Lance Cpl. Vasillios G. Pistolis, a Marine alleged to have connections to a violent neo-Nazi organization, was booted from the Corps on July 11, according to Maj. Brian Block, a Marine spokesman.
In June, Pistolis was sentenced before a military court to 28 days confinement, reduction in rank to E-1 and forfeiture of two-thirds pay for one month following an explosive report exposing the Marine’s connection to the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division and his violent participation at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.
Pistolis was charged with making false statements and disobeying a regulation. After sentencing, Pistolis was subsequently notified he was also being processed for administrative separation from the Corps.
“White supremacy has no place in the military and I am relieved that the Corps agrees that a white supremacist who enacted violence against Americans is not worthy of the uniform,” Emily Gorcenski, an activist who has been identifying white supremacists online, told Marine Corps Times.
Gorcenski is a trans woman who ProPublica reported that Pistolis bragged about assaulting at the Unite the Right rally.
Two Marines, Sgt. Michael J. Chesny and Staff Sgt. Joseph W. Manning, were both separated from the Corps in April and December 2017, respectively, for ties to white supremacist groups.
“The Marine Corps' stance on membership in extremist or hate groups remains the same: There is no place for racial hatred or extremism in the Marine Corps. Our strength is derived from the individual excellence of every Marine regardless of background. Bigotry and racial extremism run contrary to our core values,” Block said in an emailed statement to Marine Corps Times.
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Atomwaffen Division is “preparing for a race war to combat what they consider the cultural and racial displacement of the white race,” according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Pistolis was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, with a logistics unit. He was confined to the brig at the Marine Corps base.
Shawn Snow is the senior reporter for Marine Corps Times and a Marine Corps veteran.
