A former senior member of the Ku Klux Klan and convicted terrorist has been meeting remotely with Irish far-right activists to provide advice and encouragement in relation to anti-immigration protests.
Frank L Silva, who also goes by Frank DeSilva, was a prominent figure in the US white supremacist movement of the 1980s. As well as being the leader of the Los Angeles chapter of the Ku Klux Klan and holding the rank of “grand dragon”, he was a founding member of “the Order”, a neo-Nazi terror group that carried out a string of violent crimes across the US before being dismantled by the FBI.
Silva, who was sentenced to a 40-year prison term in 1985, is the most prominent of several US white supremacists who have been offering advice to Irish activists on issues including how to maximise publicity for their cause and avoid prosecution in the courts.
In some cases, US activists have offered to help fund anti-immigration activity in Ireland or to provide legal support to people arrested at anti-immigration protests.
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In recent months Silva, who did not respond to requests for comment, has been joining online meetings of Irish right-wing extremists where he provides advice on tactics derived from his own clashes with authorities.
He has been present in at least five meetings, often speaking for several minutes. These meetings have been attended by up to 100 people, including several well-known Irish anti-immigration activists who have large followings on social media.
The Irish Times has obtained transcriptions or recordings of several of these meetings. During one meeting which ran for more than three hours, Silva is heard offering advice to Stephen Butler, a young anti-immigration activist who has been involved in protests outside a site earmarked for Ukrainian refugees in Clonmel, Co Tipperary.
Video of Butler’s interactions with gardaí at the site have been widely shared in far-right circles in Ireland and overseas. During the meeting, Silva offered pointers on how Butler can exploit future interactions with gardaí to “go viral” and mobilise sympathisers.
He said the Irish man should “have a minimum of five guys” with him and he should try “get in the heads” of gardaí.
“I’ve been there. And I knew how to handle myself,” Silva told Butler who responded with gratitude for the advice.
Butler (26) of Brown Street, Portlaw, Co Waterford, who has a conviction for manslaughter, regularly discusses his far-right views during the online meetings. In recent meetings, he has described himself as “a bit of a National Socialist” and has discussed the possibility of burying dead pigs on the grounds of proposed sites of international protection centres to deter Muslim asylum seekers. “I absolutely despise the Jews, man,” he said in another meeting.
In one recent post, Butler, who claims to have previously served in the Defence Forces, recorded himself walking the streets of Limerick city giving a Nazi salute. He refused to comment when contacted on Tuesday.
In other meetings Silva has advised Irish activists not to be too upfront with their racist views, referencing a particularly offensive term that should be avoided.
Silva, who lives in California, was 27 when he received a 40-year sentence for federal racketeering and conspiracy charges in connection with violence carried out by the Order, which included multiple armed robberies and the murder of Jewish talkshow host Alan Berg.
He was released in 1998, having served about 13 years. He went on to write many books and articles focused on his racist beliefs. A review of his social media posts shows Silva has recently taken a keen interest in Irish affairs. He devoted part of a recent episode of his podcast to anti-immigration protests in Ireland.
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