Morning Briefing: Anti-LGBTQ Protest Surge Outside State Capitols
Protests and demonstration by far right anti-LGBTQ groups increased significantly in April, 'reaching their highest recorded levels since July 2023.'
Morning Briefing: Protests and demonstration by far right anti-LGBTQ groups increased significantly in April, “reaching their highest recorded levels since July 2023,” according to an analysis by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). The majority of these protests were associated with “Don’t Mess with Our Kids” events which “were held in at least 15 states and Washington, DC,” and “these rallies were organized in partnership with the Christian group Her Voice as part of a ‘Call to the Capitols’.”
Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg is reportedly reviewing the decision by Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling not to discipline nine police officers for their association with the Oath Keepers, a far right extremist group, and told WBEZ that if the investigation is found to “be deficient in any way, which materially affects the outcome, we will recommend that the investigation be re-opened.”
In the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, residents reportedly found “antisemitic signs on their windshields and lawns,” and the propaganda “mention multiple antisemitic conspiracy theories and contain a website address run by Goyim Defense League,” a White Supremacist neo-Nazi group.
Karol Chwiesiuk, who was convicted for participating in the Capitol Riot, has reportedly “been fired after taking a lengthy leave of absence that violated city rules,” however, his termination is apparently “only tangentially related to his case in federal court.”
Timothy Edward Stamant was arrested by local law enforcement after “Mother’s Day church services were disrupted by suspicious packages and a threat of a bomb at two churches,” and Stamant was reportedly motivated by “wokism,” and “was angry over taxes, over grifters, over the Ukraine situation.”
Former president Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Jersey Shore attracted members of the Proud Boys, as reportedly “among the crowds gathered at the entrance to the beach awaiting Trump’s arrival were three masked Proud Boys members.”
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Nikki Wentling writes that there are “two challenges that some experts are warning about ahead of the presidential election in November: The use of generative AI to create fake images and videos, and the emergence of China as an adversary that stands ready and willing to target the United States with disinformation. Academics are also voicing concerns about a proliferation of alternative news platforms, government inaction on the spread of disinformation, worsening social media moderation and increased instances of public figures inciting violence. An environment rife for disinformation is coinciding with a year during which more than 50 countries are holding high-stakes elections. Simply put, it’s a ‘very precarious year for democracy,’ warned Mollie Saltskog, a research fellow at The Soufan Center, a nonprofit that analyzes global security challenges. Some of the messaging meant to sow division is reaching veterans by preying on their sense of duty to the U.S., some experts warned. ‘Conspiracy theories are a threat to vulnerable veterans, and they could drag your loved ones into really dark and dangerous places,’ said Jacob Ware, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who published a book this year about domestic terrorism.” [Military Times]
Walker Bragman and Alex Kotch write that “few outlets have explored the funding behind those organizations to see just who is pulling the strings behind [Christopher] Rufo’s career. But now, an investigation by Important Context and The Center for Media and Democracy offers some answers. Through federal tax filings, we were able to identify a handful of right-wing billionaire donors and major right-wing foundations funding Rufo-affiliated groups. However, the original sources of the money behind the organizations are difficult to trace, as much of the cash came through donor-advised funds—third parties that manage money for client donors, distributing it with their input and often anonymously. In recent years, these operations have become increasingly popular vehicles in American philanthropy, in large part because clients can transfer appreciable assets into their charitable funds without having to pay capital gains taxes that would ordinarily accompany stock sales and similar transactions. Donors have flocked to donor-advised funds to facilitate their funding of far-right and controversial causes such as hate and anti-vaccine groups, likely because donations routed through these funds are attributable only to the funds themselves. In other words, they allow wealthy financiers of unsavory causes to mask their political influence.” [Exposed by CMD]
Jason Wilson writes that an “investigation has identified former University of California, Irvine (UCI) lecturer Jonathan Keeperman as the man behind the prominent ‘new right’ publishing house Passage Press and the influential Twitter persona Lomez. The identification is based on company and property records, source interviews and open-source online materials. The reporting has revealed that Keeperman’s current status as a key player and influential tastemaker in a burgeoning proto-fascist movement came after years of involvement in far-right internet forums. Much of that journey coincided with his time at one of the country’s most well-regarded writing programs: Keeperman first came to UCI as a master of fine arts (MFA) student, and was also a lecturer in the English department from 2013 to 2022, according to public records. The emergence of Passage Press and other such publishers has been a key part of the development of a swathe of the current American far right, which is seeking to capture US institutions – or develop far-right equivalents – as part of a political and cultural war against what it sees as the dominance of a liberal ‘regime’ in America.” [The Guardian]
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.