“Freedom” Foundation Leader Gives Anti-Vaccine Speech in Front of Swastika Sign, Another Demonstration of the Group’s Extremism and Violence

Accountable Northwest has long documented the culture of violence and extremism that permeates the “Freedom” Foundation and its leadership. The most recent example is their National Outreach Director, Matt Hayward, giving an anti-vaccine speech to far-right activists in front of a swastika at an October 3rd rally. 

Matthew Hayward speaking at a protest.

“We as Americans, regard Nazi symbols as signifiers of the worst hatred, racism and crimes against humanity the world has ever known,” said the United Jewish Federation of Utah, after a similar swastika was used at a vaccine protest in that state. “The use of such symbols legitimize antisemitism and points to a growing lack of education amongst our citizens of the horrors perpetuated by hate and racism.”

But Hayward’s speech in front of a hate symbol was not an isolated event. A further examination of his violent past and other “Freedom” Foundation staff paints a clear picture of a radical organization stuck on the fringes of politics. And the reason that their 6 year, $30 million campaign to silence workers on the job has backfired.

Hayward has a troubling history of both actual and threatened violence. Thurston County Court records revealed that Hayward once pled guilty to felony assault while armed with a deadly weapon and felony burglary while armed with a deadly weapon. And on a “Freedom” Foundation podcast, he joked about bringing a gun to the homes of union members when he went out canvassing.

And their National Outreach Director is not the only staffer to exhibit violent tendencies.

  • Former State Rep. Mike Nearman was a Senior Fellow at the “Freedom” Foundation when he was caught on surveillance video opening a locked door of the Oregon Capitol to men outside, who rushed inside and immediately began attacking police. Brandishing firearms and Trump flags, the invaders shot bear spray at Capitol police officers protecting the legislators inside. It was a dark foreshadowing of the violent insurrection that would take place in D.C. just weeks later. Nearman appeared to coach activists on illegally entering the Oregon Capitol from the “Freedom” Foundation’s offices in Salem, OR.
  • Another staffer, Jac Cates, worked closely with Hayward on and off for years, doing “outreach” to union members. Accountable Northwest found that Cates’ social media accounts were filled with racist, xenophobic and anti-LGBTQ slurs. Cates called for the deportation of all Muslims, stating that “the religion is the enemy.”  He made jokes about domestic violence and rape and mocked transgender people repeatedly online. 
  • Two other former “Freedom” Foundation staffers became leaders of the far-right “prepper” movement, penning gory apocalyptic fiction. As reported in the Pacific Northwest Inlander, Stephen H.G. “Greg” Overstreet, former lead attorney to the “Freedom” Foundation, and Anne Marie Gurney, their notorious former Oregon director, are the real identities of two authors in the survivalist fantasy genre. Overstreet’s ultra-violent novels imagine a society where women need two witnesses to prove rape and teenagers are beaten and hung.

When a group makes it a habit to hire extremists, this is what you get. The “Freedom” Foundation lives in a fringe, far-right culture with a long track record of ties to white supremacists, anti-immigrant leaders, and anti-LGBTQ organizations. Seeing their outreach director Matt Hayward rile up the anti-vaccine herd at protests is just the latest, shameful example of a depraved organization seeking relevance wherever it can.