Jewish man forced to join neo-Nazi gang tells harrowing story of survival
John Daly, a Jewish man who was forced into joining a neo-Nazi gang in Florida, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he recounted the terrifying ordeal of his time in the gang and the devastating repercussions of what happened once his fellow gang-members discovered his Jewish identity.
Mr Daly, the subject of the documentary Escape from Room 18 which tells the fascinating story of his time in the gang, was part of an anti-racist skinhead gang in his youth. However, the Aryan Youth Force, a close-by neo-Nazi gang, took over and absorbed the non-racist members into their own, quickly letting them know that any attempt to leave would end in violence, or worse.
“One day there was a knock on my door, and there were three neo-Nazi skinheads standing outside,” Mr Daly said. “I thought, being Jewish, that initially, it was an attack.”
Fearing for the safety of his family inside, Mr Daly chose to go with the gang members.
Recalling his first encounter with the gang members, he said: “I got in the car and we drove off, and each [gang member] told me a story of someone who used to be involved and quit hanging out and was mysteriously shot, or mysteriously run over, or mysteriously caught on fire.
“I understood what they were saying without saying it. The driver reached over the back [of the seat], put his hand towards mine and said ‘welcome aboard’.
“I said thanks, and I didn’t know I was shaking the hands of the guy that later on was going to try and murder me.”
Mr Daly remained a member of the white supremacist gang for six months before they discovered his Jewish identity. Shortly thereafter, he was ordered to an officers’ meeting. Upon arriving, he felt that the others were behaving differently around him.
The gang ordered Mr Daly to accompany them to the beach, where he was then attacked.
“We got down to the sea. Once [there], one guy punched me behind my right ear. When I turned to face him, somebody shouted out ‘now!’ and the other six jumped on me. And so I had six guys punching and kicking me at the same time. I was kicked in and out of consciousness numerous times.”
They then dragged Mr Daly into the sea, where they attempted to drown him. Convinced he was dead, they left. Miraculously, he survived.
Following the incident, he stayed for a time in hospital before taking those responsible to court whereupon they were convicted.
“Every time I’d go to court, I had a bodyguard with me, an undercover policeman. I knew my life was in danger, but I felt like it was the right thing to do so I stood up and did it.”
Throughout the interview, Mr Daly touched upon a variety of other issues which included what his life has been like after the attempted murder, visiting Auschwitz concentration camp with a fellow ex-gang member, and how his life has been impacted by his three brain surgeries, all of which he was awake for.
This podcast can be listened to here, or watched here.
Podcast Against Antisemitism, produced by Campaign Against Antisemitism, talks to a different guest about antisemitism each week. It streams every Thursday and is available through all major podcast apps and YouTube. You can also subscribe to have new episodes sent straight to your inbox.
Previous guests have included comedian David Baddiel, television personality Robert Rinder, writer Eve Barlow, Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Autumn Rowe, and actor Eddie Marsan.
