Morning Briefing: Anti-LGBTIQ Mobilization Fuels Far Right Extremists Protest
Morning Briefing: Anti-LGBTIQ Mobilization Fuels Far Right Extremists Protest
'Anti-LGBT+ mobilization, the second most salient driver, has fueled the largest increase in far-right protest activity this year,' according to a new report
Morning Briefing: This year, “far-right activists took part in at least 55 public actions targeting members of the LGBT+ community — up from 16 the year before, an increase of some 340% — with a corresponding rise in violent attacks on people perceived to be gay or transgender,” according to a report by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
The report found that “anti-LGBT+ mobilization, the second most salient driver, has fueled the largest increase in far-right protest activity this year,” and that “far-right militia and militant social movement activity in 2022 is on track to exceed the level of activity reported in 2021.”
The Fresno Drag Festival “featuring a cadre of performers in wild makeup and gowns went on as planned at a central Fresno church, despite threats against organizers and a small but vocal clutch of protesters denouncing the event.”
Anti-Defamation League, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Jewish Committee, StopAntisemitism and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance have all called upon “social media influencers and tech platforms to stop hosting interviews with Ye.”
Payton Gendron, the White Supremacists violent extremists “who admitted to shooting dead 10 Black people at a western New York grocery store in May would consider pleading guilty to federal charges if prosecutors do not pursue a death sentence.”
This Year in Extremism: Discussion on Far Right Extremism in 2022 - Join the discussion Friday, December 16th at 12:00pm EST (11:00am CST / 9:00am PST).
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Hannah Gais and Michael Edison Hayden write that a “collection of radical right figures including white nationalists and ultranationalist European leaders gathered in Manhattan for the New York Young Republicans Club’s (NYYRC) annual gala Saturday night, where that group’s president declared “total war” on perceived enemies…Republican speakers repeatedly voiced an anti-democracy, authoritarian ideology, and extremists in the audience cheered wildly. White nationalists such as the Brimelows of VDARE and leaders from extreme far right European parties like Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschland, AfD), whom German officials placed under surveillance for their ties to extremism, and Austrian Freedom Party (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, FPÖ), ate and drank in the same room as newly elected Republican congresspeople.” [SPLC]
Annika Brockschmidt writes that “aspects of the plot—to storm the German parliament and take members hostage—seem to echo what some rioters had planned for members of Congress on January 6th. But while the German terror group was stopped before they could reach the steps of the Reichstag building in central Berlin on this occasion, their plans were even more extensive: For at least a year, as they had conspired to establish secure IT structures and communication channels, they conducted shooting drills, plotted the overthrow of the democratically elected government, and planned attacks on critical infrastructure like the power grid, in order to create civil-war like scenes.” [Religion Dispatches]
Sarah Posner writes that “if anything, the Respect for Marriage Act is even a win for the Christian right. Far from vilifying religious conservatives, the bill codifies their discrimination against LGBTQ people as ‘reasonable and sincere’ and enshrines in the law protections they claim are necessary to preserve their religious freedom. But rather than celebrating that their demands were met, they continue to insist that religious conservatives are the true targets of discrimination, continuing the religious right’s years of playing the victim.” [MSNBC]
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links offers a weekly round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Narratives of the Right delivers weekly analysis of the current narratives in far right online spaces and promoted by right-wing media; and Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right.
