Anti-Defamation League says 10 purported Oath Keepers in Illinois work as firefighters, paramedics or EMTs, most of any state

Ten Illinois firefighters, paramedics and EMTs appear to have joined the ranks of the far-right Oath Keepers, more than in any other state, according to a report released Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism.

Illinois also saw 21 law enforcement officers, three elected officials and two members of the military sign up for the extremist group, the ADL said.

The findings are based on a 2021 leak of the Oath Keepers’ purported membership rolls, posted online by the transparency collective Distributed Denial of Secrets. The ADL said it compared the names with information found in public databases, media reports and social media platforms to identify those who held public safety jobs.

The ADL cautioned, however, that being on the list is not conclusive proof someone is or was a member of the Oath Keepers. Some interviewed by media outlets over the last year denied they had joined the group, or said they had never been an active member.

The ADL would not specify which of the 883 Illinoisans found on the Oath Keepers’ membership list are allegedly first responders, nor would it identify the departments in which they work. Oren Segal, vice president of the Center on Extremism, said the organization wants to focus on the big picture.

“At the end of the day, there are people in various positions in society, from law enforcement to elected officials to emergency medical professionals, who we need to trust are there purely to serve the needs of the community,” he said.

“The Oath Keepers are anathema to that concept, so where you have the nexus between Oath Keepers and those who are supposed to serve the community, it raises concerns.”

The leaked data includes one person who has the same name as a firefighter with the Chicago Fire Department. That person denied being a member of the Oath Keepers, and a department spokesman could not immediately comment on whether it has any policy regarding employees who belong to extremist organizations.

The Oath Keepers, founded in 2009 by Stewart Rhodes, is a loosely organized, conspiracy theory-fueled group that recruits current and former military, police and first responders.

It asks its members to vow to defend the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” promotes the belief that the federal government is out to strip citizens of their civil liberties and paints its followers as defenders against tyranny.

More than two dozen people associated with the Oath Keepers — including Rhodes — have been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Rhodes and four other Oath Keeper members or associates are heading to trial this month on seditious conspiracy charges for what prosecutors have described as a weekslong plot to keep then-President Donald Trump in power.

Rhodes and the other Oath Keepers say they are innocent and that there was no plan to attack the Capitol.

After the leak last year, NPR found 13 people on the membership list who appeared to be members of the Chicago Police Department. Officials told NPR they “have zero tolerance for hate or extremism within CPD” and vowed to investigate.

A CPD spokesman said Wednesday the investigation is continuing.

Retired fire Capt. Ezra McCann, an outspoken opponent of racism within the Chicago Fire Department — he’s best known for turning over a video of white firefighters making ethnic slurs during a firehouse party — said he didn’t know of any colleagues who were members of extremist groups during his career, though he had his suspicions.

He said firefighters who are racist or otherwise subscribe to extremist philosophies shortchange the public while doing their jobs, such as by failing to prevent unnecessary property damage.

“If you had a fire in your home and they saw Black photos on the mantel, they’d tear your house up,” said McCann, who retired in 2006 and believes things have since improved. “… There’s different aspects of the job we definitely saw double standards depending on the community.”

The ADL said aside from emergency services, law enforcement, the military and elected officeholders, it found purported Oath Keepers who were religious figures, teachers, civil engineers and government employees. Some said they had top secret clearances or access to nuclear facilities.

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At least one claimed to be a physician, eager to advance the Oath Keepers’ philosophy.

“Many of my patients are police officers, troopers, FBI agents, CIA and in the military,” the person wrote. “I have the ability to spread the (word) of this organization to my patients. I showed 2 troopers this week the web link.”

Segal said despite the legal troubles facing the leadership of the Oath Keepers, the group might not be finished.

“We have seen time and again how extremist movements find ways to regroup and reorganize,” he said. “I think we ignore this particular group at our own peril.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

jkeilman@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @JohnKeilman