Morning Briefing: White Supremacist and Neo-Nazi Groups Spread Propaganda in New England
Patriot Front and Nationalist Social Club (NSC 131) have both reportedly targeted various communities in New England with racists flyers and posters.
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Morning Briefing: White Supremacists and neo-Nazi groups have been spreading racists propaganda in small towns in Connecticut and throughout New England. Patriot Front and Nationalist Social Club (NSC 131) have both reportedly targeted various communities in New England with racists flyers and posters.
In Norwich, Connecticut, “flyers promoting two different white supremacist groups have been found recently in two neighborhoods,” which has reportedly prompted a law enforcement investigation.
In Bristol, Connecticut, local law enforcement is “investigating after several signs advertising what town officials describe as a white nationalist group were found along Farmington Avenue.”
Patriot Front has also recently been active in distributing White Supremacists racists propaganda in Hartford, Connecticut; Wallingford, Connecticut; Hooksett, New Hampshire; Framingham, Massachusetts; Monroe, Massachusetts; and North Providence, Rhode Island.
Members of Patriot Front distributed bottles of water to residents in Vermont in the aftermath of recent flooding, which is part of a deliberate strategy to target communities in the aftermath of disasters.
There was reportedly a “spike in anti-LGBTQ+ protests during Pride celebrations, including in historically liberal states like California,” according to data collected by Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED).
Samson Racioppi, a far right anti-LGBTIQ activists “who played a key role in setting up the 2019 ‘Straight Pride’ parade in Boston,” has reportedly “decided to pull his name from consideration to be reappointed to the Salisbury Housing Authority.”
Tyler Bradley Dykes was arrested and charged for participating in the Capitol Riot, reportedly “served a prison term for joining torch-toting white nationalists in marching through the University of Virginia’s campus in 2017.”
Must Reads
Rebecca Gordon writes that “among right-wing Christians in the United States, publically demanding the execution of LGBT individuals is not uncommon. In a sermon that went viral on TikTok last June, Pastor Joe Jones of Sheild of Faith Baptist Church in Boise, Idaho, called for the execution of all gay people. Local NBC and CBS TV stations and some national affiliates saw fit to amplify Jones’s demand to “put them to death. Put all queers to death” by interviewing him in prime time. In keeping with right-wing propaganda that treats queer people as child predators, Jones sees killing gays as the key to preventing the sexual abuse of children. “When they die,” he said, “that stops the pedophilia. It’s a very, very simple process.” The reality is that most sexual abuse of children involves male perpetrators and girl victims and happens inside families. Though American “Christians” like Jones may be years away from instituting the death penalty for queer people here, if ever, they have already been far more successful in Africa. [Fair Observer]
Matt Shuham reports on how Rasmussen Reports has embraced right-wing conspiracy theories, and “after two decades of fairly consistent right-leaning polling of elections and political issues, the firm had stopped acting like a normal pollster. Rather than simply asking Americans about their beliefs in conspiracy theories and fringe views, Rasmussen Reports has amplified those beliefs, lending them its legitimacy as a household name in politics — to the delight of right-wing politicians and influencers eager for new material. Citing its own poll results on Americans who think they know someone killed by the COVID-19 vaccine, for example, Rasmussen Reports tweeted a cartoon showing a cemetery with the word ‘coincidence’ on every headstone. ‘ICYMI: We’ve all come a long way from ‘safe and effective,’’ the firm tweeted. Months after ‘Dilbert’ creator Scott Adams referenced a Rasmussen Reports poll — asking respondents for their opinion on ‘It’s okay to be white,’ which has become a far-right troll catchphrase — as part of a racist meltdown that ended with him urging white people ‘to get the hell away from Black people,’ Rasmussen Reports is still retweeting Adams as he tries to gain new fans. [Huffington Post]
Spencer Sunshine writes that when asking the question why people of color become Nazis, the “distinction between National Socialists and White Supremacists is important here. The category of ‘white’ dates back to the 1600s, but this was not the identity pre-World War II European fascists were interested in. Hitler’s master race was the Aryan race—but Aryans are not the same as those considered white today. They excluded not just Jews of European descent, but also Slavs — these Russians and other Eastern Europeans were considered subhuman and were often victims of war crimes. Second, even before World War II there were already National Socialists outside of Europe. Most were Germans (or at least Europeans) in North and South America. But the Nazis courted the Arab and Muslim world as well, and individuals (and a few groups) popped up there. Especially as the war went on, various people of color were incorporated into the German army. And a small number of non-white people, and even people of mixed Jewish background, were given special dispensations as ‘honorary Aryans.’ For neo-nazis today, the original party acts as an authority which can be appealed to in order to back up their positions, just as Marx’s writings or the Bible does for Marxists and Christians. And so if one looks hard enough, they can find a justification for almost anyone to be a neo-nazi.” [Unicorn Riot]
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.
Of course Global Fascism is getting worse, bolder. But, (and, I need to research more) I'm so excited about our new prime minister! Thoughts?
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picture from: Greg Olear's 2020 article