Morning Briefing: Graphic YouTube Video Amplifies Violent Extremist Content and Conspiracy Theories
Graphic video posted on YouTube by a individual who allegedly decapitated his father 'while spouting right-wing conspiracy theories' latest example of the amplification of violent extremist content.
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Morning Briefing: Justin Mohn has reportedly “been arrested after allegedly killing his father, before displaying his decapitated head in a gruesome YouTube video while spouting right-wing conspiracy theories.” In the graphic video which has been removed, Mohn “went on a 14-minute tirade, espousing right-wing conspiracy theories, demanding that President Biden resign and threatening to kill federal workers.”
The video reportedly remained on YouTube for several hours, and a spokesperson for the company told CBS News that the “video was removed for violating our graphic violence policy and Justin Mohn's channel was terminated in line with our violent extremism policies.” However, the spokesperson “did not respond to questions about how the video was caught or why it wasn't done sooner.”
Recently published research found that YouTube “recommendations can lead users down a rabbit hole of extremist political content,” and online spaces such as far right forums and encrypted messaging platforms such as Telegram have increasing allowed extremist and violent content to proliferate.
Georgia’s only Jewish state lawmaker was reportedly “sent an antisemitic postcard on the eve of the signing ceremony for a bill she sponsored to sharpen the state’s definition of antisemitism.”
A Turning Point USA student group at the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is hosting guest speaker Kyle Rittenhouse, who became a darling of right-wing media after being acquitted or murder and other charges related to the killing of two men during the racial justice protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and another student group has reportedly “created a petition calling for the university to announce public opposition to Rittenhouse’s visit.”
Edward Richmond, a former U.S. Army veteran “convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting a handcuffed civilian in Iraq,” was reportedly arrested “on charges that he attacked police officers with a baton during the U.S. Capitol riot three years ago.”
Upcoming Project From Radical Reports: Mapping the U.S. Radical Right
Mapping the U.S. Radical Right will be a new interactive visualization tool that will allow users the ability to track the connections between the various sectors of the Radical Right, including tracking the connections, associations, and funding of right-wing advocacy organizations, far right extremists groups, and wealthy conservative donors. The tool launches on Friday, March 1st. Stay tuned for details and updates.
Must Reads
Chrissy Stroop writes that “not to put too fine a point on it, but these kinds of actions smack of the nullification of federal law that southern politicians employed in the years preceding the American Civil War of 1861 to 1865. To make matters worse, the Republican governors of 25 other states, including Indiana, where I grew up, have signed a statement in support of Texas’s actions that accuses the Biden administration of ‘attacking’ Texas and invokes the notion of state sovereignty that southern states used as a ‘justification’ for secession when they formed the Confederate States of America. The statement, published by the Republican Governors Association, also cited states’ ‘right of self-defense,’ implying that border states are facing an ‘invasion’ and explicitly claiming that the Biden administration is refusing to protect Americans from ‘terrorists entering our country.’” [openDemocracy]
Jason Wilson writes that “the rightwing activist Christopher Rufo has links to a self-styled ‘sociobiology magazine’ that is focused on the supposed relationships between race, intelligence and criminality, and which experts have characterized as an outlet for scientific racism. At the time of reporting, Aporia was one of 19 Substack newsletters Rufo links to in the ‘recommended’ section on his own newsletter, which according to Substack has more than 50,000 subscribers. Rufo also appeared on Aporia’s podcast, which has published flattering interviews with proponents of scientific racism and eugenics. Rufo, a close ally of Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, and one of America’s most prominent activists fighting so-called ‘wokeism’, has repeatedly described his goal as ‘colorblind equality’, but his links to Aporia raises questions about Rufo’s proximity to extremists.” [The Guardian]
Annika Brockschmidt writes that “those who argue against defensive measures often claim that it would be fundamentally un-democratic to protect democracy through such restrictions. The ‘paradox of tolerance,’ as philosopher Karl Popper called it, describes the biggest internal conundrum democracies have to solve if they want to be able to defend themselves against enemies in their midst—even if those enemies could feasibly be elected by a majority of the people. It states that in order to remain an open and tolerant society, democracies sometimes have to put limits on their tolerance regarding those who are intent on destroying it. Debates around this topic are contentious—and rightfully so—since the curtailing of free speech, removal from the ballot, or a ban on running for office should not be tossed around lighty. Yet both in Germany and in the US—albeit with some significant differences—the fascist threat has been growing steadily. [Religion Dispatches]
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.