(New York, N.Y.) — The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) produces a weekly report on the methods used by extremist and terrorist groups on the Internet to spread their ideologies and incite violence. Last week, CEP researchers located the racist manifesto written by the man who murdered three people in a Jacksonville Dollar General on August 26 after the document was publicly released. CEP also located a previously released 24-minute video on the open-source video-sharing platform Odysee that celebrated perpetrators of various high-profile attacks against religious and racial minorities as “saints,” included violent scenes from attack videos, and encouraged further violence. CEP also located a vlog on YouTube posted by a known white supremacist, which urged viewers to disengage from society and build a white supremacist community and support network. Additionally, the Active Club-linked group Media2Rise released a video on several platforms promoting a new propaganda video highlighting the Active Club “Frontier 23” boxing tournament last summer.
On Twitter/X, a verified account was located by CEP that advertised a forthcoming antisemitic video game trafficking in conspiracy theories. The account has previously posted antisemitic, racist, and pro-Nazi content. Additionally, al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) released a video, located by CEP on Chirpwire, that advocated for attacks on the U.S., Israel, and Jews.
Further, on PasteThis.To, the pro-ISIS Qimam Electronic Foundation (QEF) shared a guide to help users evade surveillance and improve online security using VPNs, two-factor authentication and other Internet safety tools.
Finally, CEP researchers identified various posts to the Internet Archive, including the manifesto of the Bratislava attacker, among others, promoting right-wing terrorism, doxing prominent individuals, and encouraging acts of violence. The Internet Archive removed the content after CEP flagged it.
White Supremacist Telegram Channels Spread Manifesto of Jacksonville Gunman
Multiple white supremacist Telegram channels spread the manifesto of the August 26 Jacksonville Dollar General gunman on January 19 after the document became public. The 27-page manifesto calls for acts of extreme violence against African Americans. The gunman wrote that he hoped he would inspire copycat attacks, stating that “Your only option is to fight.” The gunman referenced James Mason’s text Siege as a worthwhile book. The gunman cited the 2019 Christchurch attacker as his main inspiration while also praising the 2011 Norway attacker, Timothy McVeigh, and the 2007 Virginia Tech shooter.
The Telegram channels that shared the manifesto endorse accelerationism, including one channel connected to a neo-Nazi website that supports Atomwaffen Division successor organizations. Other channels made posts glorifying the attacker.
“Telegram continues to be one of the main platforms on which white supremacists celebrate horrific acts of violence and encourage additional attacks,” said CEP researcher Joshua Fisher-Birch. “Telegram channels that promote acts of terrorism were quick to upload and share the Jacksonville Dollar General attacker’s manifesto immediately after it was publicly released. Telegram should continue to take action against right-wing extremist channels that promote violence and terrorism.”
Video Promoting White Supremacist Terrorism Located on Odysee
On January 17, CEP researchers located a video on Odysee, originally released on October 14, 2022, that celebrated dozens of individuals who have committed acts of violence and terrorism. The approximately 24-minute video, created by the Terrorgram series of Telegram channels, glorifies attacks such as the 2015 Charleston church attack, the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue attack, the 2019 Christchurch attack, the 2019 El Paso attack, and the 2022 Buffalo attack, referring to the perpetrators as “saints.” The video narrator called for further acts of terrorism, promising to honor such assaults in the future. The video includes archival news clips as well as violent scenes from the Christchurch and Buffalo attack videos. CEP reported the link to relevant national authorities.
White Supremacist YouTube Vlog Urges Patience Prior to 2024 Election
A white supremacist YouTuber uploaded a video on January 16 praising political polarization and the hoped-for delegitimization of the democratic system in the eyes of everyday Americans leading up to the 2024 election. He stated that no matter what the election outcome was, it would erode faith in the system for either the left or the right, and urged his viewers to be careful regarding potential unrest in the lead-up to the election.
The vlogger stated that it was necessary to disengage from mainstream society and build a white supremacist community and support network. Speaking against joining established groups, he noted that it was essential to have a small group of known and trusted individuals and not join any entity with a membership list. He also warned that any individuals who are very public about their extremist ideology or encourage illegal acts were likely working for law enforcement or other hostile entities. The vlogger, who has previously declared himself an accelerationist and praised the domestic terrorist group The Order, advised his audience that it was not the right time for illegal acts but that if an individual were to commit a crime, it should be “worthwhile” and that he would not disavow the act.
The video had almost 400 views within two days. The channel that uploaded the video has over 2,700 subscribers and over 162,000 views for 241 videos. In May 2023, the channel had over 2,400 subscribers and over 136,000 views on 219 videos.
Active Club Affiliated Propaganda Group Releases Event and Recruitment Video
On Friday, January 19, a propaganda group tied to the Active Club movement released a video showcasing the white supremacist network’s “Frontier 23” boxing event held near Huntington Beach in August. The group first released a trailer for the video on August 27. The event was the second of its kind, with the first, “Birth of a New Frontier” occurring in August 2022.
The video consists of boxing matches interspersed with an interview with the Southern California Active Club leader. The chapter leader praised the movement as a “positive community,” emphasizing brotherhood, physical fitness, and the alleged normalcy of the members and claiming that they do not endorse violence.
In addition to members of different regional Active Clubs, members of Patriot Front were present at the event, including the group’s leader, Thomas Rousseau. Banners in the gym that were present in the video showed logos for different Active Clubs, Patriot Front, and the Western chapter of the neo-Nazi skinhead Hammerskins group. Rob Rundo, the founder of the Active Club movement, is currently awaiting trial for federal rioting charges.
The video was uploaded to Rumble, where it had over 1,100 views within approximately two and a half days, as well as Odysee and Telegram. Accounts on Twitter/X and Gab also promoted the video. A Twitter/X video advertising a trailer for the propaganda video posted by an Active Club account that CEP reported to the platform in September received almost 7,500 views in two and half days.
CEP located a directory of Active Club Telegram channels on the website Bio-Link, which was reported for violating the service’s Terms and Conditions on January 18, but the page was still active four days later.
