Intelligence Dispatch: Military Veterans and Far Right Extremism
Intelligence Dispatch: Military Veterans and Far Right Extremism
One in five applicants to Patriot Front claimed to be military veterans, at a time when there's increasing evidence of radicalization of military veterans by right-wing extremists.
This week on Radical Reports: Among the applications for membership to The Patriot Front, the white nationalist neo-fascist group that splintered from Vanguard America, at least 21 percent “claimed to be current or former members of the U.S. military,” according to an analysis by Hatewatch.
The number of military veterans participating in extremism has more than tripled during the past decade, according to a report from the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.
A data leak with the private chat logs of the Oath Keepers, the right-wing militia involved in the organization of the January 6th Capitol Insurrection, was found to include at least 133 people who signed up for group’s private chat using a military email address.
More than 80 military veterans have been arrested and charged in connection with January 6th. At least six active duty service members have been charged for participation in January 6th, however, only one of these service members have been discharged from the military.
Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, U.S. Army Reserve Sergeant, infamous for wearing a “Hitler mustache,” was demoted to Private and given an other-than-honorable discharge. The highest ranking military members, officers in the U.S. Army Reserve and the U.S. Marine Corps, has not yet been discharged from the military.
Mark Sahady, U.S. Army Reserve Captain, an organizer of the right-wing anti-LGBTQ group Super Happy Fun America, has remained highly involved in right-wing political activities, including involvement organizing a convoy of truckers to drive to Washington, D.C. in protest vaccine mandates. Christopher Warnagiris, US. Marine Corps Major, who has plead not guilty, was allegedly among the first group of rioters to force themselves inside the Capitol East Rotunda.
The Department of Defense has been implementing some policies to reduce the prevalence of extremism within military veterans, and the Department of Justice is reportedly seeking tougher sentences for military veterans that participated in January 6th.
What to expect from Radical Reports: Intelligence Dispatch provides a briefing on the activities of the Radical Right; Extremist Links provides a round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Research Desk that highlights research and analysis from academia of the Radical Right; Field Notes provides research and analysis the strategies and tactics of the Radical Right; and the Radical Reports Podcast provides in-depth conversations with journalists, activists, and academics about the Radical Right.
The Capitol Riot Insurrectionists Networks is an interactive visualization tool that maps the networks of the 700+ individuals who have been arrested and charged in connection to the Capitol Riot on January 6th.
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Must Reads
Christopher Mathias and Ali Winston report that “investigation, based in large part off information provided by anti-fascist infiltrators, has exposed the inner workings of the secretive white supremacist group, which has grown exponentially as a power vacuum has emerged in the American far right.” [Huffington Post]
Matthew Boedy writes that since it was founded, “TPUSA has mainly focused on conservative economic themes such as the free market and limited government. But since 2020 and the global pandemic, Kirk has created a new, larger “culture war” mission grounded in the theology of Christian nationalism, and in 2021 incorporated the Turning Point organization into this battle.” [PRA]
Alex Kaplan reports how the QAnon movement “fractured and evolved” and there has been a “focus on new strategies, including on local politics, the rise of new influencers, and an adoption of new extremist beliefs, while QAnon's spread continued in wellness, church, extremist, and international communities.” [MMFA]
Kali Holloway writes that “Republican lawmakers have continued their assault on democracy, not by condoning violent public rampages but via the codification of undemocratic laws.” [The Nation]
Sian Norris writes that those “opposing education on race claim that discussions about race disadvantage white students who are made to feel that they are to blame for current and historic racism. This line of thinking is not confined to the US: in the UK, right-wing provocateurs and politicians have taken aim at critical race theory.” [Byline Times]
Yannick Lengkeek writes that “While fascists across the world keep preaching about borders and nations, the bitter irony is that some of the core tenets of fascism – violent ultra-nationalism, ethnic and religious scapegoating, and disregard for free speech and expression – know no borders or boundaries.” [Rantt Media]
Robin Forestier-Walker writes that while “ultraconservative forces in the United States no longer have a friend in the White House, but their efforts to undermine democracy and human rights in Europe have maintained momentum, in partnership with like-minded wealthy European and Russian religious ideologues.” [Al Jazeera]
Events on the Right
The Patriot Voice, a right-wing group that promotes the Q-Anon conspiracy theory, is hosting the For God & Country Patriot Revival in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Ahern Hotel from February 18-21. (Price Tag: $650 - $1,300)
Featured Speakers Include: Lin Wood, Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, Dr. Peter McCullough, Ron Watkins, Simona Mangiante-Papadopoulos, and George Papadopoulos
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the annual political conference hosted by the American Conservative Union, is hosted the annual conference in Orlando, Florida from February 24-27. (Price Tag: $295 - $7,000)
Featured Speakers Include: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Kevin Roberts, Matt Whitaker, KT McFarland, and Julio Rosas
Subscribers have access the Events on the Right Google Calendar.
Coming Up This Week From Radical Reports…
Capitol Riot Insurrectionists Networks UPDATE
Extremists Links: Round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and the militia movements. (Subscribers Only)
Legislative Watch: Round-up of right-wing bills introduced by lawmakers in state legislatures. (Subscribers Only)
Research Desk: Highlights from recently published research and studies of the Radical Right (Subscribers Only)