they say they want to "monitor" the liberals.  After the 2021 Capital raid the official website said they do not support this violence and deleted their website. In 2021, they were added to Canada's list of terrorist organizations.  Despite many claims, they are not a neo Nazi organization as neo-Nazis believe in the supremacy of the white race, and the Three Percenters previously said "we will not align ourselves with any type of racist group".

*In Oklahoma in 2015, Three Percenter Jeremy Doss fired a gun onto Interstate 40, killing two drivers.  This was a spree killing.  He pled guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.
*In Kansas in 2016, members of a Three Percenter group called "The Crusaders" planned to use truck bombs to destroy a building where Muslims lived.  They were given 25 or more years in prison each.
*In Oklahoma in 2017, Three Percenter Jerry Drake Varnell tried to use a truck bomb to blow up a bank. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
*In Illinois in 2017, Three Percenters bombed a mosque and tried to bomb an abortion clinic.   Most of them pled guilty.
*In Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021, Three Percenters tried to enter the Capitol building with other Trump supporters to stop the Senate from counting the votes from the 2020 presidential election.  One Three Percenter, Guy Wesley Reffit was the first person from the 2021 United States Capitol attack to go on trial.

## References