Parents Beware: Neo-Nazis, Other Hate Groups Want to Teach Your Children to Hate

As a parent, I was horrified when I discovered this dark part of the web. I'm also horrified that this story has not received more attention to warn others.

This post is part of a continuing series that explains how I began this unexpected journey into the world of hate. I hope you will find this publication to be part of an important conversation and will spread the word!

After two years of immersing myself diving into the world of hate in America, it was some of the most sickening scenes I had ever witnessed.

Watching late one night from my home office, I sat back in my chair, trying to absorb the shock of the videos upon which I had stumbled.

These scenes were, in my mind, the personification of evil.

In the dark places of the Internet, neo-Nazi Jon Minadeo had proudly posted videos of his interactions with children in various online video chats. Minadeo is leader of the Goyim Defense League, the same neo-Nazi group that traveled to Nashville in July 2024 and wreaked havoc on the city’s streets.

Never mind that most of the kids met by Minadeo probably should never have ventured into the apps that were supposedly only for those 18 and up. For America’s sons and daughters, left unmonitored by their parents, such websites offer the excitement of venturing into worlds that are supposed to be forbidden.

For characters like Minadeo — not unlike the sick pedophiles who also hang out in such spaces — those lapses offer opportunities to prey on innocent children.

As my investigation discovered, when Minadeo meets children of color, he viciously berates them — in one case, telling a young Black kid that he was the winner of “the ugly n----- award.”

When he chatted with a Latina immigrant, he held up an assault weapon, hinting that she should be afraid for her life.

“You people are a bio-weapon, ok?” Minadeo told the girl.

“We White people have got to control our country’s borders and kick out people that don’t belong in our country. We want you to go to your own f---ing country and leave us the f--- alone. And if that doesn’t happen, there’s going to be chaos…, and we are going to kick you f- - -ing b---ers out.”

But when the neo-Nazi encounters White kids, he treats those interactions as opportunities to groom them. He tries to convince them that anyone who does not look and think like them — including Jews and minorities — are people who should be feared and must eventually be killed.

Again, in that mindset, he is not so different from the pedophiles who operate in such spaces, preying on children for their own form of perverted satisfaction.

Take, for example, the video of Minadeo with a young White girl, who looked to be about 12 years old. Spotting the 40-something neo-Nazi, the child reacted with a visible double take and, to her credit, asked the right question.

“How old are you?” she asked in an innocent voice.

“I’m too old to be on this, but I’m warning women like you to stay away from these f---ing filthy n-----s,” Minadeo told the girl. As children often react to over-the-top, shock-jock type of behavior, she giggled and covered her mouth.

Then, there was the 14-year-old boy who could barely contain his enthusiasm over meeting a character he had apparently seen referenced on social media.

“Oh, my God! I f---ing love you, bro!” the kid declared, jumping up and down in excitement. Playing along, Minadeo switched to a video effect giving the appearance that bright red lasers were shooting from his eyes.

“White power, n-----!” Minadeo shouted, throwing a Nazi salute. The boy responded in kind.

Without missing a beat, the GDL leader convinced the teen to check out his neo-Nazi website.

That, after all, is how grooming works.

In yet another video, the neo-Nazi encountered a White teen boy, who seemed to know Minadeo’s reputation.

“Guess what we hate?” the kid asked.

Minadeo answered, “N-----s.”

“Hate them! F---ing kill them all!” the teen agreed with an intensity that suggested he meant it.

Together, pulling out guns, they celebrated the idea of killing Black Americans.

In a similar vein, there was Minadeo’s interaction with a boy still in braces, who said he was 14.

“So, you know what that means?” Minadeo asked, pulling out an assault weapon and patting it. “It’s time to strap up and get ready for a complete race war.”

Again, remember this kid was just, at best, 14 years old!

In his case, Minadeo took it a step farther, encouraging the boy to sign into GDL’s livestream and to see other GDL members welcoming him into their Nazi ranks.

Watch my broadcast story below:

"It's sickening,” said Jason Sparks, one of the parents whom I had asked to watch the videos with me for my broadcast story. “I can't believe that guy's whole thing is engaging with kids like that. That's just so pathetic."

What can you do to protect your children?

Franklin therapist Lauren Martin provided me with these tips:

• Stay informed about gaming platforms, chat apps, and online spaces where kids connect by following resources like Common Sense Media.

• Keep devices in shared family spaces where you can naturally check in on online interactions.

• Teach kids to trust their instincts and remind them they can always walk away, block someone, or come to you without consequences.

• Set clear expectations from the start that you will review their online activity.

• Help kids understand that harmful people often build trust by being friendly and finding common interests before introducing dangerous ideas.