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2) First, a coupla general obs. This disclaimer in James Hearnes' analysis of 'Siege' is worthwhile, but its application is not straightfwd, & raises a no of difficult issues. 
3) In general, if I document nazi agitprop, it's typically w a view to using this material to actually identify those responsible for its production & distribution. So: Antipodean Resistance (AR) has developed a media strategy predicated on attracting attn, & its use of >
4) > very provocative & inflammatory language & imagery is consciously designed to act as an irresistible lure. And it's worked. If you read media reportage on the network's stunts over the last 2-3 years (& there's been quite a lot), it's "SHOCK! HORROR! NAZIS!" >
5) supplemented by the standard renunciations, & not a whole lot else. Which is Bad, in my view, but understandable; ie, AR has devoted some effort to going about its business w/o being IDed, & investigations takes time, effort, & can extend across years.
6) In my own werk, & that of others, various issues emerge in this context. One is simply dealing w 'ermahgerd nazis exist?' & another 'don't give them the attn they crave'. But, they rlly only want one kinda attn: amplification of their activities, not identification.
7) So there's important provisos, & it makes sense to pay attn to them. One additional proviso is: these fellas are the subject of ongoing scrutiny, inc by the relevant state agencies, & mapping their networks & publishing material regarding them has var implications.
8) Certainly, the massacre in Christchurch has alerted a much larger public to the potential dangers associated w such formations & to the ideologies they promote, in a way that is to-date exceptional, esp in AUS/NZ, & it seems obvious that there may be further fallout.
9) Finally, the various theses inre 'lone wolf' actors have merit, but these can s/times be exaggerated in ways that are unhelpful, I think. (I could write a lot more on this subject, but I take some things as read, & this thread is more specific in nature.) With that said ...
10) AR emerged as a result of both online shite but also meatspace activities. Insofar as monitoring fascist & far-right activity is concerned, I think this points to the importance of both aspects, esp insofar as having a general purview makes more poss specific monitoring.
11) Inre online presence, Iron March was important for gestation, but tumblr too. Thus the chief promoter of AR was quite active on tumblr before he moved on to browner pastures.
12) The first ref I made to AR on blog occurred in DEC 2016 -- A (very) brief guide to the Australian far right (December 2016 Edition), slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=40626 -- in which I described them as follows:
13) Next in APR 2017, when AR, like UPF, celebrated Mister Hitler's birthday (see : Melbourne neo-Nazis celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday & ANZAC Day 2017 : slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=41151).
14) In SEP 2017, I published a much fuller acct of AR, 'Who are Antipodean Resistance?' (slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=41859), which was supplemented by further deets in another post in AUG 2018,
'Who are Antipodean Resistance? (August 2018 Update)' (slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=43365).
'Who are Antipodean Resistance? (August 2018 Update)' (slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=43365).
15) Note: grps like AR are almost always gestated within a broader network; this fact is almost always denied by those implicated. Hence ('The rise of Victoria’s alt-Right groups has ASIO concerned', James Dowling, Herald Sun, March 26, 2019):
16) ' ... the Executive Council of Australian Jewry says while Lads Society presents a benign public face, it is thought to be a conduit to the neo-Nazi [AR] group. “The Lads Society is closely connected to [AR], sharing many members and a world view,’’ its 2018 report >
17) > on anti-Semitism in Australia said. “In many ways, the Lads Society is simply a front organisation for [AR], acting as a conduit to funnel members to AR.” Cottrell denies the group has any members in [AR].'
18) Leaving aside the precise nature of the r/ship b/w AR & TLS -- I imagen further deets will become publicly avail over time -- it's worth noting a few things. First, both AR & TLS described themselves as fraternal orgs ...
19) ... & despite the lying nazi above, the connexion is strong; still, @ this point I gotta go do other stuff, but I'll be back w much more laters tonight. Cheers.
20) To resume ... along w their online activities -- a website & Twitter acct (both now closed), & a gab acct (gab = Twitter for nazis) -- members of AR also participated in a small no of rallies, along w 'True Blue Crew' & 'United Patriots Front' members/supporters.
21) AR did so w/o proclaiming their loyalty, but their online statements reveal -- esp on the now defunct website Iron March -- that they quite enjoyed the meeja attn foll their nazi postering & stickering campaigns. Here some reacc to one of their first @Swinburne.
23) Qs were asked about how the sneaky li'l nazis got away w it on surveilled campuses, but it ain't that hard TBH. Occasionally, the nazis had some other issues, but avoided trouble; some folks did contact me @ times w eyewitness accts, however ...
24) Note that while espousing nazi or naziesque views are considered distasteful, it's not, in & of itself, unlawful. Racial & religious vilification laws, however, can s/times be applied, & occasionally are, but overwhelmingly in other circumstances.
25) The most srs recent case of app of *criminal* dimension of 'Racial & Religious Tolerance Act 2001' in VIC was the prosecution of UPF members Blair Cottrell, Neil Erikson & Chris Shortis, who were convicted & fined $2,000 each for being naughty (see: slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=41657).
26) Note that UPF flunkeys Linden Watson & 'Farma' John Wilkinson weren't charged for incident, while Cottrell is appealing his conviction on basis that Act is un-Constitutional & a restriction on Freeze Peach; case returns to County Court on June 5 (see slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=44627).
27) To return to start, key organiser for AR in MEL used handle 'kehlsteinhaus' on tumblr & IM but is Douglas(?) to his mates. (Kehlsteinhaus, AKA 'The Eagle’s Nest', is building in Berchtesgaden, GER constructed to celebrate Mister Hitler's 50th b/day).
28) Seemingly from PER, k/D spent time in MEL, but not a happy one, & personal circumstance seems to have been one reason for his adoption of neo-Nazi outlook. Acc to k/D, he was a member of 'Socialist Alternative' while in PER.
29) Also, k/D was inspired to form AR by now-proscribed (as terrorist) UK org 'National Action', was involved in UPF/Fortitude, & a member of MEL-based nazi grplet 'Nationalist Alternative'. *NA folks in UK have been jailed for membership of org, but that's another story ...
30) ... which @macklin_gd outlines in his essay 'Only Bullets will Stop Us!' – The Banning of NA in Britain (DEC 2018). The ref in shots above to civnat d0xing NAlt may be ref to Erikson's exposure of leader Mark Hootsen & Co in 2014 (slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=37277).
31) k/D provided other deets inre his person on his tumblr, inc that he's 5'10/11, his uncle & sister are married to 'Indians', he rlly hates 'fags', & he greatly enjoyed the fact that >
32) > the community targeted by AR's first postering campaign in OCT 2016 resulted in some recalling the JUN 2016 massacre @ gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, FL @ which 49 ppl were slaughtered.
33) *Aside: it's worth noting that nazis often derive deep pleasure from such horrific acts, as the reacc to the Christchurch massacre would suggest. Folks s/times have a hard time wrapping their heads 'round this, but they rlly should try if they wanna understand milieu.
34) Seemingly, k/D's first rally was the one the UPF staged in NOV 2015 (see : slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=39366); Fuehrer Cottrell was triggered after VIC Premier Daniel Andrews said anti-mosque protesters 'wouldn't be able to spell Bendigo' (see : theage.com.au/national/victo…).
35) This rally was when k/D first met Cottrell & his sidekick Tom Sewell.
36) k/D's nxt exciting adventure was @ the 'True Blue Crew' rally in #Coburg in MAY 2016. Of this event, the alleged Christchurch killer wrote: 'Communists will get what communists get, I would love to be there holding one end of the rope when you get yours traitor'.
37) On this occasion, k/D was joined by a smol grp of others, many wearing Wolf's Hook insignia. See : slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=39934.
38) k/D was heaps excited by the Coburg stuff, & I'll now repub his acct in full. >
39) I'm gonna stop now but return s/time tomorrow more ... but briefly: there was two left rallies in C that day, one which proceeded uninterrupted & another which confronted the TBC/UPF/nazi rally.
40) k/D had some further thoughts on Coburg, which I republish below. Possibly not the most accurate of accts, it's nonetheless interesting for the insight it gives into AR's thinking on such matters.
41) Note that the Coburg events generated a good deal of disco, much of it unhelpful imo. I addressed one piece, pub by @arenatweets, in this post in JAN 2017: slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=40208.
42) After Coburg, k/D attended the TBC flagwit parade in JUN. Inter alia, the disco on that event is interesting for the ways in which it engages w issues of 'optics'.
43) cont. Note that in the second shot you'll spy alleged terrorist Phill Galea who, along w the Christchurch killer, is a YUGE fan of the Very Fine People belonging to the TBC (Galea's trial is ongoing).
44) Acknowledgement of the capacity of nazis & others to engage in rational behavior is missing in many journalistic accts; in general, the ignorance of commentators is pronounced, & remains resolutely fixated on superficialities (Sunderland is news director @abcnews).
45) The nxt fun event k/D attended was the smol 'Blue Lives Matter' rally organised by Cottrell, Sewell, UPF & other nazis in JUL 2016. This represents the moment when AR consolidated as a grp, adopting a name, embarking on propaganda campaigns (SEP) & pub a website (NOV).
46) cont.
47) In this context, worth recalling BC's acct of how courts deal w white criminals such as himself (as opposed to the 'dindu nuffinz'): 'We are articulate white blokes, who get fuck all time for most things b/c we are able to make the judge understand our posi ...'
48) k/D also gave an i/view to The Daily Stormer inre origins of AR. Note: 1) TRS = 'The Right Stuff', a US nazi podcasting network which also hosts 'The Convict Report', which got some attn recently for its promotion of 'Aussie Shitposter' meme used by Christchurch killer >
49) > but is otherwise known for having as guest QLD LNP MP George Christensen & newly-elected PHONy NSW Senator Mark Latham. @/TheDingoes desc themselves as 'The original Esoteric Lathamism podcast' (a ref to Nazi esoteric thought -- see : nyupress.org/9780814731246). #DingoTwitter
50) 2) Neo-Nazi networks are global & AUS <<facho>> find inspiration from o/s grps (in this case, NA in UK & Atomwaffen in US, among others). 3) Quite happy to report that in meathead's imagination #Melbourne is gay, Jewish, multi-racial & hostile to racist shitkvnce. 💃🕺
51) ... I honestly dunno if anyone's reading this shit, cares, &/or finds it interesting or useful. If you are, & you wanna read more, pls like this tweet & I'll cont w some stuff about AR & 'Siege', along w some generals obs.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
52) On James Mason's 'Siege', James Hearnes provides a useful analysis here > medium.com/@porcelainjung…, while its role in inspiring the Atomwaffen terror network in the US is examined in this Spiegel online feature here > spiegel.de/international/….
53) As w Atomwaffen, 'Siege' is regarded as a key text for AR. As Julie Nathan wrote ('Antipodean Resistance: The Rise and Goals of Australia's New Nazis, ABC Religion & Ethics, April 20, 2018 : abc.net.au/religion/antip…):
54) AR was active on Twitter for some time before joining gab (AKA Twitter for nazis); more recent recruits to the platform inc ex-UPF members Blair Cottrell & Neil Erikson, but almost erry AUS AltRight/NS/WN personality is busy gabbing away on the webshite.
55) (I gotta shot s/where of the last few tweets AR chucked up & will share when I find.) In any case, on IM, AR would vet potential members by first asking them a series of Qs. These shots are from late 2017 -- the ropeculture doc is avail online & is dense nazi txt ...
56) Part of the vetting process also involved lengthy voice chats & a Discord txt group chat (on the use of Discord by US-based nazis, see @UR_Ninja).
*Like anybody else, nazis adopt & adapt to whatever avail tech suits their purposes; in + to gab. VK is another pop site.
*Like anybody else, nazis adopt & adapt to whatever avail tech suits their purposes; in + to gab. VK is another pop site.
57) While generally careful w their opsec. s/times the AR boys were less so. This conversation, sourced from IM, details one member, 'Julius', & his probs w a eugenics report he submitted, @saceboard in ADE, as well as his working as an intern w ex-Senator Nick Xenophon.
58) Inre IDing AR members, while investigations are apparently ongoing, only one, Jacob Hersant, has been publicly named, & partly on acct of having been sprung chucking up their shite in the city (MEL).
slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=42788
slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=42788
59) Still, AR does have its fans, including Ryan Fletcher, one of the principal contributors to David Hiscox's batshit AltRight propaganda outlet XYZ.
61) Another important contributor to XYZ is hi skool teach David Hilton (slackbastard.anarchobase.com/?p=41669), who's contributed scores of articles to Tucker Carlson's website The Daily Caller, & is in yr classrooms, teaching yr d00ds,
62) Some concluding remarks. 1) AR is one of the inevitable outcomes of the wave of fascist & far-right organising which commenced in early 2015 w the arrival of Reclaim Australia. 2) Smart nazis know howto "Hide your power level" (see : medium.com/@DeoTasDevil/t…).
63) 3) Implausible deniability is usually sufficient for nazi activists to gain entrée to major media platforms, & only popular backlash limits this capacity. 4) Smart nazis also know howto play to popular racism, the roots of which are ofc far deeper than these expressions.
64) 5) Racist propagandists exist @ both centre & margins of #auspol, fascist activists seek to cultivate these links, & until v recently monetising racial & religious vilification was v worthwhile. For a case study of these political mechanisms, see : smh.com.au/politics/feder….
67) 7) The fact that these mvmnts & ideologies abound w contradictions is interesting but not terribly insightful, & speaks more to a facile understanding of their dynamics than it does anything else. (For brief, useful guide to 'fascism', see eg : radicalrightanalysis.com/2018/09/13/boo….)
68) 8) More weighty vol is 'The Oxford Handbook of the Radical Right' (oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/o…), which incs useful disco on ideology & discourse (Nationalism/Islamophobia/Antisemitism etc), issues (parties/mvmnts/yoof etc) & case studies (inc chap on AUS by me 'n' @aurelmondon).
69) 9) In NZ, given odium surrounding Christchurch massacre, fascists & far-right are in temporary disarray. In AUS, this is less so, but insofar as the 'AltRight' came up against imp barriers foll Charlottesville, some in US have opted for clandestine & terroristic strategy >
70) & as pleading by local nazis makes clear, this is poss but unlikely outcome of public marginalisation. Certainly, local nazis would appear to retain capacity for such action. (Dominion Movement is rough equivalent of AR in NZ.)
71) 10) It's idiotic to reduce anti-fascism to 'punching nazis': rather, the central strategy is to attach a social cost to engaging in public forms of racist & fascist activism, & anti-fascism works best when interwoven w other social struggles & draws upon wide constituencies.
72) Pls note that above acct is somewhat schematic, necessarily incomplete, & far from being the last word on any of the matters discussed. Much more can & no doubt will be said, both inre AR & related phenom /// if youse got Qs, feel free. END.
