Extremists continued to exploit the Internet in 2021 by spreading propaganda,
exhortations to commit violence, and manuals on several websites and....


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Extremist Content Wrap Up 2021

(New York, N.Y.) — Extremists continued to exploit the Internet in 2021 by
spreading propaganda, exhortations to commit violence, and manuals on several
websites and platforms that could assist individuals committing acts of
terrorism. In 2021, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) published 44 extremist
content reports containing 250 items on ISIS, al-Qaeda, white supremacists, and
the extreme right. While large social media companies have cracked down on
terrorist and extremist use of their platforms, significant gaps still exist,
especially regarding pro-ISIS and white supremacist use of Meta-owned
Instagram. CEP also continued to find pro-ISIS propaganda on Facebook in 2021.
In the past year, extremist content on YouTube found by CEP has included
advertising for pro-ISIS propaganda websites, neo-Nazi podcasts, and a debate
between a notorious American neo-Nazi and a televangelist. Both pro-ISIS
propagandists and the white supremacist movement have continued to fundraise
and promote cryptocurrency. However, CEP also found some examples of white
supremacists who solicited donations via mainstream payment platforms. Pro-ISIS
websites have continued to be found throughout the year.

 

White supremacist and extreme right propaganda have continued to minimize
Covid-19 and, in some cases, has been a rallying call for violence, whether
against journalists, vaccine providers, or government experts and personnel.
Despite the year beginning with Telegram removing a limited number of white
supremacist and neo-Nazi channels, many deleted channels have returned for
significant periods, and the platform has remained an important site for
extreme right-wing activity, including encouraging acts of violence and
spreading information on homemade weapons and explosives. Telegram’s process
for removing chats and channels that violate theirTerms of Service
<[link removed]> remains opaque and inconsistent. Some white
supremacists have sought to increase information and operations security,
especially with the change in the U.S. presidential administration. Multiple
guides for making explosives or homemade firearms were located on different
platforms in 2021.

 

Three examples of content are provided. The first item is a Telegram channel
that posted designs and instructions for 3D printed weapons and firearms
components. Despite Telegram removing a prior version of the channel, the
communications platform did not in this case. The second content example is one
of the multiple instances in which CEP located accounts posting ISIS and
pro-ISIS propaganda on Instagram. The final entry is the last video of 2021
from al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, released in November, in which Zawahiri
condemns the United Nations. The video was released following the Taliban’s
August 2021 takeover of Afghanistan, which sparked fears of a resurgent
al-Qaeda presence in the country.
DOWNLOAD HERE
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2021 Content Round Up

 

Pro-ISIS and White Supremacist Content Widely Available on Instagram

 

On Meta-owned Instagram, CEP found pro-ISIS or white supremacist content,
including propaganda made by neo-Nazi groups or encouraging violence, 10 out of
12 months in 2021. Pro-ISIS content included clips from ISIS propaganda videos,
such as footage of suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive attacks,
executions, advertising pro-ISIS propaganda websites, segments from ISIS’s
weekly al-Naba newsletter, and Amaq news statements (March 1
<[link removed]>
, September 20
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, October 25
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). In many cases, pro-ISIS content posted to Instagram was not ambiguous and
included easily identifiable logos. CEP located content that had been on the
platform for weeks and content that had been posted within several days. In
some cases, violent content posted by pro-ISIS Instagram accounts was still on
the platform several days after it was reported for violating the app’s 
Community Guidelines <[link removed]> (September 20
<[link removed]>
, October 25
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).

 

White supremacist, neo-Nazi, and antisemitic content were also found on
Instagram throughout 2021. CEP found clips from Atomwaffen Division
<[link removed]>
 propaganda videos multiple times on the platform (March 29
<[link removed]>
, May 3
<[link removed]>
, May 10
<[link removed]>
, August 5
<[link removed]>
, September 7
<[link removed]>
, September 20
<[link removed]>
, November 2
<[link removed]>
, November 8
<[link removed]>
, December 13
<[link removed]>
). Video clips from two other neo-Nazi groups, National Action
<[link removed]> and The Base
<[link removed]>, were also located in April
and November (April 19
<[link removed]>
, November 2
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). 

 

Content glorifying the Christchurch terrorist and attempting to spread his
manifesto were also located in 2021, including one clip containing modified
footage from the attack video (March 1
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, March 29
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, April 19
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, May 10
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, July 20
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, September 7
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, September 20
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, October 4
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, November 8
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, December 13
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). CEP also found accounts that posted content praising the perpetrator of the
2015 Charleston church shooting and a member of the Atomwaffen Division charged
with murder (May 17
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).

 

Multiple pieces of antisemitic
<[link removed]>
 content were also located on Instagram, including content that encouraged
violence against Jews, supported Holocaust denial, and spread anti-Jewish memes
(June 1
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, July 6
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, August 5
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, September 27
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). 

 

ISIS Propaganda and Pro-ISIS Content on Facebook

 

In 2021, CEP found multiple instances of pro-ISIS
<[link removed]> content on Facebook. Accounts
were located that posted ISIS propaganda, including videos, photos, text-based
propaganda, audio files, and links to ISIS content on other websites (February
16
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, April 12
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,  May 10
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, July 20
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, September 27
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, October 4
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, October 11
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). Multiple pieces of ISIS propaganda were still available on Facebook several
days after being reported to the platform. In two cases, CEP found video clips
on the social media site taken from recently released ISIS videos (January 19
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, April 26
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). 

 

Extremist Content on YouTube

 

In 2021, CEP found two videos on YouTube and one account advertising pro-ISIS
websites (March 1
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, March 29
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, November 22
<[link removed]>
). CEP similarly found propaganda made by entities affiliated with white
supremacist groups on YouTube, even though the organizations themselves
previously had content removed from the video streaming platform (December 13
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). YouTube allowed a live-streamed debate between the neo-Nazi James Mason
<[link removed]> and a radio and
television evangelist, despite previously removing content featuring or
promoting Mason (December 6
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).

 

A neo-Nazi podcast made by followers of Mason was also located on YouTube. The
podcast was both live-streamed and uploaded to the site as a private video,
requiring special access to view it (June 1
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, August 31
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, September 20
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). When it was reported, YouTube did not remove the podcast for violating their 
Community Guidelines
<[link removed]>.  

 

CEP also located a YouTube channel tied to a French-language Telegram account
that promoted a fascist street fighting group and had over 115,000 total views.
Videos uploaded to the channel included French fascists fighting with
anti-racist activists and training in fighting skills (September 20
<[link removed]>
).

 

In May, three YouTube accounts were located that glorified the Christchurch
terrorist, either using drawings of the attacker or his photo as their user
icon and naming themselves after him (May 17
<[link removed]>
).

 

Continued Extremist Use of Cryptocurrency

 

Cryptocurrency remains incredibly attractive to various extremists, whether
due to privacy concerns, being banned from mainstream crowdfunding services, or
a desire not to be connected to the banking system. 

Online ISIS supporters have encouraged using the cryptocurrency Monero (June 21

<[link removed]>
, November 15
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). Monero prioritizes privacy and prevents individuals outside of a transaction
from viewing the source, destination, or amount transferred. The request
follows one of the main pro-ISIS propaganda websites switching their accepted
donations from Bitcoin to Monero in 2020.

 

In June, a neo-Nazi Telegram channel dedicated to information and operations
security released a guide for purchasing cryptocurrency. Users of a chat
connected to the channel have also promoted the use of Monero especially. (
March 1
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, June 7
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)

 

An American neo-Nazi website that promotes the National Socialist Order
<[link removed]>
 and the work of James Mason requested donations first in Bitcoin and the
privacy coin Monero in February, May, and November (February 8
<[link removed]>
, May 24
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, November 2
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).

 

Several other groups requested cryptocurrency donations throughout 2021,
including a fundraiser for an imprisoned Austrian neo-Nazi, an extreme right
prisoner support group, a media group affiliated with the Rise Above Movement
<[link removed]>, and the
neo-Nazi group The Base (March 8
<[link removed]>
, June 1
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, September 13
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, November 15
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).

 

In Limited Numbers, White Supremacist Groups Fundraise on Mainstream Websites

 

Despite requests for cryptocurrency, white supremacist groups continued to
fundraise on mainstream websites in limited numbers. Crowdfunding for the
Australian neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell and a media project tied to the Rise Above
Movement were held on the website Buy Me a Coffee (March 15
<[link removed]>
, October 18
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). The Swiss group Junge Tat requested donations sent to an individual’s
account on PayPal (December 13
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).

 

Pro-ISIS Websites Located Throughout 2021

 

In 2021, CEP researchers located numerous websites and blogs created to spread
ISIS propaganda. The websites used various name servers, registrars, and domain
suffixes. Sites frequently hosted ISIS videos, propaganda photo sets, Amaq news
statements, and the al-Naba newsletter produced by the group (March 29
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, May 3
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, June 1
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, June 21
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, June 28
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). Pro-ISIS sites were also located on the WordPress, Tumblr, and Blogspot
platforms (May 10
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, May 24
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, June 14
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). Several pro-ISIS websites, including a site dedicated to ISIS nasheeds, were
located on the dark web accessible with Tor (July 6
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, July 20
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, August 31
<[link removed]>
, October 4
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). 

 

The Covid-19 Pandemic and the Extreme Right’s Promotion of Violence

 

Throughout 2021, the online extreme right has encouraged acts of violence
against those enforcing mask ordinances, reporting on the Covid-19 pandemic,
working in healthcare, or approving vaccines. In September, users on 4chan /pol
celebrated the murder of a man in Germany by an alleged Covid denier, and users
of the same imageboard also called for violence against journalists and media
figures for reporting on the pandemic (September 27
<[link removed]>
, September 13
<[link removed]>
). 

 

Opposition to Covid vaccinations has been a rallying call for the extreme
right. A neo-Nazi podcaster and multiple Telegram channels have alleged that
the vaccine will eventually cause death (June 1
<[link removed]>
). A collection of archived posts from neo-Nazi Telegram channels released as a
single publication in December stated that “not taking the vaccine is a
symbolic revolt against the system, the conspiracy theories don’t matter” (
December 20
<[link removed]>
).

 

A network of white supremacist Telegram channels has also shared alleged home
and work addresses of the director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and members of the Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and
Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (November 2
<[link removed]>
, November 8
<[link removed]>
, November 22
<[link removed]>
). Telegram removed the first iteration of the channel after CEP reported it
but did not remove the second version. 

 

White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis, the Extreme-Right Calling for Acts of Violence
or Intimidation on Telegram

 

Throughout 2021, white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and members of the extreme
right called for acts of violence and intimidation on Telegram. Many, but not
all, of these posts were from a series of “Terrorgram” channels that share
similar ideology, graphic style, and emphasis on violence. Two of these
channels called for attacks on local and state politicians during the
presidential inauguration, and another promoted a domestic insurgency in the
United States after President Joe Biden was sworn in to office (January 19
<[link removed]>
, January 25
<[link removed]>
). In June, a similar channel released a propaganda video encouraging attacks
on the electrical grid (June 28
<[link removed]>
). A coordinated group of Terrorgram channels released two propaganda
collections in June and December, both of which advocated for individual acts
of accelerationist terrorism against law enforcement, Jews, Muslims, people of
color, and electrical and transportation infrastructure (June 21
<[link removed]>
, December 20
<[link removed]>
). Both publications were spread widely throughout neo-Nazi Telegram, with the
June publication distributed by Telegram-based accelerationist networks
claiming a presence in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Poland, Hungary, and Croatia. A
Terrogram channel that encouraged acts of violence against Jews and Covid
vaccine providers was deleted by Telegram for violating their Terms of Service
after CEP reported it, but a second iteration of the channel was still online
for several days after it was reported again, despite posting the same content (
October 25
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).

 

White supremacist and extreme right Telegram channels also celebrated and
encouraged violence against people of East Asian descent. Following the March
16 Atlanta area shootings where six of the nine victims were Asian-American,
several white supremacist chats and channels advocated for anti-Asian violence,
and a Proud Boys affiliated media group mocked protests against anti-Asian
hate, and users of a chat linked to the media group promoted anti-Asian racism (
March 22
<[link removed]>
). Other Telegram channels have posted content depicting violence against
people of Asian descent in an attempt to spur their followers to action (April
19
<[link removed]>
).

 

In 2021, neo-Nazi Telegram channels also continued to use the platform to
celebrate terrorist attacks and their anniversaries, encouraging additional
acts of violence. Examples include glorifying the June 6 London, Ontario
anti-Muslim vehicular attack and celebrating the anniversaries and perpetrators
of attacks in Christchurch, Oklahoma City, El Paso, and Poway (June 14
<[link removed]>
, March 22
<[link removed]>
, April 26
<[link removed]>
, August 5
<[link removed]>
, October 4
<[link removed]>
). In May and June, an online accelerationist group also honored an alleged
member arrested for reportedly planning a mass shooting at a Texas Walmart (
June 7
<[link removed]>
). In a chat connected to the Nationalist Social Club
<[link removed]>,
participants shared memes encouraging violence and praised a man who had
attacked a transgender woman (September 7
<[link removed]>
).

 

Continued White Supremacist Effort to Improve Information and Operations
Security

 

Following the January 6, U.S. Capitol attack and the removal of some white
supremacist and extreme right Telegram channels, a prolific white supremacist
Telegram channel dedicated to information and operations security urged their
followers to improve their habits and prepare for a crackdown (January 25
<[link removed]>
). The channel, which had approximately 5,500 subscribers in January, grew by
over 4,000 members during the year. In 2021, the channel posted instructions
for removing a camera and microphone from a smartphone, destroying surveillance
cameras, and using burner phones (February 1
<[link removed]>
, February 16
<[link removed]>
, July 26
<[link removed]>
). Members of the chat tied to the channel answered questions and offered
advice to users, including on performing distributed denial of service attacks
and which communications programs to use for “illegal activity” (September 7
<[link removed]>
, December 20
<[link removed]>
). 

 

Also, in February, a media project affiliated with the Rise Above Movement
released an online privacy guide, urging their followers to use specific
encrypted communications apps (February 8
<[link removed]>
).

 

Multiple Examples of White Supremacist and Neo-Nazi Sharing of Instructions
for Making Firearms and Explosives Guides

 

CEP researchers found many examples of white supremacists and neo-Nazis
disseminating instructions for making and using firearms or the home production
of improvised explosive devices. In some cases, white supremacists spread
videos or manuals for building explosives created by al-Qaeda
<[link removed]> or ISIS supporters. 

Information on the 3D printing of firearms or weapons components were
frequently shared on white supremacist Telegram channels (January 19
<[link removed]>
, April 26
<[link removed]>
). Channels also spread instructions on the homemade production of firearms (
April 12
<[link removed]>
). Telegram removed a channel that posted information on 3D printing firearms.
However, a second version of the channel remained on the communications
platform (June 14
<[link removed]>
). A neo-Nazi YouTube channel posted a video on the basic use and maintenance
of the AR-15 (February 22
<[link removed]>
).

 

In 2021, online white supremacists continued to spread instructions for making
explosives. Guides for making bombs were located on imageboards on the dark
web, along with tips or suggestions for potential targets, including Covid
vaccination sites (February 22
<[link removed]>
, May 24
<[link removed]>
). There were also multiple instances of instructions for making explosives or
incendiary devices posted on Telegram channels (March 29
<[link removed]>
, May 17
<[link removed]>
, December 6
<[link removed]>
, December 20
<[link removed]>
). In at least two cases, white supremacists posted a video on making explosive
devices originally made by ISIS supporters or explosives guides made by 
al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
<[link removed]> (
February 22
<[link removed]>
, March 8
<[link removed]>
). A channel that offered advice on committing arson was also located and has
been deleted and returned several times (August 31
<[link removed]>
).

 

A Russian language explosives guide was located on the Telegra.ph platform,
which was removed by Telegram after CEP reported it (March 8
<[link removed]>
).

 

Examples of Content

 

Extreme Right-Wing Telegram Channel Focusing on Homemade Weapons Found on
Telegram After Deletion (June 14
<[link removed]>
)

 

On June 9, CEP researchers located a Telegram channel that posted designs for
3D printed firearms and weapons accessories and components. The channel had the
same URL and is almost identical in its display name and specific description
to a channel that posted weapons and explosives manuals reported to Telegram on
January 15, 2021, and subsequently removed. The channel located in June was
active between March 17 and April 13 and had over 300 subscribers, with several
posts being viewed over 1,000 times. The channel was reported to Telegram by
CEP, but it was not removed. No reason was given for the discrepancy regarding
channel removal.

3D image of an AR-15 lower receiver posted by the Telegram channel.

 

Pro-ISIS Content Located on Instagram (October 25
<[link removed]>
)

 

The week of October 17 to October 23, CEP located 12 accounts that posted
pro-ISIS content on Instagram. Content included footage taken from official ISIS
<[link removed]> propaganda videos, including
violence such as beheading and assassination, as well as combat footage
including the use of suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive attacks. Posted
content also included segments taken from ISIS’s weekly al-Naba newsletter and
Amaq news releases. Two accounts were allegedly connected to pro-ISIS media
groups.

 

The 12 accounts had a mean of 296 followers, with a range of followers between
10 and 1,055. Ten accounts had over 100 followers. The accounts had posted
their first piece of extremist content an average of 75 days before they were
located, with a range between six and 262 days. Three of the accounts were
removed by Instagram four days after they were reported by CEP. Of the nine
accounts that were still online four days later, one belonged to a pro-ISIS
media group. Graphic content, including a compilation video that showed a
beheading taken from an ISIS propaganda video, was still online four days later.

Section from an ISIS propaganda video on Instagram. Screenshot taken on
October 21.

 

Al-Qaeda Released Video Condemning the United Nations

 

On November 23, al-Qaeda <[link removed]>
 released a video speech of the group’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri
<[link removed]> in which he
condemned the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and
U.N. agencies as being incompatible with Islamic law. Zawahiri stated that the
U.N. was created to impose an “irreligious and immoral ideology” on the world
and that accepting U.N. membership means that secular law would override
Islamic law. He also stated that U.N. membership is recognition of Israel by
default. The al-Qaeda leader stated that he is opposed to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights because it allows immorality, declares equality
between men and women, prohibits harsh punishments, and declares that
individuals have the right to change their religion. Zawahiri also condemned
the U.N. for hypocrisy in imposing sanctions on Afghanistan while not acting
against human rights abuses by Afghan and coalition forces.

 

The video was released while the Taliban
<[link removed]> sought to represent
Afghanistan at the United Nations, after the movement’s takeover of the country
in August 2021. On December 1, a U.N. committee deferred the decision to grant
the Taliban a U.N. seat until an unknown future date.

Al-Qaeda video featuring Ayman al-Zawahiri.

 

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