Morning Briefing: White Supremacists Planning Events in Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is planning to hold events in Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee, and FEMA plans to direct states and tribes to 'halt activities intended to combat domestic violent extremism.'
Morning Briefing: The Ku Klux Klan (KKK), the White Supremacist organization with a history of racist violence, is planning to hold events in August in Indiana and Ohio, and an event in September in Tazewell, Tennessee.
In Cincinnati, Ohio, local law enforcement is reportedly “investigating Ku Klux Klan flyers found in various communities across the city,” and the flyers reportedly a “call for people to join the KKK in response to the viral fight” which recently occurred in Cincinnati.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is reportedly “planning to direct states and tribes to immediately stop certain activities intended to combat domestic violent extremism,” and the proposed directive comes as the “Trump administration cuts funding and support across multiple parts of the government for domestic extremism initiatives.”
New video reportedly “sheds new light on the extent to which police — both state and local — were present as members of Blood Tribe interacted with counter protestors, before piling into the back of U-Haul truck and driving away.”
Must Reads
Luke Baumgartner writes that “global white supremacist terrorism is evolving, and U.S. policy must adapt with it. Designating The Base would signal to the rest of the world that the U.S. government is prepared to treat racially and ethnically motivated violent extremist (REMVE) groups with the same urgency as jihadist threats. A designation would affirm that white supremacist terrorism receives the same legal treatment as ISIS or al-Qaeda. That consistency is vital at a time when REMVE is a quickly growing category of terrorism worldwide. Moreover, a designation could undermine adversary narratives. Russia has repeatedly leveraged extremist movements as instruments of destabilization. Allowing a U.S.-founded group with Russian ties to operate unchecked erodes American credibility and emboldens future proxy activity. The statutory criteria are clear and the precedent is established. What remains to be seen is if there is the political will necessary to acknowledge that white supremacist terrorism is not just an American problem – it is a growing transnational threat. If Washington cannot muster the resolve to designate The Base after an overseas assassination, then when? The choice is stark: lead the fight against this threat now, or watch it metastasize beyond our ability to contain in the future.” [Just Security]
Jason Wilson writes that The Guardian has “identified the self-described ‘national socialist’ behind an openly extremist YouTube channel that in just over two months has accumulated 50,000 subscribers, seen more than 2.3m views, and likely made thousands of dollars from YouTube’s revenue-sharing monetization program. Johnathan Christopher ‘Chris’ Booth, 37, lives in the unincorporated community of Coral, a part of Maple Valley Township in Michigan’s Montcalm county, and is married to a senior local Republican official. Booth has published more than 70 YouTube videos since May on his Shameless Sperg account, whose graphic design elements feature stylized SS bolts. Titles of his videos – generally a recording of him delivering his views direct to camera – include: ‘Why I Dislike Jews. It’s not complicated’, ‘Black Crimes Matter: Never Relax’ and ‘Jews and FBI hate you and your free speech’… Despite YouTube’s stated policies against hate speech and content that promotes violence against individuals or groups based on race, religion or other protected characteristics, Booth’s channel appears to be monetized through the YouTube Partner Program. The channel displays ads and Booth has thanked subscribers for their financial support through the platform.” [The Guardian]
Stephanie Mencimer writes that “right-wing groups, tea party activists, the Bundys, and other anti-government extremists who have couched their opposition to the federal government or Democrats in the language of the Constitution… These activists fiercely proclaimed their unshakable commitment to the foundational document, which many of them believed was divinely inspired. Yet in May, when Trump was asked if he had to uphold the Constitution, and he replied, ‘I don’t know,’ Mack and his ilk uttered not a peep, even though so much of what they once warned about—and which was dismissed as the rantings of paranoid extremists—seems on the verge of coming true… Former tea partiers, mandatory mask and vaccine opponents, or elected officials like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who insisted in 2015 that an ordinary military training exercise known as Jade Helm was an attempt by President Obama to invade Texas—none of them have objected to Trump’s use of the military on domestic affairs. And you’d be hard pressed to find a ‘strict constitutionalist’ on the right who has spoken out against Trump’s actions that many courts have already found to be unconstitutional, such as his punishing law firms he doesn’t like.” [Mother Jones]
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.
If and when the Ku Klux Klan events occur, it will be interesting to see how the administration responds to their activities. Will the administration take a strong position, reject their actions, and even arrest the participants in these blatant domestic violence attacks. Or will they acquiesce to the mobs' "right of free speech?" Based on the administration's past actions with respect to protests on college campuses, we can only speculate how they will respond. I think that I know how it will go.