Dangerous Organizations and Bad Actors: Sonnenkrieg Division

Introduction 

Sonnenkrieg Division (SKD)—translated from German as “Sun War” Division—was a neofascist accelerationist organization active from early 2018 until December of 2020. Led by neo-Nazi Andrew Dymock, the organization promoted mass violence to its young membership, deeming it a necessary measure to ensure the complete destruction of modern society, presumed irredeemable by adherents. Sonnenkrieg Division members were predominantly inspired by neo-Nazi James Mason’s Siege and its associated online Siege culture, though they also took significant inspiration from the accelerationist pathway known as Order of Nine Angles (O9A). The organization was also affiliated with the larger Atomwaffen Division (AWD), with whom they shared a significant ideological resemblance. Despite a relatively small membership, several Sonnenkrieg Division members have been sentenced to time in prison for their vehement encouragement [1] of terrorist activity, demonstrating the propensity for violence associated with Sonnenkrieg Division’s neofascist accelerationism. The organization is also a designated terrorist group in two countries due to its advocation of terrorist activity and propensity toward extremist violence. 

Ideology 

Sonnenkrieg Division, similar to other neofascist accelerationist organizations, embraced and advocated the use of extreme violence as the preferred method of dismantling “the System”—a term used to reference modern society—which members and supporters believed to be degenerated beyond repair due to disagreeable modern social trends. Members and affiliates of the organization were heavily racist and anti-Semitic, frequently proclaiming the inevitability of a race war and advocating for a global eradication of the Jewish population. Adherents were encouraged to prepare for imminent war and violence against minority populations and “the System” at large. 

Sonnenkrieg Division’s anti-System outlook was  heavily inspired by James Mason’s Siege and the resulting Siege culture. Siege, a collection of essays which each express virulent pro-Nazi sentiments, was written by the American neo-Nazi James Mason in the 1980s and first published as a single book in 1992. In Siege, Mason heavily advocates for the total destruction of American democracy, asserting that it is the sole method for the establishment of a white ethnostate to be ruled through Nazism. A strong proponent of leaderless resistance movements, guerrilla-style tactics, and extremist violence to bring about societal collapse, Mason’s Siege encourages its audience to embody “revolutionary discipline” as they engage in “a TOTAL WAR against the System.” Andrew Dymock, the founder of Sonnenkrieg Division, once described the organization as “full on Universal Order,” alluding to the violent philosophy developed by James Mason. Several other militant accelerationist groups, including Atomwaffen Division and The Base, are also heavily inspired by Siege, with some organizations even making it required reading for their members. 

Finally, Sonnenkrieg Division’s online communications reveal a strong resemblance to the ideology and narratives associated with Order of Nine Angles (O9A)—a militant accelerationist pathway meant to mobilize adherents to commit violence as a means of further degenerating “the System.” This pathway consists of a series of steps to be taken by adherents, with the ultimate goal being the elevation of each adherent’s mental state. These adherents believe that an elevated mental state will allow them to more easily understand the enemy (defenders of “the System”), infiltrate the enemy by going undercover in in various organizations that benefit “the System,” and ultimately contribute to the collapse of the modern world through the encouragement and commitment of violence from within their undercover roles. To accomplish this mental elevation, O9A adherents engage in rituals akin to witchcraft, including animal sacrifices, self-harm, pyres, and shrines. Such practices are carried out in an effort to challenge societal taboos, which are believed by adherents to aid in mental elevation. Other practices, like the weaponization of rape and pedophilia, are also encouraged by O9A, as these acts are seen as methods of accomplishing their sought-after mental expansion, sowing further societal chaos, and dehumanizing the enemy. In accordance with these O9A principles, Sonnenkrieg Division members openly promoted rape, pedophilia, sodomy, and murder online, referencing O9A in their communications and using O9A-affiliated terms and acronyms in their usernames. Additionally, four known Sonnenkrieg Division members [2], who have since been arrested, were found to have encouraged rape and pedophilia or were in possession of inappropriate images of minors on their electronic devices. 

Leadership 

Andrew Dymock, of Bath, London, founded Sonnenkrieg Division in early 2018 and led it until its demise in 2020. Dymock, a student at Aberystwyth University, was a staunch supporter of militant accelerationism, frequently advocating for the collapse of modern society through the use of violence and terrorist acts. He was also heavily influenced by James Mason-inspired Siege culture. Dymock subscribed to a neo-Nazist ideology and held deeply racist and anti-Semitic beliefs, frequently advocating online for a “race war” and posting to various platforms that the Jewish population should be “exterminated.” He was also vehemently homophobic, routinely calling for a global “purge” of the LGBTQ+ population. Dymock’s extremist views appear to be long-standing, with searches into his computer history revealing virulent anti-Semitic and extremist content as far back as 2017.

Prior to founding Sonnenkrieg Division, Dymock was also the founder of another accelerationist organization known as System Resistance Network (SRN), which proclaimed a commitment to violence as the sole means of demolishing democracy and establishing an all-white Britain. Dymock established the organization in 2017, writing online soon after its creation that SRN was “focused on building a group of loyal men, true to the cause of national socialism and establishing the fascist state through revolution.” Aspiring recruits’ dedication to the cause was tested through a requirement that each recruit spread significant amounts of SRN propaganda throughout their local areas. The BBC reported that 10 cities across the U.K. were known to be targeted by aspiring recruits. On the official SRN website, Dymock posted about the inevitability of a “racial holy war,” noting that “every stabbing, bombing, shooting further plays into our hands.” However, nearly a year after SRN’s establishment, Dymock’s own members expelled him from the organization after he began espousing increasingly “satanist” views to his SRN group members in accordance with O9A principles. Following his expulsion, Dymock went on to establish Sonnenkrieg Division.

Membership

Membership in Sonnenkrieg Division is legally prohibited in the United Kingdom and in Australia, following their respective designations of the group as a terrorist organization. The United Kingdom proscribed Sonnenkrieg Division on February 28, 2020, citing its advocation of terrorism and propensity toward extremist violence. In the United Kingdom, Sonnenkrieg Division membership is punishable by imprisonment. On March 22, 2021, Australia similarly proscribed Sonnenkrieg Division on the basis of its encouragement, promotion, and glorification of terrorist acts.  

As of 2018, the group reportedly had an estimated 10 to 15 official members located across Europe. Sonnenkrieg Division members largely appeared to be young men; based on analysis conducted by CTEC researchers, every individual that has been investigated based on their affiliation with the organization has been a young man between the ages of 16 and 24. The organization also appeared to have target audiences or individuals who were affiliated with the organization located in both Russia and Norway, as some of their propaganda had been translated into Russian and Norwegian. Communication between Sonnenkrieg Division members and supporters was originally facilitated online, with online gaming forums initially representing the most popular destination for in-group communications. 

Affiliations 

Andrew Dymock, Sonnenkrieg Division’s founder, once described his organization as “Atomwaffen [Division] with less guns,” indicating his respect for the U.S.-based extremist group. The two organizations, both heavily associated with the Iron March web forum, shared a notable resemblance, with both organizations possessing visually similar propaganda, rhetorically similar Siege-style messaging, and nearly identical ideological foundations. These similarities, however, are not reflective of a desire by Dymock to copy Atomwaffen Division’s aesthetic; rather, they are likely the result of both organizations’ adherence to the visual aesthetics and broader social trends associated with the Iron March web forum.

Most notably, the two organizations appeared to share an infamous propagandist, known most commonly by the alias Dark Foreigner, who designed virulent propaganda pieces for both groups. Although Dark Foreigner was first uncovered as a long-time Atomwaffen Division-affiliated artist, he began designing propaganda for Sonnenkrieg Division shortly after the organization was founded. His signature can be found on the propaganda he created for Sonnenkrieg Division, demonstrating his personal endorsement of the organization. Additionally, Atomwaffen and Sonnenkrieg members have frequently messaged each other in collective chat groups, with some Atomwaffen members expressing their endorsement of Sonnenkrieg on their Gab profiles. In return, some Sonnenkrieg members indicated their intent to travel to the United States to meet with Atomwaffen Division members. 

Propaganda 

Sonnenkrieg Division propaganda was seen most prominently on platforms like Gab, Fascist Forge, and the organization’s official website. The propaganda appears to be largely influenced by Siege culture aesthetics, with its tell-tale black and red graphics, fonts, and language especially reflective of other organizations influenced by Siegist aesthetics. The propaganda most frequently advocates for extreme violence against perceived enemies as a means of destroying “the System,” with texts from various SKD propaganda pieces encouraging its audience to “Baptize thyself with the blood of the System,” “behead modernity,” and “Pray for victory and not an end to the slaughter.” It also often promotes the perceived strength of the organization: “You can’t run from The Sun,” one image reads. “Soldiers of God never die,” another proclaims. Additionally, the glorification of hatred also represents a common theme, with propaganda images accompanied by messages like “Fill your heart with hate.” Sonnenkrieg Division propaganda also heavily condemns interracial relations, with several propaganda pieces calling for “race mixing whores” to “get the f*cking rope” as well as advocating for the death of “race traitor” Prince Harry of Sussex following his marriage to Meghan Markle, who is biracial. 

Some Sonnenkrieg Division propaganda has been released in the Russian language, indicating the presence of Russian Sonnenkrieg Division-affiliated individuals or target audiences of the organization located in Russia. This Russian-language propaganda appears to have been largely anti-Albanian in nature, with one propaganda piece in particular including the message “In the future there will be no Albania.” This propaganda exacerbates pre-existing political and diplomatic tensions between Russia and Albania, leading to the increased potential for violence against Albanian citizens on behalf of extremist organizations like Sonnenkrieg Division. 

Arrests/Plot/Attacks 

Between 2018 and 2019, U.K. law enforcement made several arrests in connection with Sonnenkrieg Division-related activity. In December of 2018, two U.K.-based Sonnenkrieg Division members were arrested for various terrorism-related offenses, both of whom would be imprisoned for their crimes in June of 2019. One of the members, a then-18-year-old named Michal Szewczuk, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of encouraging terrorist activity and five counts of possessing documents useful to a terrorist. The documents Szewczuk had obtained included bomb-making instructions, papers describing methods of carrying out Islamist terror attacks, and a manual on “white resistance.” The second member, then-17-year-old Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski, also admitted to two counts of encouraging terrorism, and was ultimately sentenced to an 18-month detention and training order. Both Szewczuk and Dunn-Koczorowski were active on gaming platforms as well as social networks like Gab, where they made use of pseudonyms to remain anonymous while promoting terrorism. The two also shared access to SKD’s official page, where they each created propaganda encouraging their audience to engage in terrorist attacks. Among their many posts, their blatant glorification of mass murderer Ian Brady (the Moors murderer) and their encouragement of an attack on Prince Harry of Sussex is reflective of their deep support for violence as the sole solution to their perceived problems. 

In addition to their presence on various online platforms, the boys also authored their own respective blogs, both of which advocated for extreme violence. Szewczuk’s blog was notably misogynistic, with posts advocating for the rape, torture, and murder of women and children. To his readers, Szewczuk advised, “You must become a machine of terror.” Similarly, Dunn-Koczorowski’s blog also justified the rape of white women and children as necessary to the furthering of the Aryan race. He also heavily advocated for terrorism as a tactic, writing that “terror is the best political weapon for nothing drives people harder than a fear of sudden death”.

Another Sonnenkrieg Division-affiliated individual, then-18-year-old Jacek Tchorzewski, was arrested on February 20, 2019 after the counterterrorism unit at London’s Luton airport discovered Tchorzewski’s possession of several digital documents amounting to terrorist material. The documents included bomb-making instructions, gun production instructions, and extreme neo-Nazist, pro-Hitler, and satanist propaganda. Tchorzewski, who described himself as being one of “the most radical Nazis,” said in a voice recording that his dream was to “plan some terrorism” and carry out an attack. He also wrote in a journal, “Let’s fill our hearts with terror and London’s streets with blood.” In June of 2019, Tchorzewski pled guilty to 10 counts of possessing documents useful to a terrorist, and was sentenced to four years in prison. Just one year later, in July of 2020, Tchorzewski was also found to be in possession of “abhorrent images” on his electronic devices. He pled guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of a child and one count of possessing extreme pornographic images. Eight months were added to his four-year prison sentence.  

Harry Vaughan, then 16, was arrested in June of 2019 in connection with activity on the extremist online forum Fascist Forge. Upon his arrest, it was discovered that Vaughan had been using several pseudonyms to anonymously share neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic, and satanist propaganda, explosive-building instructions, and pro-school shooting sentiments. Several inappropriate images of underage boys and videos of child abuse were also discovered on his electronic devices. Vaughan was also in possession of Sonnenkrieg Division-affiliated graphics advocating for acts of terrorism, which solidified his affiliation with the organization. Other self-made posters in Vaughan’s room included the quotes “It’s okay to be a Nazi” and “every girl loves a mass murderer”. During his trial, Vaughan pled guilty to 14 terrorism-related offenses, including 12 counts of possessing documents useful to a terrorist, one count of disseminating terrorist publications, and one count of encouraging terrorism. He also pled guilty to two counts of possessing indecent pictures of children. Vaughan ultimately avoided jail, with his final sentence including a suspended prison sentence in which Vaughan will avoid jail provided he does not commit crimes for a period of two years, mandatory enrollment in a deradicalization and rehabilitation program, and mandatory monitoring of Vaughan’s internet use.

Andrew Dymock, the founder and leader of Sonnenkrieg Division, was first arrested at England’s Gatwick Airport in June of 2018, where Dymock was allegedly attempting to fly to the United States to meet James Mason. Upon his arrest, law enforcement officials discovered several extremist texts including a copy of James Mason’s Siege and a copy of Mein Kampf, flags with the Sonnenkrieg Division logo, and clothing with neo-Nazi symbols. Dymock was arrested a second time on December 4, 2020, after he became implicated in a law enforcement investigation in which 750 gigabytes of evidence was uncovered from 29 electronic devices. At his trial, Dymock was found guilty of five counts of encouraging terrorism, two counts of fundraising for terrorism, and four separate counts each for disseminating terrorist publications, possessing a terrorist document, possessing racially inflammatory material, and inciting racial hatred and hatred based on sexual orientation. Dymock was later sentenced to seven years in prison, with the three years following his sentence to be carried out on an extended license.  

Conclusion

Sonnenkrieg Division’s influence, notwithstanding its relatively brief time boasting the status of an active organization, has had resounding effects. Despite its small membership, many of its members took such strong inspiration from the ideological foundations of the organization that they became vehement proponents of mass violence, resulting in ample jail time. Their blatant encouragement of terrorist acts and violence against minority populations, along with their proliferation of hate-charged propaganda, has contributed to the popularity of forums like Iron March and Fascist Forge, both of which are linked to several known extremist groups and their associated violence. The popularity of such forums presents a particular concern for vulnerable youth populations, who are increasingly viewing extremist rhetoric and propaganda akin to those of Sonnenkrieg Division. 

[1] In the United Kingdom, encouraging terrorism amounts to criminal activity under the Terrorism Act 2006. Sonnenkrieg Division members were also charged with possessing documents useful to a terrorist, disseminating terrorist publications, funding terrorism, possessing indecent images of minors, and possessing racially inflammatory material.

[2] Michal Szewczuk, Oskar Dunn-Koczorowski, Jacek Tchorzewski, and Harry Vaughan. See Arrests/Plots/Attacks subsection for further information.