Morning Briefing: Total Solar Eclipse Inspires Conspiracy Theorists
Morning Briefing: Total Solar Eclipse Inspires Conspiracy Theorists
From far right conspiracy theorists claiming secret government plots to fundamentalist Christians claiming apocalyptic prophecies, the total solar eclipse inspires conspiracy theorist of all types.
Morning Briefing: The total solar eclipse has inspired far right conspiracy theorists to make unfounded wild claims about the event, including that “there will be rituals performed during the April 8th Eclipse,” during which “Masonic, Satanic, Esoteric, Gnostic, Brotherhood of the Snake and other occult-like groups will be performing.”
Fundamentalist Christians have also used the total solar eclipse to promote apocalyptic prophecies and end-times theology, and even right-wing Republican lawmakers have engaged in fearmongering and promoting conspiracy theories about the total eclipse.
Tyler Laube, member of the White Supremacists neo-Nazi Rise Above Movement, was sentenced to “time served after he admitted to punching a journalist at a pro-Trump rally in 2017,” and the U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney justified the sentence “because prosecutors should have focused on leftist groups.”
Burt Colucci, member of the White Supremacists neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement, was convicted for an “attack on a Jewish man who confronted a group of neo-Nazi demonstrators near Waterford Lakes,” in Orlando, Florida.
Taylor Johnatakis, a self-proclaimed “sovereign citizen,” was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for using a “megaphone to orchestrate a mob’s attack on police officers” during the Capitol Riot, and the judge stated that “that he was troubled by Johnatakis' ‘lack of remorse’ and he was concerned that, if given the chance, Johnatakis might engage in violence again.”
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David Gilbert writes that “over the past few weeks, social media channels, Telegram groups, and conspiracy-focused message boards have been flooded with every conceivable wild allegation about what will happen when the moon blocks out the sun. The rare astronomical event has proved incredibly fertile ground for conspiracists to express their wildest fantasies, and they have theorized about everything from the end of the world, to the secret deployment of balloons to poison the population, to occult rituals and even the imposition of martial law to usher in a ‘new world order.’ Far-right trolls and extremists in particular have been using the total solar eclipse to push their belief that a group of “elites” is using the event as cover to impose new controls on the population. The theory has been promoted by figures including disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Sandy Hook shooting conspiracist Alex Jones, who in recent weeks has posted numerous videos and comments about it on his X account, racking up millions of views.” [Wired]
Carolyn Gallaher and Priya Dixit write that “if democracy is a ground-up experience in the United States, then county government is the bedrock upon which it stands. Counties and municipalities are where most people interface with democratic government. It’s where they vote in elections, attend schools, visit the library, and call 911 for help with emergencies. When they have disputes with neighbors, county courts resolve them. Much like their federal and state peers, however, U.S. county governments are facing threats from far-right activists. Sometimes the threat is violent… But more often than not, the threat is to the body politic as far-right actors use the levers of democracy against itself. Bedford County, Virginia, is a case in point. In 2020, the county board of supervisors approved a resolution formally recognizing the Bedford County Militia, Inc. Shortly thereafter, the militia publicized its collaboration with the county’s sheriff, Mike Miller, on its webpage. The news that her sheriff was working with an armed militia alarmed Donna St. Clair, a member of the Bedford Democratic Committee, so when the group invited Miller to speak to the committee, she asked him to identify the group’s commander.” [Religion Dispatches]
Sarah Posner writes that “Republicans and their Christian right allies have spent the better part of a decade demonizing trans people as a threat to both public safety and ‘God’s design’ for gender roles. The long campaign for legislation to ban trans people from bathrooms and locker rooms, prevent them from participating in school sports, and their access to essential health care has successfully pushed transphobia to the fore of priorities for the Christian right base. Trump knows this, and is more than happy to milk it for all it's worth. The tenor of his speeches of late, especially those delivered to evangelical audiences, are built around a claim that Christian America has fallen into an apocalyptic hellscape, and only Trump can rescue it… Trump’s declaration of Election Day as ‘Christian Visibility Day’ is more than a get-out-the-vote technique. It’s a blaring alarm warning us that he could use his base’s persecution complex about the ‘radical left’ and their messianic zeal for him to claim that any election loss must have been ‘rigged’ not only against him but against them, too. As Jan. 6 showed, that zeal can easily turn into terrible consequences for the country.” [MSNBC]
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.
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I wish that the Press would stop using the word "theory" when addressing these cranks. The word's meaning has been drained by these vampires of journalism and the circus masters of fringe culture.