RWDS/Right Wing Death Squad

The term "right-wing death squad" (or “RWDS”) is typically a generic expression of far-right sentiment and may be used by white supremacists or other types of right-wing extremists. 

The phrase first emerged in the 1970s and 80s to describe Central and South American government and paramilitary units created to support right-wing governments and oppose communists and others on the left. Their actions included "death flights," in which leftists were dropped out of helicopters. The phrase re-emerged among right-wing extremists in the United States in the mid-2010s in the form of RWDS stickers and patches (sometimes featuring a helicopter), as well as "RWDS" in screen names and hashtags and written on shields meant for street fighting -- including shields used at the violent 2017 “Unite the Right” white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Some members of the Proud Boys have worn RWDS patches, and in 2017 a short-lived "RWDS" group emerged. Some may also use a related phrase, "Pinochet did nothing wrong," a reference to the brutal Chilean dictator.