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Return to the Land
White separatist group From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Return to the Land (RTTL) is a white separatist private membership organization in northern Arkansas, U.S.[1][2][3]
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History
The organization, operating under the name Wisdom Woods LLC, owns over 160 acres (65 ha) near Ravenden, Arkansas.[4][2] Co-founded by Eric Orwoll and Peter Csere in 2023, the community advertises itself as exclusively for white people.[5] The membership application process includes interviews and background checks, whereby candidates are vetted based on European heritage.[5] Jewish people are not considered "white" by RTTL and are thus barred from admission, as the PMA considers their place of origin in the Middle East.[1][6][7] As of July 2025, the first community is home to 40 inhabitants.[8]
There are currently two active communities in Arkansas: Arkansas Ozarks Community I & Arkansas Ozarks Community II.[5]
Four more are currently planned: one more in the Ozarks, one in the Deep South, and two in Appalachia.[9]
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Founders
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Eric Orwoll
Eric Orwoll (who also uses the pseudonym Aarvoll) is the founder and spokesperson of Return to the Land. He is active on social media, mainly YouTube and X, discussing religion, politics, philosophy, Platonism, and white identitarianism.[10][11] He has hosted discussions with other white identitarians and nationalists, including white supremacist and neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes.[12][13][14] Additionally, he has discussed how he was inspired by the Afrikaner separatist project Orania.[15][16] Orwoll says that he has been a musician for Shen Yun, promoted by The Epoch Times, a far-right media outlet affiliated with Falun Gong.[5][17]
Orwoll characterized public opinion on Adolf Hitler as "one-sided", and has predicted a "second coming" of a Hitler-like leader, "who is going to advocate for your interests because that's how a lot of people see Hitler."[8] However, Orwoll does not agree with Nazi ideology. He has criticized Hitler, describing him as "reckless", stating that he "failed spectacularly", and opining that "charismatic leaders" like him lead to destruction. Orwoll has shared his belief that Hitler ruled with "a tyranny in his own land" and posed "a threat to the world". Orwoll has also related that demagogues like Hitler "want to have unbridled power for themselves" and are "likely to surround themselves with yes-men".[18][19][20]
Peter Csere
Csere is described as the organization's "de facto number two", responsible for the organization's legal framework.[2] In the group's Telegram chat, Csere posted[when?] the phrase "1488", referring to the "Fourteen Words", a white supremacist slogan, with 88 representing the phrase "Heil Hitler".[2] Csere previously lived in Ecuador, where he co-founded the ecovillages of Fruit Haven and Terra Frutis.[21] In Ecuador, Csere was arrested for stabbing a miner, and was arrested on charges of potential murder. He has not been formally charged, and claims he was acting in self defense.[22]
On February 28, 2025, Fruit Haven ecovillage published an announcement on its website alleging Csere had misappropriated funds and stolen cryptocurrency from the community.[23]
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Reactions
The organization has been criticized by Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, a Republican.[7] As of July 30, 2025, Griffin's office shared that his office had "not seen anything that would indicate any state or federal laws have been broken".[24] The Anti-Defamation League has described the organization as illegal under the Arkansas Fair Housing Act and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.[5]
The attempts to expand into Missouri have also been met with backlash from Democratic Communications Director Chelsea Rodriguez and state representatives Jeremy Dean and Betsy Fogle, together stating that the group would not be welcome in their state.[1]
See also
- Kiryas Joel, New York
- EPIC City, Texas
- White ethnostate
- White flight
- Separatism
- Leith, North Dakota, 2013 tiny American town which thwarted an attempted neo-Nazi take over
- Springfield, Maine, 2022 tiny American town which thwarted an attempted neo-Nazi take over
References
External links
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