White nationalist group posts ‘stop white erasure’ sign at Utah Tech University

ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — A white nationalist group placed a propaganda sign last week on the campus of a southern Utah university, urging on-lookers to “defend your heritage” and “stop white erasure.”

Images posted on social media showed the sign was placed Friday at Utah Tech University, which is located in St. George. The sign showed an image of a red, distorted face along with a logo for the “Desert Dixie Active Club.”

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In a statement, the university said the sign was immediately removed from campus on Friday morning. Jyl Hall, a university spokesperson, said the sign was taken away as the institution’s “free speech and assembly policies were not followed.”

Aden Moe, a sophomore at Utah Tech, said he saw the sign last week, but didn’t take the time to read it.

“After finding out what it was about … I was a little curious and confused about what’s going on around here,” he said.

ABC4 reached out to city officials in St. George for comment, but they were not immediately prepared to respond.

This isn’t the first time the Desert Dixie Active Club has posted signs in St. George. Per social media, a different sign was posted along a road roughly a month ago, saying “Stop white replacement” and “close the border.”

St. George police told ABC4 that officers have removed sheets with similar language draped over various public objects in the recent past.

What is the Desert Dixie Active Club?

Lindsay Schubiner, director of programs at Western States Center, a civil rights organization that monitors extremist groups, said the Desert Dixie Active Club is estimated to have around a dozen members based off social media posts. The group was founded in October.

“It’s deeply troubling whenever a white nationalist group does a public action in a local community, because we know they see that community as a target,” she said.

The sign placed at Utah Tech was in an area where a statue of two Confederate soldiers once stood on the campus, which was previously known as Dixie State University.

In 2022, the university’s name was changed following decades of controversy over the “Dixie” name and its connection to the Confederacy and slavery. As recently as 2009, the school’s mascot was a rebel soldier.

The image on the sign posted at the university appeared to depict the melted face of Confederate general Robert E. Lee from a statue that once stood at the University of Virginia. The statue was removed amid controversy in 2021, and last year the metal was melted down.

According to Schubiner, the Desert Dixie Active Club’s actions last week were perhaps an attempt to target potential members who might be upset over Confederate names and statues being removed from American institutions. She said it’s not uncommon for white nationalist groups to use Confederate symbols to link their ideology to American history.

“These are political groups and they act strategically,” Schubiner said. “They take into account the context and where they think they can have an impact and recruit new members.”

Active Clubs across the country

The Desert Dixie Active Club is part of a larger network of white nationalist “active clubs” that have emerged across the country in recent years. The Western States Center estimates there are 25 such clubs currently operating in the U.S., posting propaganda and intimidating people at Pride events.

The active nature of the groups stems from their focus on fitness. An online video posted by supporters of the Desert Dixie Active Club showed members shirtless and lifting weights in the desert.

“I think it’s important to recognize … that these groups, particularly active clubs, see themselves as foot soldiers for the race war they believe is coming,” Schubiner said. “They argue that the white race is under attack, something we know is false propaganda, and this kind of language lays the groundwork for political violence.”

ABC4 reached out to Desert Dixie Active Club for comment, and the group said it is a not a white supremacist organization.

“We’re a pro white fraternal group focused on community building, self improvement and fitness,” the group said, in a statement. “We’re nationalists who love and advocate for our own people. We encourage you and your viewers to love your people just as much as we love our people.”

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