Augustus Sol Invictus

Augustus Sol Invictus
File:Invictus AS.jpg
Born	Austin Gillespie (1983-07-31) July 31, 1983
Alma mater	University of South Florida (B.A) DePaul University (J.D)
Occupation(s)	Politician, attorney, publisher
Political party	Libertarian (2015–2017) Republican (2017–present)
Website	www.therevolutionaryconservative.com

Augustus Sol Invictus (Latin: majestic unconquered sun), born Austin Gillespie, is an American far-right activist and attorney.

Invictus was a headline speaker at the Unite the Right rally at Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017, a rally that ended with three deaths. He has been called a Holocaust denier by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Invictus was a candidate for the Libertarian nomination in the United States Senate election in Florida, 2016. His candidacy prompted the resignation under protest of party chairman Adrian Wyllie. He lost in the primary by a margin of around 50 points to Paul Stanton. Invictus is the publisher of The Revolutionary Conservative, a far-right publication with the stated aim of restoring the American Republic and defending Western civilization. He was widely criticized within the Libertarian Party for his use of fascist imagery and history of white nationalist associations. He has been described by media reports as being associated with the alt-right movement.

In a disclaimer to a paper advocating for eugenics, Invictus wrote that although he believes the strong and intelligent should breed and the weak and stupid should not, he does not believe that the government can be trusted to implement such a program. On April 7, 2017, the Libertarian Party of Florida, under threat of a defamation lawsuit from Invictus, issued a full retraction of the 2015 press release, stating "that it exceeded the mandate of the executive committee." On July 13, 2017, Invictus changed his party affiliation to Republican. On August 14, 2017, Invictus announced his candidacy as a Republican for the 2018 United States Senate election in Florida. On December 1st, 2017, he then bowed out of that race, citing concerns over a lack of funding due to a loss of donors in the wake of the controversy regarding the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, during which one person died.

Career

Invictus graduated from the University of South Florida with a BA with honors in Philosophy. Following his graduation, he attended DePaul University College of Law and graduated in 2011. While in law school, Invictus earned a fellowship at the International Human Rights Law Institute. His work centered on international criminal law and the laws of armed conflict. He has been admitted to the Bar in Florida, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts, and the Middle District of Florida in the US District Court. He was managing partner of Imperium, P.A., a law firm he founded in 2013, until his retirement from the practice of law in 2017.

Invictus is currently the publisher of The Revolutionary Conservative, a far-right publication with the stated aim of "restoring the American republic and defending Western Civilization."

On July 8, 2017, Invictus debated Communist journalist Caleb Maupin in New York City at a forum entitled "The Revolutionary Left vs. The Revolutionary Right." The debate has been released as a film, which was promoted by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on social media.

Invictus was a headlined speaker at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017 where a white supremacist drove his vehicles into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one woman. The Miami Herald wrote of Invictus's involvement in the fatal event that "the political fallout over Charlottesville may end whatever hopes for public office Invictus had."

Campaign

On May 19, 2015, Invictus announced his campaign for the U.S Senate as a candidate for the Libertarian Party in the 2016 Florida election.

In response to Invictus's campaign, Adrian Wyllie resigned from his position as chairman of the Libertarian Party of Florida, calling Invictus a "violent Fascist and Neo-Nazi" whose ideology was incompatible with libertarianism and saying he did not want to be part of the same party. The chairman also accused Invictus of supporting eugenics and for "sadistically dismembering a goat in a ritualistic sacrifice". Invictus responded by admitting that he once wrote a paper advocating eugenics but saying that he has since changed his mind. He said he had sacrificed the goat and drunk its blood as part of a ritual to give thanks for surviving a pilgrimage in spring 2013, but denied it was "sadistic".

He has also said that he is not white supremacist, citing the fact that his children are part Hispanic; however, he acknowledged that some white supremacists support his campaign. In 2014 he acted as attorney for Marcus Faella of the American Front in his legal appeal.

In May, 2016, Invictus began the “Possibility of Revolution” tour in Florida, speaking in Orlando, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Tampa, Fort Myers, and Miami in one continuous circuit. At the end of this tour, Paul Stanton entered the Senate race, creating the first Libertarian primary for the United States Senate in Florida history. Invictus lost the primary election to Paul Stanton on August 30, 2016.

Views

Invictus asserts, despite numerous accusations, that he is not a fascist or a white supremacist. In a 2017 interview he insists that, if anything, he would advocate for the institution of a monarchy. Elaborating on his relationship to fascism, Invictus says elsewhere in the interview, "I’m not saying that we should institute a fascist government, I’m saying that the fascist philosophy is valuable to understand, because there are real problems with liberal democracy, and there are real problems with communism, and fascism puts those on the table. So [...] you have to be prepared for those things and you have to understand the counter-arguments to your own worldview.”

However, there remain speculations that Invictus is a crypto-fascist, as he has made other statements which render his actual views less clear. In particular, his Holocaust denialism, opposition to multiculturalism, and promotion of the supremacy of European identity above many things—all of which are popular dog-whistles in fascist rhetoric—make it clear that Invictus is deeply positively impacted by the views and ideology of fascist thinkers. In the same aforementioned 2017 interview with writer and journalist Alexandria Brown, he cites Nazi legal theorist Carl Schmitt as a key influence, saying, "I hold Schmitt in very high regard, and you can probably assume that I generally agree with him on everything, and he’s one of my biggest influences not just in politics, but in legal philosophy," Indeed, elsewhere in this interview Invictus advances the value of totalitarianism as such, claiming that "fascism just recognizes the reality of the world.” Biographical and professional choices such as his association with Richard Spencer, and his legal representation of white supremacist terrorist organization American Front make it clear that Invictus is, at the very least, comfortable with publicly aiding and abetting active fascists in the furtherance of their goals and their lives.

Invictus believes that the United States should embrace a non-interventionist approach to foreign policy, arguing that an interventionist approach has resulted in the loss of American lives and the accumulation of trillions of dollars in debt. He opposes using the U.S military to interfere in the affairs of sovereign nations.

Invictus advocates for balancing the budget, shrinking the size of government, ceasing "reckless" government spending and deregulating American business. He is also in favor of repealing the personal income tax, abolishing the IRS and recreating the tax code. He is for an expanded federal role in protecting the environment. According to Invictus, he does not support mass immigration and is against open borders for the United States. However, he supports policies that would streamline the process of immigration and naturalization so that immigrants who wish to integrate and work in the United States can do so with ease. Invictus believes that abortion should be illegal in most circumstances. Invictus is opposed to the War on Drugs and has labeled it a failure. He supports repealing the Controlled Substances Act and abolishing the DEA. Invictus believes that America should find alternative forms of energy so as to reduce U.S dependence on foreign energy. He does not believe there should be a trade-off between economic freedom and the destruction of the environment.

During his campaign, a letter written by Invictus in 2013 came to light in which he renounced his citizenship and claimed to have plans of venturing out in the woods only to return bringing war:

"I have prophesied for years that I was born for a Great War; that if I did not witness the coming of the Second American Civil War I would begin it myself. Mark well: That day is fast coming upon you. On the New Moon of May, I shall disappear into the Wilderness. I will return bearing Revolution, or I will not return at all."

Invictus has been accused of supporting state-sponsored eugenics for a paper he wrote as a law student. Invictus, however, wrote a disclaimer to the paper stating that although he believes the strong and intelligent should breed and the weak and stupid should not, he does not believe that the government can be trusted to implement such a program.

Invictus is a Holocaust denier having said:

"Do I believe that 6 million Jews were killed by evil Hitler? Is that what you’re asking me?” he said. “Okay, then I am still waiting to see those facts."

Personal life

He was born Austin Gillespie and Invictus legally changed his name to Augustus Sol Invictus. He is a Thelemite, though was expelled from leading Thelemic organisation Ordo Templi Orientis; he also identifies as a pagan.

On March 23rd, 2017, allegations emerged that Invictus had engaged in domestic violence, sexual assault, and kidnapping against his former fianceé:

"According to Alexandria Brown, a journalist that interviewed Gillespie several times and had developed a friendship with him, now claims in a recent blog post, that Gillespie 'raped, brutally beat, and threatened his [19 year old] ex-fianceé with a gun.’” 

On March 21, 2017, the accuser had filed a police report in Edgewood, Florida. She was advised to file a second report in the proper district of Altamonte Springs.

A Vocativ article on the topic claims:

"Invictus allegedly held her captive for several days in the home she says they shared — 'until her bruises healed.’ In the report, Invictus’ former girlfriend describes 15 months of abuse that included 'smashing her head into the center console of a vehicle, pushing her out of a moving vehicle, punching her, kicking her, choking her until she would pass out, throwing her across a room and dragging her.' In one instance described in the report, Invictus allegedly beat the woman so badly her eyes were swollen shut. He then dragged her into a closet and held a gun to her head and asked why he 'shouldn’t kill her.’ In another incident detailed in the report, in January or February, Invictus allegedly beat her and again dragged her to a closet and held a gun to her head. He went on, the report claims, to sexually assault her."

Currently, charges have not been brought against Invictus, who denies all claims. According to Vocativ journalist James King, Invictus alleges that the accuser is a “drug addict and a prostitute." However, Invictus has furnished no proof for his claim that his accuser engages in illegal sex work and uses drugs. In either case, far from rendering women immune to becoming targets for abusive violence, studies have shown being a sex worker puts a woman at a much higher-than-average risk of homicide or death.

Alexandria Brown, the writer and journalist who initially broke the story on her blog, gave a November 2017 interview regarding the allegations with Invictus’ former campaign manager Raquel Okyay. In the interview, she insists that many of the characterizations Invictus has made of his accuser and of herself are false. Ms. Brown asserts that she helped the accuser put the allegations forward out of neither a desire for revenge nor a politico-ideological motive, but rather, out of simple concern for the accuser’s safety.

Electoral history

2016 United States Florida Senate primary election

Party	Candidate	Votes	Percentage
Libertarian	Paul Stanton	2,943	73.5%
	Augustus Invictus	1,059	26.5%

External links

• The Revolutionary Conservative
• Imperium, P.A.
• Invictus for Senate