Morning Briefing: Neo-Nazi Summer Camps, and Germany Bans White Supremacist Cult
Morning Briefing: Neo-Nazi Summer Camps, and Germany Bans White Supremacist Cult
White Supremacist groups throughout Europe used 'summer camps to attract recruits and disseminate neo-Nazi ideology,' and Germany bans Artgemeinschaft, a White Supremacist cult.
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Morning Briefing: White Supremacist and neo-Nazi groups used various social media platforms, including Telegram and Gab, to promote “summer camps to attract recruits and disseminate neo-Nazi ideology,” and these training camps were held “across Western, Central, and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, and New Zealand.”
The government of Germany has banned Artgemeinschaft, a White Supremacist cult with roots in neo-pagan and neo-Nazi ideologies, and law enforcement reportedly “carried out raids across Germany.” The group is allegedly “known for indoctrinating children,” and has connections to several other far right groups.
Michel David Fox, who allegedly called the office of an unnamed U.S. House member from Houston, Texas, reportedly “pleaded guilty to threatening to murder a congresswoman,” and Fox is also an adherent of the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Robert Alvin Justus, member of the anti-government far right White Supremacist Boogaloo Boys movement, was convicted of murder and attempted murder by a federal jury for “the 2020 killing of a federal security officer in Northern California during protests against police brutality.”
Jordany Rafael Laboy-Garcia and Christian Yamaurie Rivera-Otero, who allegedly assaulted a transgender woman because of her gender identity, “pleaded guilty today to federal charges of conspiracy to commit a hate crime and obstruction of justice,” according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
The number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border is correlated to increase terrorism, however, the type of extremist violence connected to immigration “has been largely white supremacist in nature, not jihadist,” according to data analysis from the University of Pennsylvania.
Capitol Riot Map Updates: To understand how the individuals who participated in the Capitol Riot are connected to far right extremist groups and Trump Administration officials, explore the Capitol Riot Map.
Must Reads
Tim Dickinson writes that “Will2Rise makes sports gear for white nationalists — including muscle-tees, track jackets, ‘militant active wear pants,’ boxing gloves, and hoodies emblazoned with ‘Cultured Thug.’ Leaving no doubt about its politics, the company’s gear is branded with stylized silhouette of a fasces — the ancient Roman symbol (consisting of a bundle of wood with a protruding ax head) later embraced by far-right Italian militants, spawning the term ‘fascist.’ The company specifically markets to members of Active Clubs, a global network of white supremacists who ‘tribe and train.’ The members of these tight-knit local chapters pursue street-fighter fitness in advance of an anticipated race war, or other violent confrontation. Rather than the Hawaiian shirts and AK-47s that characterize extremists like the Boogaloo Bois, the Active Club aesthetic is gym-wear and mixed martial arts prowess. Will2Rise sells training hoodies and tight-fitting ringer tees labeled, ‘ACTIVE CLUB.’” [Rolling Stone]
Decca Muldowney writes that “a county commissioners board in western Michigan that was taken over by a far-right slate of candidates will vote Tuesday on whether to drastically cut the health department’s budget, in the face of pleas by public health officials and community protests. A group of ultraconservative candidates, motivated by resentment over COVID restrictions and mask mandates, swept to power in a election held in Ottawa County in Aug. 2022. Since taking office in January, the new commissioners affiliated with ‘Ottawa Impact’ have used their majority to fire top county officials, install a former Trump administration official and MAGA loyalist as county administrator, shutter the county’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Office, and change the county motto from ‘Where You Belong’ to ‘Where Freedom Rings'.’ But their particular target has been the public health department, apparently in retaliation for COVID mandates.” [The Daily Beast]
Katrina vanden Heuvel writes that “when Moms for Liberty gets a book banned, not only does it deprive one district of that specific text; it can set a dangerous standard. Earlier this year, the group successfully banned a graphic-novel version of The Diary of Anne Frank from a Florida high school—which included passages about puberty that other adaptations omitted. Flash-forward to last week in Texas: a teacher was fired for assigning the same book to her eighth grade reading class. Never mind that those eighth graders are the same age Frank was when she wrote her diary, experiencing puberty themselves and asking similar questions about their bodies—including, as Frank wrote, curiosities about ‘the little hole underneath.’ Parents are supposed to pretend that exposure to that level of graphic detail will permanently warp the minds of their 14-year-olds…. But for all the dystopian stories about students’ being “protected” from an honest education, these censorious groups have to reckon with a powerful adversary: the students themselves.” [The Nation]
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.
