Morning Briefing: Patriot Front's 'Anti-Immigration Resurgence'
Patriot Front, the White Nationalist group, this year has reportedly 'taken part in over a third of all anti-immigration demonstrations across the U.S.,' according to a recent analysis by ACLED.
Morning Briefing: Patriot Front, the neo-fascist White Nationalist group, this year has reportedly “taken part in over a third of all anti-immigration demonstrations across the U.S.,” according to a recent analysis by Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED).
Patriot Front’s use of anti-immigration rhetoric is a relatively new development, and “only became a major part of Patriot Front’s demonstration activity in late 2024,” and in the years before the group’s “demonstration activity typically focused on anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment, in particular protesting outside of drag shows and events.”
In New York City, local law enforcement is reportedly “investigating an act of vandalism reported this week at an Islamic prayer space at New York University,” and the “vandalism coincides with the Trump administration's efforts to deport international students and scholars, some of whom are Muslim and have expressed support for Palestinian human rights.”
In Berea, Ohio, residents reportedly found “Nazi propaganda booklet and three White Lives Matter pamphlets,” and the propaganda “placed in a library box.” This is the latest example of White Supremacist groups placing propaganda in library boxes.
Jose Henry Ayala Casamiro was reportedly taken into custody in “connection with child pornography possession,” and is allegedly part of a the neo-Nazi extremists group known as the 764 network — which seeks to “blackmailed underage girls into creating child pornography videos depicting themselves engaging in degrading sadistic sexual acts, torture sessions, and carving their abusers’ initials or names on their bodies.”
Must Reads
Ali Breland writes that Luara Loomer’s “power marks how little Trump now seems to care about being around people who have expressed racist and extremist ideas and kept racist and extremist company. She is a bit like the Forrest Gump of Trumpworld—an unlikely but persistent character who just keeps popping up during some of the right’s biggest moments. When Trump got off his private plane on his way to the presidential debate in September, Loomer appeared with him. The next day, when Trump traveled to New York for a 9/11-anniversary memorial, Loomer was again there with him. (She has called 9/11 an “inside job.”) As I wrote at the time, prominent Republicans did not like that their presidential candidate was associating himself with Loomer, and publicly challenged Trump over it. He seemingly has not listened… There is perhaps no one with direct access to the president who has been as outwardly and vociferously racist and bigoted. For all of the arguments that critics of Musk make about how he has boosted white supremacy on X, he has maintained a level of plausible deniability by never disparaging minority groups in a manner as direct as Loomer has. Someone like Loomer likely would not have had access to Trump in his first term.” [The Atlantic]
Annika Brockschmidt and Thomas Lecaque write that “it’s just a tattoo. A single word in Arabic. ‘Infidel.’ But it’s also never just a tattoo. It has a context—and with Pete Hegseth, in the midst of a furor over the multiple illegalities of the way bombing campaigns in Yemen were organized, the tattoo is a call for religious violence from a man with a history of championing religious violence—who sees it as the only thing that will save the US. And although Hegseth uses the classic defense of bigots in American Crusade—’I have many dear friends who are Muslim’—his past utterances, both written and verbal, leave no doubt about how this man views the world, and Muslims specifically. And now, the Secretary of Defense has carved even more proof of this into his body. One can only imagine an ‘Infidel’ tattoo, right below ‘Deus Vult,’ might go over the next time Hegseth has to meet with Muslim officials as part of his job. But what should be incontrovertible proof that Hegseth should be nowhere near his new job, is actually proof of his qualification for MAGA, a movement that adores performative cruelty and trolling that has real-world consequences.” [Religion Dispatches]
writes that a “Telegram channel is openly promoting a dangerous blend of neo-Nazi paraphernalia and weaponry, effectively operating as a global black market for far-right extremism. Items listed for sale include flags, patches, clothing, and a wide array of firearms and explosives. The channel also claims to offer international shipping. Among the weapons advertised are handguns, rifles, hand grenades, and even drone-dropped explosives. Many of the firearms are of Russian origin, particularly models produced by the Russian arms manufacturer ‘Kalashnikov Concern.’ For instance, a Yarygin pistol—the standard sidearm of the Russian military—is priced at 7,500 rubles (around 80 euros), while a Saiga-12RP semi-automatic shotgun is offered for 17,000 rubles (about 180 euros). User reviews indicate a link between the channel's operators and the neo-Nazi group WotanJugend. Buyers have reported receiving packages containing stickers with the group's logo, and WotanJugend flags and clothes are among the items for sale. WotanJugend was founded by Russian neo-Nazi Alexey Levkin, who relocated to Ukraine and became a prominent figure in the regional far-right scene. He is also the organizer of the Asgardsrei Festival, an annual far-right event showcasing National Socialist Black Metal (NSBM) bands.” [The Red Pill Reversal]
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.
