Brian Rathjen

Press Citizen

The Amana Colonies is no longer designated as the home of the neo-Nazi group.

The Southern Poverty Law Center had previously designated the historic settlement as the home of the Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi and white supremacy news and commentary organization.

On Monday, one of the economic leaders of the Amanas received word that the SPLC, a civil rights organization, changed the Daily Stormer’s designation to “statewide.”

“Absolutely. We’re thrilled for them changing the map and correcting it to what it should be, and not having the Amanas as a hate group,” said David Rettig, executive director of the Amana Colonies Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The group had earlier stood by its claim that the Amanas were the home of a hate group, noting that it had confirmation that a group of individuals met sometime in September 2016 at a restaurant in the Amanas. A thread, originally posted on the Daily Stormer and since cached by Google, backed the claim.

“The First Iowa Stormer Bookclub was a success!” posted a user with the screen name Concerned Troll in a Sept. 26, 2016, thread. Concerned Troll, who did not post specific details about the visit, went on to suggest a subsequent meeting in Des Moines sometime in the late fall or early winter.

But officials were quick to denounce the SPLC’s claims, stating there are no such groups active in Iowa County and – while denouncing hate groups and their activities, saying none of their messages or activities are welcome in their town – demanded that the civil rights organization remove their community from their hate map. The revelation that Amana had been marked as the home of the Daily Stormer became known after violence broke out following a “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., on Aug. 12.

On Monday, the SPLC agreed. Rettig was contacted personally by a representative of the SPLC informing him of the change.

A representative of the SPLC was not immediately available for comment Monday afternoon.