The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports weekly on the methods used by
extremists and terrorist groups on the Internet to spread their ideologies and
incite violence. Last week, CEP researchers located posts on neo-Nazi
accelerationist Telegram channels that encouraged additional acts of violence
following a U.S. court’s sentencing of Aimenn Penny, a member of the White
Lives Matter (WLM) movement, to 18 years in prison for firebombing an Ohio
church last year because of planned drag events. Also, on Telegram, a neo-Nazi
channel circulated guidance on purchasing burner phones with cash to register
personal Telegram accounts to avoid law enforcement surveillance.





<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
<[link removed]>



Extremist Content Online: Neo-Nazi Accelerationist Telegram Channels Encourage
Violence


(New York, N.Y.) — The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) reports weekly on the
methods used by extremists and terrorist groups on the Internet to spread their
ideologies and incite violence. Last week, CEP researchers located posts on
neo-Nazi accelerationist Telegram channels that encouraged additional acts of
violence following a U.S. court’s sentencing of Aimenn Penny, a member of the
White Lives Matter (WLM) movement, to 18 years in prison for firebombing an
Ohio church last year because of planned drag events. Also, on Telegram, a
neo-Nazi channel circulated guidance on purchasing burner phones with cash to
register personal Telegram accounts to avoid law enforcement surveillance.



Additionally, the pro-ISIS propaganda group War and Media Agency released a
video on Telegram glorifying Omar Hadid, a leader in the 2004 Battle of
Fallujah, as a martyr for the ISIS cause. CEP researchers also located issue 32
of the Voice of Khorasan web magazine published by the pro-ISIS propaganda
group al-Azaim Media. The web magazine condemned the government of the Maldives
for maintaining relations with China and foreshadowed ISIS’ plans to target
upcoming elections in Pakistan with violence.



Also this week, CEP researchers located 13 accounts on Twitter/X promoting
antisemitism or white supremacism, nine of which were associated with Active
Clubs. Additionally, the administrator of an online forum associated with the
Canadian Active Club chapter shared a video praising a white supremacist who
murdered four members of a Muslim family in Ontario because of their faith.



Neo-Nazi Accelerationist Telegram Channels Encourage Violence Following
Sentencing of White Lives Matter Member



On January 30, neo-Nazi accelerationist Telegram channels recommended that
their followers fully commit to violence and avoid “half-measures” following the
sentencing
<[link removed]>
of Aimenn Penny. A member of the white supremacist, antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ
White Lives Matter (WLM) movement, Penny was sentenced to 18 years in prison
for charges related to the March 25, 2023, attempted destruction of an Ohio
church using Molotov cocktails before scheduled drag events. Telegram channels
noted that Penny was “emotional” and did not correctly plan his attack and that
if one commits an act of violence, it should be worth the risk.



“Extremists are regularly spreading propaganda and incitements to violence to
their supporters in unevenly moderated Telegram echo chambers,” said CEP
researcher Joshua Fisher-Birch. “Telegram is failing in its duty to protect
users and the public, which faces a greater threat of real-world violence in
the absence of strict and consistent content moderation. It’s past time for
Telegram to overhaul and strictly enforce its policies and to remove accounts
that call for violence and terrorism.”



Neo-Nazi Telegram Channel Recommends Using Burner Phones for Telegram
Registration



On January 31, a neo-Nazi accelerationist Telegram channel that has previously
celebrated acts of violence recommended that white supremacists use burner
phones, paid for in cash, to register their Telegram accounts. The same post
also recommended only using the phone for Telegram registration, using a VPN,
and taking additional measures to increase operations security to avoid being
caught by law enforcement.



Pro-ISIS Group War and Media Agency Releases Video



The pro-ISIS online propaganda group War and Media Agency released a new video
on January 29, titled “The State,” consisting of a biography of Omar Hadid, who
led fighters allied withAbu Musab al-Zarqawi
<[link removed]>
in Fallujah in 2004. The video was presented as the first in a series.



The video quickly went over Hadid’s early militant activities before and after
the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, with the majority of the 22-minute video
focusing on what is portrayed as his steadfastness and bravery during the
Battle of Fallujah. The battle is described as a heroic struggle of several
hundred under-equipped fighters facing off against a force many times their
size and significantly better armed. The video concludes with the statement
that while Hadid was killed in the fight, his struggle continues, carried on by
ISIS fighters around the world.



The video was found on Telegram, pro-ISIS websites, and the Internet Archive.
The Internet Archive removed the video after CEP reported it. The War and Media
Agency lastreleased
<[link removed]>
a video on January 27, 2023, which focused on Egypt and the Sinai region,
condemned the Muslim Brotherhood, and encouraged attacks on the Egyptian Coptic
community.



Screenshot from War and Media Agency video. Screenshot taken on February 1,
2024.



Pro-ISIS Web Magazine Voice of Khorasan Issue 32 Released



On January 29, the pro-ISIS al-Azaim Media propaganda group released issue 32
of the web magazine Voice of Khorasan. The first article condemned the
government of theMaldives
<[link removed]>,
condemned Maldivian-Chinese relations due to the latter’s persecution of the
Uyghurs, and encouraged joining ISIS. Voice of Hind, an English language web
magazine similar to Voice of Khorasan, previously contained articles allegedly
from ISISsupporters
<[link removed]>
in the Maldivescelebrating
<[link removed]>
an arson attack in the country. Another article condemned the upcoming
February 8 Parliamentary election in Pakistan, stating that democracy is
blasphemous and that those who participate in the democratic process are
apostates. The article urged Pakistanis not to vote and said that ISIS would
target the election with violence. On January 31, ISIS claimed responsibility
for killing a political candidate in the Siddiqabad area of Bajaur District in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.



Other articles included an English language translation of ISIS spokesperson
Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari’s January 4speech
<[link removed]>
“And Kill Them Wherever You Find Them,” promoted sacrificing one's life, and
condemned Hamas for serving the interests of Iran and not the people of Gaza.
As with prior issues, the web magazine also provided a wallet address for
donating theprivacy cryptocurrency Monero
<[link removed]>
.



Active Club, Goyim Defense League, and Antisemitic Propaganda Video Accounts
Located on Twitter/X



In a sample of content located on February 1, CEP researchers found 13
accounts on Twitter/X that promoted antisemitism or white supremacism. Nine
accounts belonged to Active Club chapters or were affiliated with the Active
Club movement, and two Twitter/X accounts were affiliated with the Goyim
Defense League (GDL). An additional account was created after Twitter/X removed
a previous account that promoted a notorious antisemitic propaganda video.



The nine Active Club accounts included chapters in France, two in Finland, as
well as Chicago, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, with the remaining accounts
consisting of directories or accounts affiliated with the movement. The French
chapter had 472 followers only three days after its creation on January 29. The
Active Club accounts posted propaganda videos and photos promoting the
movement, including an antisemitic protest and leafletting recently conducted
by the Chicago chapter.



The two GDL-affiliated accounts, created in September 2023 and December 2023,
had 1,905 and 2,112 followers and posted large quantities of antisemitic and
neo-Nazi propaganda, including videos, photos, and text. The account created in
December appears to belong to GDL leader Jon Minadeo II, who made a large
number of posts promoting antisemitism,Holocaust denial
<[link removed]>
, and racism. The other account shared a post stating that it was “not possible
to coexist with Jews.”



CEP also located an account, created in January 2024 with the first post on
January 26, that heavily advertised a notorious antisemitic propaganda video
that was recentlypromoted
<[link removed]>
on the platform by Gab CEO Andrew Torba. A previous version of the Twitter/X
account was recently removed for “hateful conduct,” however, the account owner
was able to create a new profile and recoup almost 40% (6,235) of the original
number of followers in several days.



The 13 accounts had an average of 905 followers, ranging from 0 followers in
one case to 6,229. Four accounts were created in January 2024 and six in the
fall or winter of 2023.



CEP reported all 13 accounts to Twitter/X on February 2. Two accounts were
removed by February 5, the account that appeared to belong to GDL leader Jon
Minadeo II and the account that promoted the antisemitic propaganda video.



Twitter/X post with over 10,000 views by an account affiliated with a French
Active Club chapter. Screenshot taken on February 1, 2024.



Forum Affiliated with Canadian Active Club Praises Murderer of London, Ontario
Muslim Family



On January 24, the administrator of an online forum affiliated with the main
Canadian Active Club chapter posted a video praising the white supremacist who
murdered
<[link removed]>
four members of a London, Ontario family on June 6, 2021, targeting them
because of their Muslim faith. The perpetrator was convicted of four counts of
first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder and is facing life in
prison.



The video, which was pasted into the forum from the Odysee video-sharing
platform, contained news footage of the trial and a song praising the
Christchurch terrorist and encouraging additional acts of violence.



The forum uses Cloudflare as its nameserver and Epik as its registrar.



###







Unsubscribe
<[link removed]>
|Donate <[link removed]> | Contact Us
<[link removed]>


Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe for yourself here
<[link removed]>
.