Nathan Benjamin Damigo, born in 1986, is an American white supremacist known for founding the white nationalist group Identity Evropa in 2016 [1, 2].1 He grew up in San Jose, California, and was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps from 2004 to 2007, serving two tours in Iraq [1, 4].2
Damigo's involvement in extremist activities is linked to a period following his military service. In November 2007, he was arrested for armed robbery after holding up a taxicab driver at gunpoint, believing the man was Iraqi [1, 5].3 Damigo stated he was experiencing "major issues" after returning from Iraq and has expressed some remorse for the crime, though he never apologized to the victim [4].4 He was convicted and served time in both county jail and state prison [1]. During his incarceration, he read works by far-right figures, including David Duke, and was influenced by racist eugenic theories [1, 4].5
After his release in 2014, Damigo joined and eventually became a director of the National Youth Front, the youth wing of the white supremacist American Freedom Party [1].6 He founded Identity Evropa in March 2016, and the group became known for its "identitarian" and "pro-white" ideology, targeting college students for recruitment [2, 3].7 Damigo gained notoriety for an incident at a protest in Berkeley, California, in April 2017, where he was filmed punching a woman in the face [3, 5].8
Damigo and Identity Evropa were key participants in the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017 [4].9 Damigo was arrested at the rally for misdemeanor failure to obey police [5]. He stepped down as the leader of Identity Evropa later that month, and the group eventually disbanded [2, 3].
In January 2019, Damigo filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, a move described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an attempt to pre-emptively shield his assets from a federal civil lawsuit stemming from the Charlottesville rally [6].10 In November 2021, a federal judge ordered Damigo to pay $500,000 for his role in organizing the rally, where he and other organizers were found to have openly discussed committing acts of violence against counter-protesters [7].11
Citations
[1] "Nathan Benjamin Damigo - Southern Poverty Law Center." https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/nathan-benjamin-damigo/ (accessed Sep. 10, 2025).
[2] "Identity Evropa - Wikipedia." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_Evropa (accessed Sep. 10, 2025).
[3] "The Making of a White Supremacist, Born in Lewiston | Maine Public." https://www.mainepublic.org/nation/2017-08-16/the-making-of-a-white-supremacist-born-in-lewiston (accessed Sep. 10, 2025).
[4] "My Brother, the White Nationalist - Pacific Standard." https://psmag.com/audio-podcasts/the-red-pill-my-brother-the-white-nationalist/ (accessed Sep. 10, 2025).
[5] "Another veteran linked to white supremacist rally in Charlottesville - Military Times." https://www.militarytimes.com/news/2017/08/17/another-veteran-linked-to-white-supremacist-rally-in-charlottesville/ (accessed Sep. 10, 2025).
[6] "Nathan Damigo, founder of white nationalist group Identity Evropa, files for bankruptcy protection - Southern Poverty Law Center." https://www.splcenter.org/resources/hatewatch/nathan-damigo-founder-white-nationalist-group-identity-evropa-files-bankruptcy-protection/ (accessed Sep. 10, 2025).
[7] "Stanislaus County White Supremacist Among Group Held Legally Responsible for Charlottesville Violence - CBS News." https://www.cbsnews.com/gooddaysacramento/news/stanislaus-man-lawsuit-charlottesville/ (accessed Sep. 10, 2025).