Morning Briefing: TPUSA’s Far Right Festival in Phoenix
Turning Point USA is hosting the group’s annual AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona, and the event will feature an assortment of prominent and influential far right speakers.
Morning Briefing: Turning Point USA (TPUSA), the right-wing group that promotes events and trainings on campus for conservative college students, is hosting the group’s annual AmericaFest from December 16 - 19 in Phoenix, Arizona, and will feature an assortment of far right speakers including Tucker Carlson, Glenn Beck, Tim Pool, Jack Posobiec, and James Lindsay.
Lions of Liberty, a far right group with associations to the far right militia group Oath Keepers, will reportedly “host a sponsored booth” and has promoted discounted tickets to the event.
Local prosecutors recently filed charges against a pair of TPUSA’s staff members who are “accused of harassing and assaulting an ASU professor on the University’s Tempe campus.” The staffers allegedly “waited outside the classroom of David Boyles,” and the “pair then harassed and shoved him to the ground.”
Elon Musk’s recent comments “dramatically boosted online discussion about #Pizzagate, a debunked conspiracy suggesting children were being trafficked through a D.C. pizzeria,” according to a new study published by Montclair State University.
Joseph Pavlik, retired Chicago firefighter who has been associated with far right militia groups the Guardians of Freedom and the Three Percenters, received a two-month prison sentence for participating the in the Capitol Riot and “trying to push aside police officers protecting an area known as the Tunnel.”
Zachary Johnson, a member of the far right violent extremist street gang the Proud Boys, was reportedly “sentenced to 3½ years in prison” for participating the in the Capitol Riot, and “his prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.”
The National Justice Party, a White Supremacists political party, announced the organization’s fourth annual Operation White Christmas — which the organization describes as an “online toy drive for White families in need… In the interest of racial justice and pro-White advocacy.”
Must Reads
Juliette Kayyem writes that “extremism ebbs and flows. Violent groups can grow only when they can raise money and recruit members faster than law enforcement can shut down their operations. They thrive when they are perceived to be winning; even the kind of person who might be drawn to violence makes a calculation about whether taking part in a plot to, say, overthrow an election or kidnap the governor of Michigan will be worth the risk. In the past few years, Trump’s election loss and his legal woes have made him less persuasive in this regard. Trump now faces both state and federal conspiracy charges for his efforts to stay in power despite losing the election. Leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers have received long prison sentences for their role in the violence of January 6… All of these proceedings have demonstrated that Trump and his supporters will be held accountable for what they do and say. But if Trump wins another term, both he and his most disreputable supporters will feel vindicated. The Republican Party has already given Trump a pass for exhorting a mob to break into the Capitol. In turn, Trump has promised to pardon many of the January 6 insurrectionists. His forgiveness could extend to extremist leaders convicted on federal charges.” [The Atlantic]
Anna Beahm writes that “countless polls have shown how far-right politicians are embracing policies and forging culture wars that are fueled (and often funded) by Christian nationalist ideas about an ideal America, which centers a mostly white, Christian framework for how society should function… There is evidence to suggest that Gen Z-ers may be more open to the message of Christian nationalism if it is framed in a way that resonates with their concerns about inequality and injustice. The upcoming presidential election is likely to be a test of the influence of Christian nationalism on Gen Z. On the one hand, Gen Z is the most religiously diverse generation in American history, with a significant number of atheists and nones–that is people who identify with no religion. This suggests that Gen Z may be less susceptible to the messages of Christian nationalism than previous generations. On the other hand, Gen Z is also a generation that is deeply concerned about social justice issues and generally holds more progressive political views than previous generations, according to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey.” [Reckon]
Tim Dickinson writes that Jenny Donnelly’s “Her Voice Movement, seeking to mobilize Christian nationalist women, had a coming out party in July — taking over the Portland convention center for three days of worship and speeches from figures like Wallnau, Ahn, and Engle. Donnelly and Engle have continued this road show, hosting a traveling ‘Freedom Tour.’ Framing her political activism biblically, Donnelly leans on the Old Testament Book of Esther. In that bloody story, Esther, a young Jew, is made queen by a fearsome Persian king. The king is later convinced by a wicked adviser, Haman, to issue a decree calling for the extermination of the Jewish people. Upon the advice of her uncle Mordecai — who convinced Esther that God had placed her in her royal post for ‘such a time as this’ — the queen dared angering the king (and perhaps being put to death by him) to seek a reprieve for the Jews. The king took her counsel, and issued a new decree — authorizing Jews to take vengeance against their tormentors, which they did with violent zeal. Haman ended up on a spike.” [Rolling Stone]
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.