The communications director of the Republican National Committee (RNC)
condemned as “domestic terrorism” the violence perpetrated by a pro-Trump mob

 

 


<[link removed]>
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Eye on Extremism


January 7, 2021

 

The Hill: RNC Communications Director Calls Capitol Violence 'Domestic
Terrorism'
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“The communications director of the Republican National Committee (RNC)
condemned as “domestic terrorism” the violence perpetrated by a pro-Trump mob
at the Capitol on Wednesday. “What happened today was domestic terrorism. Our
soldiers have died carrying the American flag into battle for our freedom. To
see that flag used in the name of unfounded conspiracy theories is a disgrace
to the nation, and every decent American should be disgusted by it,” Michael
Ahrens said on Twitter. Thousands of rioters raided the Capitol building as
Congress was certifying the Electoral College vote, forcing the building to
shut down and lawmakers to evacuate. Rioters broke windows and invaded the
House chamber.  At least one woman was shot and killed in the ensuing chaos. At
one point, a pipe bomb was found near the RNC headquarters, and the
headquarters of the Democratic National Committee was evacuated after a
suspicious package was discovered. Ahrens confirmed on Twitter that a
suspicious device was found, tweeting “RNC staff was safely evacuated from the
building and the device has been successfully detonated by a bomb squad.”

 

Al Monitor: IS Cells Escalate Attacks On Civilians, Regime Soldiers In Eastern
Syria
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“Backed by air support from the US-led international coalition against the
Islamic State (IS), the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) raided the
village of Abriha in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor on Dec. 19 and
dismantled an IS network. The operation resulted in the arrest of Ali
al-Jadoua, a prominent IS leader, along with his two assistants Khalaf al-Qura
and Muhammad al-Qura. An SDF officer told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity,
“Jadoua held several positions in IS. He was the mastermind behind the
assassination of some Arab tribal sheikhs and leaders in the region. He also
orchestrated the killing of a number of SDF forces and was behind the extortion
of civilians and merchants. He coordinated with other IS leaders who are yet to
be found and arrested.” He added, “During the period of IS’ control of Raqqa
and Deir ez-Zor, Jadoua carried out field executions against the prisoners of
the Syrian regime forces and beheaded [regime supporters], including women. He
extorted civilians through his cells and threatened them with kidnapping and
killing if they failed to pay taxes to the organization. He threatened
merchants who did not abide by his rules either with beheading, bombing their
houses or booby-trapping their cars.”

 

Sahara Reporters: Scores Missing As Boko Haram Terrorists Attack Another Borno
Community
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“Many residents of Uba community in the Askira/Uba Local Government Area of
Borno State have yet to be accounted for after Boko Haram terrorists attacked
the community on Tuesday. An eyewitness told SaharaReporters that the
insurgents invaded the community on gun trucks and motorcycles around 7:30pm
and carted away food items from shops and houses before setting them ablaze. He
added that the villagers fled into the bush while others ran to neighbouring
towns. “Most of the shops on the major roads were burgled; they opened them and
went away with goods and other people’s belongings. After doing this, they set
the shops and some houses on fire. In fact, because they couldn’t open one of
the shops easily, they shot it with a rocket launcher,” the source said. “We
still have not found some of those who ran away and we have not found any
corpse yet. Some came back but scores of people have yet to be found.” The
attack on Uba comes barely 24 hours after the insurgents attacked a military
settlement in Kuda, near Chibok town, killing six soldiers and one civilian.
Boko Haram insurgency has caused over 35,000 deaths since 2009. The terror
group wants an Islamic caliphate in Northern Nigeria.”

 

United States

 

The New York Times: Resuming Electoral Counting, McConnell Condemns The Mob
Assault On The Capitol As A ‘Failed Insurrection.’
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“Lawmakers resumed counting Electoral College votes on Wednesday, hours after
a mob of Trump loyalists stormed the Capitol resulting in the death of one
woman, with Vice President Mike Pence gaveling in the session and saying that
Wednesday was a “dark day in the history of the United States Capitol.” “To
those who wreaked havoc in our Capitol today, you did not win,” Mr. Pence said.
“Violence never wins. Freedom wins. And this is still the people’s house.”
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, promptly vowed that the Senate
would finish its work Wednesday night, undeterred by “failed insurrection.”
“They tried to disrupt our democracy,” he said. “They failed. They failed.”
Earlier in the evening, Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote in a letter to colleagues
that they were determined to reconvene saying, “We always knew this
responsibility would take us into the night.” Violence overtook the Capitol on
Wednesday afternoon, when a mob loyal to President Trump stormed the building,
halting Congress’s counting of the votes as the police evacuated lawmakers in a
scene of violence, chaos and disruption that shook the core of American
democracy.”

 

Associated Press: More Than A Week Later, FBI Avoids Terror Label For Bombing
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“The FBI investigation into whether the Nashville bombing was a terrorist act
has sparked criticism about a possible racial double standard and drawn
questions from downtown business owners whose insurance coverage could be
affected by the bureau’s assessment. More than a week after an explosion that
struck at the heart of a major American city, the FBI has resisted labeling it
an act of terrorism, an indication that evidence gathered so far does not
conclusively establish that the bomber was motivated by political ideology — a
key factor in any formal declaration of terrorism. The bureau is still
examining evidence and has not announced any conclusions, but investigators are
known to be reviewing whether Anthony Warner believed in conspiracy theories
involving aliens and 5G cellphone technology. Warner died in the Christmas Day
explosion of a recreational vehicle that also wounded three other people. “When
we assess an event for domestic terrorism nexus, it has to be tied to an
ideology. It’s the use of force or violence in the furtherance of a political
or social ideology or event. We haven’t tied that yet,” Doug Korneski, the FBI
agent in charge of the agency’s Memphis office, told reporters last week at a
news conference.”

 

New York Post: Trump Orders Pompeo To Consider Banning Antifa Members From
Entering US
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“President Trump has signed an executive order asking Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo to determine if the far-left group Antifa can be classified a terrorist
organization — and to bar its members from entering the country. A Tuesday
memorandum signed by the outgoing president instructs Pompeo — in consultation
with Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen and Secretary of Homeland
Security Chad Wolf — to “assess whether to classify” Antifa as a terrorist
group, backing up a promise he made months ago. “The Department of Justice has
already publicly confirmed that actions by Antifa and similar groups meet the
standard for domestic terrorism,” the memo reads. “The violence spurred on by
Antifa — such as hurling projectiles and incendiary devices at police, burning
vehicles and violently confronting police in defiance of local curfews — is
dangerous to human life and to the fabric of our nation.” The order also states
it would ensure “immigration benefits may be granted only to those individuals
who will follow the laws that govern all United States citizens.”

 

Business Insider: Several Groups Of Extremists Stormed The Capitol Today. Here
Are Some Of The Most Notable Individuals, Symbols, And Groups Present.
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“Thousands of pro-Trump rioters descended on the US Capitol building on
Wednesday during Congress' attempt to certify Joe Biden as the winner of the
2020 Presidential Election. Hundreds of those armed insurrectionists broke into
the building itself, forcing members of Congress to huddle in safe locations
until local police and members of the DC National Guard had secured the
premises. In addition to pro-Trump regalia, the group also sported clothing,
accessories, and symbols associated with largely far-right, racist extremist
groups. Below are images and descriptions of some of the most recognizable
groups and symbols present at the Capitol. A member of a labor union (R)
debates with a conservative protester wearing a Kekistan flag during competing
demonstrations in Portland, Oregon, US. Jim Urquhart/Reuters The flag, which
mimics a Nazi war flag, is the purported banner for a fictional country known
as “Kekistan” created by white nationalist users of 4chan, a messaging board
home to racist and hateful chat groups. The nation is ruled by a frog-headed
deity called “Kek,” normally represented by Pepe the Frog.”

 

Syria

 

Air Force Magazine: Airstrikes Continue Against ISIS In Iraq And Syria
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“The air campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria continues,
as the U.S. withdraws forces from the region and the operation has largely
fallen off the public’s radar. Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent
Resolve on Jan. 6 disclosed that throughout November 2020, the coalition
conducted 14 airstrikes consisting of 34 total engagements in Iraq and Syria.
In Iraq, this included 22 engagements resulting in 35 ISIS fighters killed and
one weapons cache destroyed. In Syria, the coalition conducted seven strikes
consisting of 12 engagements, though the results of those strikes were not
disclosed. The total marks a slight increase from the previous month’s total of
10 strikes, but is a sharp drop from previous years, according to OIR. In
November 2019, the coalition conducted 153 airstrikes in support of the
operation—a significant decrease from the 1,424 conducted in November 2018.
“CJTF-OIR and partner forces have liberated nearly 110,000 square kilometers
(42,471 square miles) from Daesh. As a result, 7.7 million people no longer
live under Daesh oppression,” the coalition said in a statement, using another
term for ISIS. “CJTF-OIR remains committed to the enduring defeat of Daesh to
improve conditions for peace and stability in the region and to protect all our
homelands from the Daesh terrorist threat.”

 

Iran

 

Eurasia Review: What Are Sources Of Iran’s Financing Of Terrorist Groups?
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“Mohammad Reza Naghdi, deputy coordinator of the IRGC, admitted that Iran has
spent billions of dollars in the region over the past 30 years, in an interview
with “Studio Negah Yek”, of the first channel of Iranian TV. Of course, the
IRGC’s budget and its financial aid to its allied forces in the region is not
clear, but the main income of the IRGC, in addition to its dedicated official
budget by the government, is provided from both domestic and foreign sources.
The IRGC is currently involved in all economic and financial affairs in Iran
and is the owner or shareholder of the largest commercial and economic sectors
of the country, while it is exempt from paying taxes, and even the government
does not supervise the IRGC’s financial affairs. The IRGC controls several
berths in the Persian Gulf ports and exports and imports from these berths
without customs control, including oil, so nobody is aware of the IRGC’s
revenue. Recently, some Hezbollah and Hamas officials announced huge financial
contributions from the IRGC to them. In his speech, Mohammad Reza Naghdi
introduced these countries as Iran’s strategic depth in the region.”

 

Pakistan

 

Associated Press: Pakistani Shiites Continue Sit-In Over Killing Of 11 Miners
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“Hundreds of minority Shiites continued a sit-in for a fourth straight day
Wednesday in southwestern Pakistan to protest the killing of 11 Shiite Hazara
coal miners by the Islamic State group. Despite Prime Minister Imran Khan’s
request that the miners be buried, family members insisted they would do so
only when Prime Minister Imran Khan personally visits them to assure their
protection. Residents and relatives began their protest Sunday on the outskirts
of the city of Quetta after IS militants abducted and then shot and killed the
miners in Baluchistan province. Six died at the scene and five, critically
wounded, died on the way to a hospital. The Sunni IS affiliate has declared war
on minority Shiite Muslims in Pakistan and Afghanistan and staged dozens of
attacks in the two counties since emerging in the region in 2014. Pakistan’s
Hazara community has been targeted many times in recent years by Sunni militant
groups, including the Islamic State group, which quickly claimed responsibility
after the abduction and killing of the miners. Police video of the bodies
revealed the miners were blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their
backs before being shot.”

 

Yemen

 

Arab News: Houthi Militants Kidnap Safer. Co Engineers, Kill Civilians
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“Iran-backed Houthi militia kidnapped three engineers employed by the Safer
Company for Oil Exploration and Production, state news agency Saba New
reported. The company has released a statement which accused the militants of
abducting the three employees. The first two were kidnapped off a bus on their
way to Sanaa, as they were heading to the gas fields in Marib, the report
added. The third engineer was taken from his house in Sanaa. Safer Oil Co.
called the local and international communities and organizations to condemn
such acts and intervene – demanding the release of the engineers. Meanwhile,
the militia killed six civilians and injured seven others during attacks on
houses in Taiz on Wednesday, Saba News added. Four of the dead are children and
the other two are women, the report added.”

 

Middle East

 

The Jerusalem Post: Iron Dome Deployed In Eilat Due To Sinai Area Terror
Groups - Report
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“Israel's Iron Dome Defense System battery was deployed in Eilat, Maariv, the
sister publication of The Jerusalem Post, reported on Wednesday. It was
deployed with the awareness of threats from terrorist cells which are located
in the Sinai area. This move also comes in light of ISIS-affiliated Houthi
militia groups in Yemen.”

 

Nigeria

 

Christian Post: Nigeria: Terrorist Attacks Surged In December And May Increase
In 2021, Christian Group Warns
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“Radical Islamic militants and terrorist groups killed at least 200 people in
the last two weeks of December, bringing the number of Nigerian Christians
killed in 2020 to 2,400, according to a new report. Nigerian human rights group
The International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law released the
report on Sunday that catalogs the killings. Intersociety’s founder and
chairman of the board, Emeka Umeagbalasi, told The Christian Post that this
December was one of the deadliest months on record for Nigerian Christians.
“We’ve noticed an upsurge in the killings. At least one of the reasons that I
haven’t relocated to my village [for Christmas is] just to monitor what is
going on,” he said. “The local media is operating under censorship.” This
recent wave of killings follows a pattern of radical Islamist violence in
Nigeria, he said. Since 2009, over 34,000 Nigerian Christians have been killed
and many more have been displaced by the violence. Militants murdered seven
Christians every day in 2020 on average, said Umeagbalasi. Nigeria’s Southern
Kaduna province experienced the most deaths, with at least 495 people killed by
radical Islamists. In one incident, Islamic militants stopped cars on a
highway, he said.”

 

Somalia

 

Shabelle Media Network: Somalia: Somali Police Nabbed Al-Shabaab Suspects In
Jowhar Sweep <[link removed]>

 

“Somali security forces have carried out security operations in the
neighborhoods of Jowhar, the capital of Hirshabelle on Tuesday, residents said.
During the operation, a number of people, some suspected Al-Shabaab militants
were detained and taken into custody. The top officials of Hirshabelle praised
the troops for their operations and how they are treating the community during
their operations aimed to ensure security in Jowhar.”

 

Mali

 

Al Jazeera: Witnesses Say 20 Killed In Air Strike In Central Mali
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“France said it killed dozens of fighters in a weekend air raid in central
Mali, while several villagers and a local group said up to 20 wedding guests
were killed by fire from a helicopter. Villagers in Bounti said a lone
helicopter opened fire in broad daylight on Sunday, sowing panic among a crowd
gathered for a wedding. “It was run for your lives,” resident Ahmadou Ghana
said. Another villager, Mady Dicko, added: “We were surprised by the intensity
of the strike. The helicopter was flying very low.” On Sunday, Tabital Pulakuu,
an association that promotes the culture of Mali’s Fulani ethnic group,
reported an “air strike that claimed the lives of at least 20 civilians” during
a wedding. A French military spokesman, Colonel Frederic Barbry, denied a
connection between the raid and the wedding party, saying such a link “does not
correspond to information collected prior to the air strike”. Barbry told The
Associated Press news agency the operation followed an intelligence mission of
several days that showed a “suspicious gathering of people”. The French
military was able to conclude it was a “terrorist armed group based on
individuals’ attitudes, their equipment and other intelligence information”, he
said.”

 

Africa

 

Voice Of America: US Envoy Sees Hope In Africa’s Violence-Wracked Sahel Region
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“The top U.S. envoy to Africa’s Sahel region acknowledges that it has been a
rough few weeks in the sprawling desert region — which covers the West African
nations of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.  Recent violence in
Mali, Niger and the Central African Republic have left hundreds dead. For
years, the region has been beset by a wave of deadly violence from extremist
groups, with more than 1,000 violent incidents in the first half of 2020,
according to a report from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
Most recently, in western Niger, extremists attacked three villages on January
2, killing more than 100 civilians. Peter Pham, the U.S. special envoy to the
Sahel, strongly condemned the attacks in a call to journalists this week,
calling the perpetrators “cowardly” and “godless.” But he quickly added there
is cause for hope, as Niger heads to a second round of presidential elections
in February. “We have congratulated the people of Niger who exercised their
democratic right to vote in their presidential and legislative elections on
December 27th and look forward to observing an equally successful run-off
presidential election process on February 21st,” he said. “These elections hold
the promise of Niger’s historic first peaceful transition of power from one
democratically elected president to another.”    

 

Canada

 

Global News: Coronavirus Pandemic May Cause Decline In Democracy, Rise In
Extremist Groups: Report
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“A new research report by the Department of National Defence suggests the
longer the COVID-19 pandemic rages, the stronger right-wing extremism and other
threats in Canada and around the world are likely to become. The report
prepared by the Defence Department’s research arm lays out a range of
political, economic and security challenges that could emerge — or become more
prominent — depending on how long the pandemic remains. To that end, it looks
at what may happen in a best-case scenario that would see COVID-19 brought
under control by the end of this year, as well as the potential ramifications
should the pandemic last past 2023 and — as a worst-case — 2025. The best-case
scenario would see effective vaccines rolled out quickly, which would not only
kickstart a strong economic recovery but also boost trust in the governments,
international institutions and science that ended the pandemic. Yet even if
that happens, reads the Defence Research and Development Canada report, “we can
expect that the adversarial states will remain those already identified as such
prior to the pandemic, including China, Iran, North Korea and Russia.”

 

Southeast Asia

 

Al Jazeera: Two People Linked To Philippine Church Blast Killed In Indonesia
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“A counterterrorism unit raiding a hideout of armed fighters in central
Indonesia on Wednesday shot dead two men suspected of involvement in twin
bombings at a Philippine church in 2019 that killed more than 20 people. Police
said in a statement the raid in Makassar in South Sulawesi by the Densus 88
unit led to a fatal shoot-out with two suspected fighters who resisted arrest.
Makassar police chief Witnu Urip Laksana told Reuters news agency the suspects
were involved in the bombings of a church on southern Jolo Island in a restive,
predominantly Muslim region of the Catholic-majority Philippines. Police
carried out “firm and calculated” action against the two suspects, Witnu said,
adding an investigation was continuing. Police suspect the men were members of
the ISIL-inspired Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which has carried out a series
of attacks in Indonesia. Philippine authorities have concluded the January 2019
church attack was a suicide bombing by an Indonesian couple, with the help of a
faction of the Abu Sayyaf Group, which has pledged allegiance to ISIL (ISIS).
Abu Sayyaf fighters also trained with the Southeast Asian armed group Jemaah
Islamiyah (JI), which was founded by an Indonesian preacher, and both groups
had been previously linked to al-Qaeda.”

 

Al Jazeera: Indonesians Unknowingly Fund Hardline Group Behind Bali Bombings
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“Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the al-Qaeda-affiliated group that masterminded the
Bali bombings in 2002, has found a new source of income – a network of charity
donation boxes stationed across Indonesia that were only discovered after one
of the group’s leaders was arrested along with 23 other members late last year.
The group’s use of the seemingly innocuous boxes, which are clustered outside
minimarkets across the archipelago and usually used by charities, could be more
significant than the arrest of JI leader Zulkarnaen, also known as Aris
Sumarsono, who had been on the run for 18 years, analysts said. He is thought
to be one of the most senior members of JI and was instrumental in the attacks
on Bali, which left more than 200 people dead. “The real major blow for JI
isn’t the arrest of Zulkarnaen but the discovery of JI’s source of income
through both illegal and legal ‘charity work’”, Noor Huda Ismail, a former
member of the hardline group Darul Islam who has since founded the Institute
for International Peace Building and runs deradicalisation programmes and
workshops across Indonesia, told Al Jazeera.”

 

Bloomberg: Vietnam Labels Canada-Based Viet Dynasty A ‘Terrorist’ Group
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“Vietnam’s government labeled the Canada-based exile group Viet Dynasty a
“terrorist” organization, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement
posted on its website. Led by former members of the California-based
Provisional National Government of Vietnam that authorities also labeled as a
“terrorist” group in 2018, Viet Dynasty allegedly financed and directed its
units in Vietnam to carry out terrorist and destructive activities and incite
Vietnamese to protest and riot against the government, according to the
government statement. The group, also known Trieu Dai Viet, allegedly financed
weapons purchases and efforts to make bombs and publish “reactionary leaflets,”
it said. Representatives of Viet Dynasty were not immediately available for
comment. Bloomberg News sent an email to the address listed on Viet Dynasty’s
Facebook account seeking a response to the labeling. The move comes ahead of
the National Party Congress later this month, a politically sensitive time in
the nation as a new slate of national leaders are picked for five-year terms.
In September, a Ho Chi Minh City court convicted 20 people of the 2018 bombing
of a police station, an attack authorities said was orchestrated by people
connected with Viet Dynasty, according to VnExpress news website.”

 

BBC News: Abu Bakar Ba'asyir: The Radical Indonesian Cleric Linked To Bali
Bombings
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“Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, a radical Muslim cleric and alleged mastermind of the
2002 Bali bombings, is set to be freed from jail this week. The 82-year-old is
widely considered to be the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah (JI), an
al-Qaeda-inspired group that was blamed for the attack that killed 202 people.
In March 2005 he was jailed for conspiracy over the blasts, but his conviction
was later quashed on appeal. He was jailed again in 2010 on a separate
conviction of supporting militants in Indonesia's northern Aceh province. Now,
after completing two-thirds of his jail term, he is set to be released on
Friday. The decision to release Ba'asyir is drawing mixed reactions. Some
Indonesians have urged compassion for the ageing cleric while others fear the
implications of freeing a notorious extremist. Born in 1938, in East Java,
Ba'asyir has spent decades teaching religion. He swiftly rose to become one of
the most influential jihadi ideologues in South East Asia. A consistent theme
of his teachings has been that Islamic communities are the necessary
pre-condition for setting up an Islamic state. In 1972, he co-founded the
Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding school in Ngruki, Central Java, with Abdullah
Sangkar.”

 

Technology

 

USA Today: 'Burn Down DC': Violence That Erupted At Capitol Was Incited By
Pro-Trump Mob On Social Media
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“Thousands of President Donald Trump's supporters and other rioters who
stormed the Capitol on Wednesday as Congress prepared to formally declare Joe
Biden president fomented the violence and chaos in the days leading up to the
protest. Violent rhetoric including threats against elected officials and
police officers flooded all social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter
and Google's YouTube, not just online forums popular with extremists.  “We are
seeing significant volumes of rhetoric online,” Daniel Jones, president of
Advance Democracy, told USA TODAY. “And we’re seeing this rhetoric – fueled by
President Trump’s voter fraud claims – across all social media platforms.”
There were calls from Boogaloos, an extremist group, to “Burn down DC.” One
person asked on Twitter, “Whos running arms and ammo to dc for when the fun
starts.” Moderators of TheDonald, a message board formed after the group was
banned from Reddit, ignored and, in some instances, encouraged calls for
violence with one account urging: “Start shooting patriots. Kill these
(expletive) traitors.”

 

Vice: Neo-Nazi Accelerationists Celebrating Attack On Congress As Start Of
Civil War
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“As far-right rioters stormed Capitol Hill, neo-Nazi accelerationists are
celebrating the current moment as the beginning of the end of the U.S. and the
start of a “Second Civil War.” “This is a moment that has been in the waiting
for a long, long time…” said one post shared and seen close to 600 times on
Telegram, an encrypted chat app favoured by neo-Nazis and other members of the
far right. “Today is better than Christmas,” said another … Joshua
Fisher-Birch, a terrorism researcher with the Counter Extremism Project who
specializes on the far-right told VICE News that “Neo-Nazis and white
supremacist propagandists on Telegram are hoping that the seditionists
escalate, leading to more violence in Washington D.C.,” “The chaos benefits the
accelerationist narrative that violent force can achieve what electoral
politics cannot,” said Fisher-Birch. “It is extremely likely that in the coming
days and months, propagandists will seek to capitalize on disorder and
encourage acts of terrorism to further inflame the situation.”



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