Last year the company was convicted of bribery payments to the terrorist organications

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The Extremism Roundup
=====================


**Promoting Civil Discourse and Marginalizing the Extremes**
A weekly compilation of the most important developments in the struggle against radical ideologies

Islamist Extremism
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*A panel discussion in Washington, DC following screening of the movie, “Jim: the James Foley Story” -  Paul Morigi/Getty Images*


** American Families of ISIS Victims Sue Lafarge Over Bribe Payments**


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The families of several Americans killed or injured by Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front have filed a legal claim against cement maker Lafarge over payments the French company made to extremist groups.


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Last year Lafarge became the first company in American history convicted of bribing a foreign terrorist organization after it admitted paying the two groups to allow it to keep operating in Syria.


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The plaintiffs include the family of Kayla Mueller, an American aid worker who was raped and murdered, as well as the families of journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, who were both beheaded by IS on camera in 2014.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-03&utm_medium=email)**

Alt-Right & Alt-Left Extremism
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*A worker cleans off swastikas that were drawn on the exterior of Union Station in Washington, D.C., February 2022 - Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images*


**Alaskan Neo-Nazi Sentenced**


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A drug-dealing neo-Nazi from Anchorage, Alaska, named Luke Foster, 28, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for property crimes motivated by antisemitism and white supremacy.


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Foster placed swastika stickers with the message "we are everywhere" on the Alaska Jewish Museum, University of Alaska-Anchorage campus, and an LGBTQ+ bar in May and September 2021.


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He was identified as a suspect after his cell phone connected with cell towers near the crime scenes, and further investigation revealed his involvement in drug trafficking and possession of Nazi paraphernalia.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-03&utm_medium=email)**


**Las Vegas Pregnancy Center Vandalized**


- A Las Vegas pregnancy center, First Choice Pregnancy Services, was targeted by vandals with graffiti on July 24.
- Vandalism against abortion and anti-abortion centers has been increasing in the country since the overturning of Roe V. Wade last year.
- An organization called Jane's Revenge has claimed responsibility for at least 18 similar incidents targeting anti-abortion centers since May.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-03&utm_medium=email)**
**Pro-Life Activists Attacked in DC**


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Two pro-life activists were attacked during a protest outside a Planned Parenthood facility in D.C. on July 20. One activist was thrown to the ground and punched by a man wearing sunglasses.


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The incident is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police, and the attackers have not been arrested yet.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-03&utm_medium=email)**


  Hate Crimes
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* Devan Wayne Johnson - via Hunt County Theft Reports screenshot*


**Oklahoma Man Sentenced for Racially Motivated Hate Crime**


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An Oklahoma man, Devan Wayne Johnson, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for a racially motivated attack on a Black victim in Shawnee, Okla.


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Johnson and his co-defendant, Brandon Wayne Killian, physically assaulted a Black man and his white friend in a parking lot, with the assault motivated by the Black man's race and color.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-03&utm_medium=email)**


**Florida Synagogue Vandalized**


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A Jewish temple in Pensacola, Fla., has been targeted in the fourth antisemitic incident in recent weeks.


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Two bricks with antisemitic messages were thrown through a bathroom window of Temple Beth El.  Prior to this incident, the Jewish Center in Pensacola and Pensacola’s East Hill Animal Hospital were also targeted with similar antisemitic vandalism. Police are investigating the incidents.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-03&utm_medium=email)**


**San Diego Human Relations Commissioner Resigns Over Antisemitism**


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San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson announced that Human Relations Commissioner Khaliq Raufi resigned over his antisemitic comments made during an official meeting.


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Raufi had claimed that the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy teaches to "go kill Palestinians" and that this is currently taught in synagogues. His comments were reported as a "hate incident."


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While Anderson believes Raufi's comments came from a place of ignorance rather than malice, he emphasized the need for education, bridge-building, and tolerance, encouraging further conversation to understand and build relations with the Jewish community.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-03&utm_medium=email)**

Hostile Foreign Influence Operations
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*A view of Iran's Gulf island of Qeshm - ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images*


**Virginia Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Violate Iranian Sanctions**


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Behrouz Mokhtari, a 72-year-old U.S. citizen living in Virgina, was sentenced to 41 months in prison for violating U.S. sanctions against Iran by engaging in prohibited business activities on behalf of Iranian entities.


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Mokhtari conducted a conspiracy from at least March 2018 to September 2020, engaging in numerous business activities for Iranian entities without obtaining the required licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).


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He also participated in a separate conspiracy from about February 2013 to June 2017, involving illicit shipments of petrochemical products to and from Iran, using his front company, East & West Shipping Inc., based in Panama.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-03&utm_medium=email)**


**Brazil Denies US Extradition Request of Russian Spy**


- Brazil has denied the U.S. request to extradite alleged Russian spy Sergey Cherkasov, as the Supreme Court had already approved Russia's extradition request.
- Cherkasov will remain imprisoned in Brazil for now, and his extradition to Russia will be executed after the final judgment of all his cases in Brazil.
- U.S. authorities allege Cherkasov was part of the Russian "illegals" program, using a false identity in Brazil to attend graduate school in Washington and share information with his Russian handlers.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-03&utm_medium=email)**

 Research and Trends in Extremism
---------------------------------

*Supporters of Britain’s left-wing Labour Party protest in London, July 2021 - Mark Kerrison/In Pictures via Getty Images*
**


**New Research Into Relationship Between Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism**


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Rutgers University’s Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) and the Ruderman Foundation quantitatively analyzed the relationship between anti-Zionist and antisemitic tropes on Twitter over a two-and-a-half-year period.


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Research shows a strong correlation between antisemitism and anti-Zionism on an individual level, with attacks against Jews in the U.S. correlating with conflicts in Israel.


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They found that the popularity of traditional antisemitic tropes and anti-Zionist tropes on Twitter fluctuated inversely, and their rise or fall was influenced by real-world factors such as political leadership, conflicts in the Middle East, and domestic political unrest. Both tropes were linked to popular unrest and correlated with harms against vulnerable communities in the real world.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-03&utm_medium=email)**


**New Study Examines Social Media Echo Chambers**


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A study published in the journal Nature found that reducing Facebook users' exposure to content from politically "like-minded" sources had no measurable effect on their political beliefs or attitudes during the 2020 U.S. presidential election.


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The study was part of the U.S. 2020 Facebook and Instagram Election Study, a collaboration between 17 academics and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to examine the role of social media in U.S. democracy.


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The study included two main components: measuring the exposure levels of Facebook users to like-minded sources and conducting a multiwave experiment to reduce exposure to like-minded sources. Despite the reduction in exposure, there were no measurable effects on political attitudes and polarization.  **[Read More]([link removed] 202308-03&utm_medium=email)**

Have You Found A Story You Think We Should Cover?
-------------------------------------------------

If you see an article on violent extremism in the U.S. or hostile foreign influence that is reliable, timely, and fits into one of the six categories that we cover in this newsletter, please send us a note, either by replying directly to this email or by [**submitting a contact form**]([link removed] 202308-03&utm_medium=email) under the appropriate "news tip" category.  

QUOTABLE
 
=

“There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.”

*- Alexander Hamilton*

NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked.

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