The Changing Face of American White Supremacy Our Mission: to Stop the Defamation of the Jewish People and to Secure Justice and Fair Treatment for All

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Changing Face of American White Supremacy Our Mission: to Stop the Defamation of the Jewish People and to Secure Justice and Fair Treatment for All A report from the Center on Extremism 09 18 New Hate and Old: The Changing Face of American White Supremacy Our Mission: To stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. ABOUT T H E CENTER ON EXTREMISM The ADL Center on Extremism (COE) is one of the world’s foremost authorities ADL (Anti-Defamation on extremism, terrorism, anti-Semitism and all forms of hate. For decades, League) fights anti-Semitism COE’s staff of seasoned investigators, analysts and researchers have tracked and promotes justice for all. extremist activity and hate in the U.S. and abroad – online and on the ground. The staff, which represent a combined total of substantially more than 100 Join ADL to give a voice to years of experience in this arena, routinely assist law enforcement with those without one and to extremist-related investigations, provide tech companies with critical data protect our civil rights. and expertise, and respond to wide-ranging media requests. Learn more: adl.org As ADL’s research and investigative arm, COE is a clearinghouse of real-time information about extremism and hate of all types. COE staff regularly serve as expert witnesses, provide congressional testimony and speak to national and international conference audiences about the threats posed by extremism and anti-Semitism. You can find the full complement of COE’s research and publications at ADL.org. Cover: White supremacists exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Emancipation Park during the ‘Unite the Right’ rally August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Left: Rally organizer Joey Gibson (center) and right-wing demonstrators react as police fire flash-bang grenades at counter-demonstrators on the other side of Naito Parkway during a rally on August 4, 2018 in Portland, Oregon. Photo: Karen Ducey/Getty Images A report from the Center on Extremism New Hate and Old: The Changing Face of American White Supremacy ® EXECUTIVE SUMMARY New Hate and Old: The Changing Face of American White Supremacy hite supremacists in the United States have identitarianism, renegade conservatives and right-wing experienced a resurgence in the past three years, conspiracy theorists. The alt right also possesses its own Wdriven in large part by the rise of the alt right. distinct subculture, derived especially from the misogynists of the so-called “manosphere” and from online discussion • The white supremacist “Unite the Right” rally in forums such as 4chan, 8chan and Reddit. Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 11-12, 2017, attracted some 600 extremists from around the country and ended • Though aspects of the alt right date back to 2008, it was in deadly violence. These shocking events served as a Donald Trump’s entry in 2015 into the 2016 presidential race wake-up call for many Americans about a resurgent white that really energized the alt right and caused it to become supremacist movement in the United States. highly active in support of Trump. This activism drew media attention that provided publicity for • Modern white supremacist the alt right and allowed it to grow ideology is centered on the further. The alt right interpreted assertion that the white race Trump’s success at the polls in is in danger of extinction, November 2016 as a success for drowned by a rising tide of their own movement as well. WHITE SUPREMACISTS BELIEVE non-white people who are controlled and manipulated THAT ALMOST ANY ACTION • After the election, the alt right by Jews. White supremacists IS JUSTIFIED IF IT WILL moved from online activism into believe that almost any action HELP “SAVE” THE WHITE RACE. the real world, forming real- is justified if it will help “save” world groups and organizations the white race. and engaging in tactics such as targeting college campuses. The • The white supremacist alt right also expanded its online resurgence is driven in large propaganda efforts, especially part by the rise of the alt right, through podcasting. the newest segment of the white supremacist movement. Youth-oriented and • As the alt right received increased media scrutiny—in overwhelmingly male, the alt right has provided new energy large part due to its own actions, such as the violence at to the movement, but has also been a destabilizing force, Charlottesville—the alt right experienced dissension and much as racist skinheads were to the movement in the disunity in its own right, including the departure of many 1980s and early 1990s. extremists who did not advocate explicit white supremacy (the so-called “alt lite”). The backlash against the alt right • The alt right has a white supremacist ideology after Charlottesville hurt many of its leading spokespeople heavily influenced by a number of sources, including but has not resulted, as some have claimed, in a decline in paleoconservatism, neo-Nazism and fascism, the movement as a whole. • Other white supremacists—neo-Nazis, traditional white supremacists, racist skinheads, white supremacist religious sects, and white supremacist prison gangs— have also continued their activities. Some white supremacists, such as neo-Nazis, seem to have been buoyed by the alt right to some extent, while others— most notably racist skinheads—may experience a loss of potential recruits at the hands of the alt right. • Violence and crime represent the most serious problems emanating from the white supremacist movement. White supremacists have killed more people in recent years than any other type of domestic extremist (54% of all domestic extremist-related murders in the past 10 years). They are also a troubling source of domestic terror incidents (including 13 plots or attacks within the past five years). • Murders and terror plots represent only the tip of the iceberg of white supremacist violence, as there are many more incidents involving less serious crimes, including attempted murders, assaults, weapons and explosives violations, and more. In addition, white supremacists engage in a lot of non-ideological crime, including crimes of violence against women and drug-related crimes. THE ALT RIGHT INTERPRETED TRUMP’S SUCCESS AT THE POLLS IN NOVEMBER 2016 AS A SUCCESS FOR THEIR OWN MOVEMENT AS WELL. Alt right leader Richard Spencer and his supporters clash with Virginia State Police in Emancipation Park after the ‘Unite the Right’ rally was declared an unlawful gathering August 12, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images ® TABLE OF CONTENTS 09 13 17 21 27 I. One Year Ago: II. White Supremacy: III. White Supremacy IV. The Ideology of V. The Subculture of A Death in The Haters and the Alt Right: the Alt Right the Alt Right Charlottesville and the Hated A New Relationship 31 35 45 51 57 VI. Alt Right VII. The Alt Right VIII. The Catch-88 IX. In the Shadow X. White Supremacist Tactics and the 2016 Now: Moving into the Paradox: “Optics” of the Alt Right: Violence and Crime Presidential Election Real World and Backlashes The Other White Supremacists New Hate and Old: The Changing Face of American White Supremacy White supremacists clash with counter-demonstrators before the start of a speech by alt right leader Richard Spencer at Michigan State University on March 5, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images I. ONE YEAR AGO: A DEATH IN CHARLOTTESVILLE 9 Almost every segment of the white supremacist movement was represented A Death in Charlottesville [ in Charlottesville that day. ] onths of nationwide white supremacist activity Other white supremacists confronted and attacked culminated in August 2017 in Charlottesville, counter-protesters in various locations—and were MVirginia, where hundreds of hardcore racists occasionally attacked by them as well, though gathered in a highly publicized two-day protest they most of the violence that day originated with the called “Unite the Right.” On the first night, close to 200 white supremacists. Though there was a heavy law marchers, mostly from the alt right segment of the white enforcement presence, the police inexplicably took supremacist movement, assembled with tiki torches on a hands-off approach. the campus of the University of Virginia, chanting racist and anti-Semitic slogans and fighting with a small group Eventually, the violence and disorder escalated to a of anti-racist counter-protesters. point where authorities declared the gathering unlawful and began to disperse white supremacists and counter- The next day, August 12, was the largest public rally of protesters alike. Some white supremacists made their white supremacists in more than a decade, with more way to an alternate rally location while others slowly than 500 white supremacists on hand. The many alt walked back to their cars or hotels. right activists were joined by a variety of other white supremacist groups: Neo-Nazis from the National The violence of the day, however, was not yet over. Socialist Movement, Vanguard America and the In the afternoon, a young alt right white supremacist Traditionalist Worker Party; Klan members from the Rebel from Ohio, James Alex Fields, Jr., apparently deliberately Brigade Knights, the Global Crusader Knights, and the drove his vehicle into a crowd of counter-protesters, Confederate White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan; racist throwing some into the air. The attack injured 19 people skinheads from the Hammerskins; Christian Identity and killed one woman, Heather Heyer, who had come adherents from Christogenea; neo-Confederates from out to protest the white supremacists. Fields was the League of the South; Odinists from the Asatru Folk subsequently charged with first-degree murder and Assembly; and many others. Almost every segment of other state and federal charges related to the attack, the white supremacist movement was represented in including federal hate crime charges. Charlottesville that day. The nation was shocked by the violence and by As the racists made their way across town towards the widely-covered gathering of so many white their planned rally location at Emancipation Park, they supremacists.
Recommended publications
  • Reactionary Postmodernism? Neoliberalism, Multiculturalism, the Internet, and the Ideology of the New Far Right in Germany
    University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM UVM Honors College Senior Theses Undergraduate Theses 2018 Reactionary Postmodernism? Neoliberalism, Multiculturalism, the Internet, and the Ideology of the New Far Right in Germany William Peter Fitz University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses Recommended Citation Fitz, William Peter, "Reactionary Postmodernism? Neoliberalism, Multiculturalism, the Internet, and the Ideology of the New Far Right in Germany" (2018). UVM Honors College Senior Theses. 275. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/275 This Honors College Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in UVM Honors College Senior Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REACTIONARY POSTMODERNISM? NEOLIBERALISM, MULTICULTURALISM, THE INTERNET, AND THE IDEOLOGY OF THE NEW FAR RIGHT IN GERMANY A Thesis Presented by William Peter Fitz to The Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements For the Degree of Bachelor of Arts In European Studies with Honors December 2018 Defense Date: December 4th, 2018 Thesis Committee: Alan E. Steinweis, Ph.D., Advisor Susanna Schrafstetter, Ph.D., Chairperson Adriana Borra, M.A. Table of Contents Introduction 1 Chapter One: Neoliberalism and Xenophobia 17 Chapter Two: Multiculturalism and Cultural Identity 52 Chapter Three: The Philosophy of the New Right 84 Chapter Four: The Internet and Meme Warfare 116 Conclusion 149 Bibliography 166 1 “Perhaps one will view the rise of the Alternative for Germany in the foreseeable future as inevitable, as a portent for major changes, one that is as necessary as it was predictable.
    [Show full text]
  • The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: a Hoax to Hate Introduction
    THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE PRESENTS A SPECIAL EXHIBIT OF A GRAPHIC HISTORY OF THE PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION WILL EISNER, the celebrated “father of the graphic novel,” was deeply concerned about the resilience of anti-Semitism and the persistence of the conspiracy theory that Jews have a plan to control the world, as set down in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Applying his talent and creativity to further expose the notorious anti-Semitic treatise as a forgery, Mr. Eisner produced The Plot in 2003, with a goal toward educating all, but especially younger generations. A SPECIAL EXHIBIT PRESENTED BY THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE ADL is proud to present a special traveling exhibit telling the story of the infamous forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, that has been used to justify anti-Semitism up to and including today. In 2005, Will Eisner’s graphic novel, The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion was published, exposing the history of The Protocols and raising public awareness of anti-Semitism. Mr. Eisner, who died in 2005, did not live to see this highly effective exhibit, but his commitment and spirit shine through every panel of his work on display. This project made possible through the support of the Will Eisner Estate and W.W. Norton & Company Inc. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: A Hoax to Hate Introduction It is a classic in the literature of hate. Believed by many to be the secret minutes of a Jewish council called together in the last years of the 19th century, it has been used by anti-Semites as proof that Jews are plotting to take over the world.
    [Show full text]
  • The Alt-Right Comes to Power by JA Smith
    USApp – American Politics and Policy Blog: Long Read Book Review: Deplorable Me: The Alt-Right Comes to Power by J.A. Smith Page 1 of 6 Long Read Book Review: Deplorable Me: The Alt- Right Comes to Power by J.A. Smith J.A Smith reflects on two recent books that help us to take stock of the election of President Donald Trump as part of the wider rise of the ‘alt-right’, questioning furthermore how the left today might contend with the emergence of those at one time termed ‘a basket of deplorables’. Deplorable Me: The Alt-Right Comes to Power Devil’s Bargain: Steve Bannon, Donald Trump and the Storming of the Presidency. Joshua Green. Penguin. 2017. Kill All Normies: Online Culture Wars from 4chan and Tumblr to Trump and the Alt-Right. Angela Nagle. Zero Books. 2017. Find these books: In September last year, Hillary Clinton identified within Donald Trump’s support base a ‘basket of deplorables’, a milieu comprising Trump’s newly appointed campaign executive, the far-right Breitbart News’s Steve Bannon, and the numerous more or less ‘alt right’ celebrity bloggers, men’s rights activists, white supremacists, video-gaming YouTubers and message board-based trolling networks that operated in Breitbart’s orbit. This was a political misstep on a par with putting one’s opponent’s name in a campaign slogan, since those less au fait with this subculture could hear only contempt towards anyone sympathetic to Trump; while those within it wore Clinton’s condemnation as a badge of honour. Bannon himself was insouciant: ‘we polled the race stuff and it doesn’t matter […] It doesn’t move anyone who isn’t already in her camp’.
    [Show full text]
  • Anti-Americanism Among South Korean University Students
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI Anti-Americanism among South Korean University Students Meri Tuuli Elina Timonen Master’s thesis East Asian studies Faculty of Arts University of Helsinki May 2019 Tiedekunta – Fakultet – Faculty Koulutusohjelma – Utbildningsprogram – Degree Programme Faculty of Arts Area and cultural studies Opintosuunta – Studieinriktning – Study Track East Asian studies Tekijä – Författare – Author Meri Tuuli Elina Timonen Työn nimi – Arbetets titel – Title Anti-Americanism among South Korean university students. Työn laji – Arbetets art – Level Aika – Datum – Month and Sivumäärä– Sidoantal – Number of pages Master’s thesis year 85 pages + appendix 5 pages May 2019 Tiivistelmä – Referat – Abstract This thesis researches anti-Americanism among South-Korean university students. South- Korea is known to be very pro-American country, but anti-American sentiment has existed in the society especially in the beginning of 21st century. The goal of this thesis is to know, if anti- Americanism still exists in South-Korea. The university students are target group, since university students have been major force behind anti-Americanism since the 1980’s in South- Korea. The research question asks, how South Korean university students perceive the U.S. The hypothesis assumes, that they perceive the U.S. positively. Research literature focuses on books and articles about anti-American sentiment in South- Korea. The theoretical framework constitutes the concept of ethnic nationalism, that is widely researched among western and South-Korean scholars. Ethnic nationalism means nationalism based on the idea of ethnic unity. In Korea, it is traditionally connected with primordialism and uniqueness of Korean race.
    [Show full text]
  • The Radical Roots of the Alt-Right
    Gale Primary Sources Start at the source. The Radical Roots of the Alt-Right Josh Vandiver Ball State University Various source media, Political Extremism and Radicalism in the Twentieth Century EMPOWER™ RESEARCH The radical political movement known as the Alt-Right Revolution, and Evolian Traditionalism – for an is, without question, a twenty-first century American audience. phenomenon.1 As the hipster-esque ‘alt’ prefix 3. A refined and intensified gender politics, a suggests, the movement aspires to offer a youthful form of ‘ultra-masculinism.’ alternative to conservatism or the Establishment Right, a clean break and a fresh start for the new century and .2 the Millennial and ‘Z’ generations While the first has long been a feature of American political life (albeit a highly marginal one), and the second has been paralleled elsewhere on the Unlike earlier radical right movements, the Alt-Right transnational right, together the three make for an operates natively within the political medium of late unusual fusion. modernity – cyberspace – because it emerged within that medium and has been continuously shaped by its ongoing development. This operational innovation will Seminal Alt-Right figures, such as Andrew Anglin,4 continue to have far-reaching and unpredictable Richard Spencer,5 and Greg Johnson,6 have been active effects, but researchers should take care to precisely for less than a decade. While none has continuously delineate the Alt-Right’s broader uniqueness. designated the movement as ‘Alt-Right’ (including Investigating the Alt-Right’s incipient ideology – the Spencer, who coined the term), each has consistently ferment of political discourses, images, and ideas with returned to it as demarcating the ideological territory which it seeks to define itself – one finds numerous they share.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Supports Donald J. Trump?: a Narrative- Based Analysis of His Supporters and of the Candidate Himself Mitchell A
    University of Puget Sound Sound Ideas Summer Research Summer 2016 Who Supports Donald J. Trump?: A narrative- based analysis of his supporters and of the candidate himself Mitchell A. Carlson 7886304 University of Puget Sound, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/summer_research Part of the American Politics Commons, and the Political Theory Commons Recommended Citation Carlson, Mitchell A. 7886304, "Who Supports Donald J. Trump?: A narrative-based analysis of his supporters and of the candidate himself" (2016). Summer Research. Paper 271. http://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/summer_research/271 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Sound Ideas. It has been accepted for inclusion in Summer Research by an authorized administrator of Sound Ideas. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Mitchell Carlson Professor Robin Dale Jacobson 8/24/16 Who Supports Donald J. Trump? A narrative-based analysis of his supporters and of the candidate himself Introduction: The Voice of the People? “My opponent asks her supporters to recite a three-word loyalty pledge. It reads: “I’m With Her.” I choose to recite a different pledge. My pledge reads: ‘I’m with you—the American people.’ I am your voice.” So said Donald J. Trump, Republican presidential nominee and billionaire real estate mogul, in his speech echoing Richard Nixon’s own convention speech centered on law-and-order in 1968.1 2 Introduced by his daughter Ivanka, Trump claimed at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio that he—and he alone—is the voice of the people.
    [Show full text]
  • The Civil War in the American Ruling Class
    tripleC 16(2): 857-881, 2018 http://www.triple-c.at The Civil War in the American Ruling Class Scott Timcke Department of Literary, Cultural and Communication Studies, The University of The West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, [email protected] Abstract: American politics is at a decisive historical conjuncture, one that resembles Gramsci’s description of a Caesarian response to an organic crisis. The courts, as a lagging indicator, reveal this longstanding catastrophic equilibrium. Following an examination of class struggle ‘from above’, in this paper I trace how digital media instruments are used by different factions within the capitalist ruling class to capture and maintain the commanding heights of the American social structure. Using this hegemony, I argue that one can see the prospect of American Caesarism being institutionally entrenched via judicial appointments at the Supreme Court of the United States and other circuit courts. Keywords: Gramsci, Caesarism, ruling class, United States, hegemony Acknowledgement: Thanks are due to Rick Gruneau, Mariana Jarkova, Dylan Kerrigan, and Mark Smith for comments on an earlier draft. Thanks also go to the anonymous reviewers – the work has greatly improved because of their contributions. A version of this article was presented at the Local Entanglements of Global Inequalities conference, held at The University of The West Indies, St. Augustine in April 2018. 1. Introduction American politics is at a decisive historical juncture. Stalwarts in both the Democratic and the Republican Parties foresee the end of both parties. “I’m worried that I will be the last Republican president”, George W. Bush said as he recoiled at the actions of the Trump Administration (quoted in Baker 2017).
    [Show full text]
  • Taking Down Trumpism from Africa: Delegitimation, Not Collaboration, Please Patrick Bond 9 Feb 2017
    Taking down Trumpism from Africa: Delegitimation, not collaboration, please Patrick Bond 9 Feb 2017 In the US there are already effective Trump boycotts seeking to delegitimise his political agenda. Internationally, protesters will be out wherever he goes. And from Africa, there are sound arguments to play a catalytic role, mainly because the most serious threat to humanity and environment is Trump’s climate change denialism. Consider two contrasting strategies to deal with the latest mutation of US imperialism: we should protest Donald Trump and Trumpism at every opportunity as a way to contribute to the unity of the world’s oppressed people, and now more urgently link our intersectional struggles; or we should somehow take advantage of his presidency to promote the interests of the ‘left’ or the ‘Global South’ where there is overlap in weakening Washington’s grip (such as in questioning exploitative world trading regimes). The latter position is now rare indeed, although before the election Hillary Clinton’s commitment to militaristic neoliberalism generated so much opposition that to some, the anticipated ‘paleo-conservatism’ of an isolationist-minded Trump appeared attractive. One international analyst of great reknown, Boris Kagarlitsky, makes this same argument this week largely because Trump is questioning pro-corporate ‘free trade’ deals. But the argument for selective cooperation with Trump was best articulated in Pambazuka as part of a series of otherwise compelling reflections by the Ugandan writer and former South Centre director Yash Tandon. Tandon might re-examine the ‘space’ he can ‘seize’ with Trump, the ‘fraud’ Since more than any other individual Tandon helped make the 1999 Seattle and Cancun World Trade Organisation summits a profound disaster for world elites, I take him very seriously.
    [Show full text]
  • Content Area: Social Studies Grade/Course: K / ACCN: No ACCN
    Content Area: Social Studies Grade/Course: K / ACCN: No ACCN Strand Historical Understanding Standard 1: Historical Understanding: CHANGE, CONTINUITY, AND CAUSALITY-Understand change and/or continuity and cause and/or effect in history Topic Chronological Thinking Benchmark SS.K.1.1 Explain change and continuity over time, using calendars and simple timelines Sample Performance The student: Describes historical events or other familiar events in sequence (days, weeks, and Assessment (SPA) months), using calendars and timelines. Rubric Advanced Proficient Partially Proficient Novice Explain, with detail, change Explain change and continuity Recognize examples of change Recognize calendars and and continuity over time, using over time, using calendars and and continuity over time, using simple timelines calendars and simple timelines simple timelines calendars and simple timelines Converted by HTML2PDF (www.zoomlane.com) Content Area: Social Studies Grade/Course: K / ACCN: No ACCN Strand Historical Understanding Standard 2: Historical Understanding: INQUIRY, EMPATHY AND PERSPECTIVE- Use the tools and methods of inquiry, perspective, and empathy to explain historical events with multiple interpretations and judge the past on its own terms Topic Benchmark SS.K.2 No benchmark at this level Sample Performance Assessment (SPA) Rubric Advanced Proficient Partially Proficient Novice Converted by HTML2PDF (www.zoomlane.com) Content Area: Social Studies Grade/Course: K / ACCN: No ACCN Strand History Standard 3: History: HISTORICAL CONTENT-Understand people now and then, here and now (learning, living, working together) Topic Celebrations Benchmark SS.K.3.1 Describe historically significant events and observances in American history Sample Performance The student: Explains why Americans celebrate significant events and observances (e.g., Fourth Assessment (SPA) of July, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving).
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding the Qanon Conspiracy from the Perspective of Canonical Information
    The Gospel According to Q: Understanding the QAnon Conspiracy from the Perspective of Canonical Information Max Aliapoulios*;y, Antonis Papasavva∗;z, Cameron Ballardy, Emiliano De Cristofaroz, Gianluca Stringhini, Savvas Zannettou◦, and Jeremy Blackburn∓ yNew York University, zUniversity College London, Boston University, ◦Max Planck Institute for Informatics, ∓Binghamton University [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] — iDRAMA, https://idrama.science — Abstract administration of a vaccine [54]. Some of these theories can threaten democracy itself [46, 50]; e.g., Pizzagate emerged The QAnon conspiracy theory claims that a cabal of (literally) during the 2016 US Presidential elections and claimed that blood-thirsty politicians and media personalities are engaged Hillary Clinton was involved in a pedophile ring [51]. in a war to destroy society. By interpreting cryptic “drops” of A specific example of the negative consequences social me- information from an anonymous insider calling themself Q, dia can have is the QAnon conspiracy theory. It originated on adherents of the conspiracy theory believe that Donald Trump the Politically Incorrect Board (/pol/) of the anonymous im- is leading them in an active fight against this cabal. QAnon ageboard 4chan via a series of posts from a user going by the has been covered extensively by the media, as its adherents nickname Q. Claiming to be a US government official, Q de- have been involved in multiple violent acts, including the Jan- scribed a vast conspiracy of actors who have infiltrated the US uary 6th, 2021 seditious storming of the US Capitol building.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Web Archiving Services and Their (Mis) Use On
    Understanding Web Archiving Services and Their (Mis)Use on Social Media∗ Savvas Zannettou?, Jeremy Blackburnz, Emiliano De Cristofaroy, Michael Sirivianos?, Gianluca Stringhiniy ?Cyprus University of Technology, yUniversity College London, zUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham [email protected], [email protected], fe.decristofaro,[email protected], [email protected] Abstract In this context, an important role is played by services like the Wayback Machine (archive.org), which proactively Web archiving services play an increasingly important role archives large portions of the Web, allowing users to search in today’s information ecosystem, by ensuring the continuing and retrieve the history of more than 300 billion pages. At the availability of information, or by deliberately caching content same time, on-demand archiving services like archive.is have that might get deleted or removed. Among these, the Way- also become popular: users can take a snapshot of a Web page back Machine has been proactively archiving, since 2001, ver- by entering its URL, which the system crawls and archives, re- sions of a large number of Web pages, while newer services turning a permanent short URL serving as a time capsule that like archive.is allow users to create on-demand snapshots of can be shared across the Web. specific Web pages, which serve as time capsules that can be shared across the Web. In this paper, we present a large-scale Archiving services serve a variety of purposes beyond ad- analysis of Web archiving services and their use on social me- dressing link rot. Platforms like archive.is are reportedly used dia, shedding light on the actors involved in this ecosystem, to preserve controversial blogs and tweets that the author may the content that gets archived, and how it is shared.
    [Show full text]
  • Identitarian Movement
    Identitarian movement The identitarian movement (otherwise known as Identitarianism) is a European and North American[2][3][4][5] white nationalist[5][6][7] movement originating in France. The identitarians began as a youth movement deriving from the French Nouvelle Droite (New Right) Génération Identitaire and the anti-Zionist and National Bolshevik Unité Radicale. Although initially the youth wing of the anti- immigration and nativist Bloc Identitaire, it has taken on its own identity and is largely classified as a separate entity altogether.[8] The movement is a part of the counter-jihad movement,[9] with many in it believing in the white genocide conspiracy theory.[10][11] It also supports the concept of a "Europe of 100 flags".[12] The movement has also been described as being a part of the global alt-right.[13][14][15] Lambda, the symbol of the Identitarian movement; intended to commemorate the Battle of Thermopylae[1] Contents Geography In Europe In North America Links to violence and neo-Nazism References Further reading External links Geography In Europe The main Identitarian youth movement is Génération identitaire in France, a youth wing of the Bloc identitaire party. In Sweden, identitarianism has been promoted by a now inactive organisation Nordiska förbundet which initiated the online encyclopedia Metapedia.[16] It then mobilised a number of "independent activist groups" similar to their French counterparts, among them Reaktion Östergötland and Identitet Väst, who performed a number of political actions, marked by a certain
    [Show full text]