White Supremacists and Other Extremists Exploiting This Moment

AP PHOTO/NOAH BERGER

It’s horrifying yet unsurprising — far-right extremists, including white supremacists, are trying to exploit this moment in order to sow fear, hate, and violence and distract from the core issue at hand: racial justice.

It’s important to be clear: those trying to take advantage of what’s happening do not, for one second, take away from the protests’ legitimacy. Rather, they only underscore the importance and success of these protests in shining a spotlight on white supremacy and racism in America.

The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and so many others are the tragic and unsurprising results of a racist and broken system — the same system that fueled Charlottesville, Charleston and the litany of other white supremacist attacks, including some of the very extremism we detail below.

Here’s a summary of what we’ve seen:

--Identity Evropa — a white supremacist group that is a defendant in our Charlottesville suit — posed as “antifa” in a viral tweet that urged violence and looting in white neighborhoods. [1] The tweet made the rounds on sites like Facebook and NextDoor, and people were encouraged to “defend” themselves against the supposed antifa threat. Twitter ultimately suspended the account.

The leader of white supremacist group American Identity Movement (Identity Evropa’s rebranded name) stated online that he’s attended numerous protests and said it was time for officers firing rubber bullets and tear gas to “aim for the face.” [2]

As our suit details, Identity Evropa was a key organizer of the Charlottesville violence, specifically leading the efforts to organize white supremacists from around the country for the weekend of planned violence.

Similarly, Facebook says that they suspended accounts associated with white nationalist groups, which advocated bringing weapons to the protests and spread disinformation related to “antifa.”[3]

In D.C., members of the white nationalist group VDARE posed as "VICE Canada" reporters to broadcast names of antiracist protesters. [4]

Disinformation campaigns and deceptive tactics like these are a hallmark of the white nationalist movement. Much like we saw in the lead up to the 2016 election and in so many other moments since, disinformation is used to tear communities apart – and these extremists believe there’s no better way to do that than capitalizing on racial fears and tensions.

--An admitted Ku Klux Klan leader drove his car into a crowd of protesters in Richmond, Virginia. [5] Nearly three years ago, one of his fellow white supremacists did the same thing, not that far away, in Charlottesville.

The use of car attacks has become a deliberate tactic of white supremacists. This latest attack only affirms that efforts to deflect and distract about who’s responsible for recent violence are cynical and dangerous.

--Armed extremists are showing up to protests in hopes of a “boogaloo” — their code for a second civil war. [6]

Some claim that they’re there to “protect” the protesters. But we should be very clear about who these people are: boogaloo extremists are a loose coalition of far-right militia extremists who urge a second civil war, revolution, or other violent anti-government resistance. They believe these protests can be used as a catalyst for the violent upheaval they’ve long wanted.

An alleged “Boogaloo” extremist killed a Santa Cruz deputy and injured another during a fatal ambush. He was then also charged with killing a federal security officer and critically wounding another in Oakland. Charges detail how he traveled to Oakland with an alleged accomplice and planned to exploit the Black Lives Matter protests to kill cops and spark a second civil war: “Use their anger to fuel our fire. We have mobs of angry people to use to our advantage,” he wrote. [7]

Three "boogaloo" extremists were arrested for trying to incite violence at Black Lives Matter protests in Las Vegas. On June 17th, they were indicted by a grand jury for conspiracy to cause violence. [8]

Among other examples, Denver Police also seized automatic weapons and tactical gear from two of these extremists at a protest on Friday. [9]

--Some extremists are trying to spur violence at the protests, including against Black protesters to spark a “race war.” [10]

The Department of Homeland Security warned law enforcement that white supremacists – including some boogaloo extremists – are encouraging supporters to shoot protesters. One message encouraged shooters to “frame the crowd around you” for the violence. [11]

Some white supremacist accelerationists - who seek to speed the collapse of society through violence - suggested murdering protesters and spreading rumors that law enforcement snipers are responsible, per the Anti-Defamation League. [12]

An armed white man with apparent ties to neo-confederate hate groups was arrested for firing shots at a protest in North Carolina; he’s a member of Sons of Confederate Veterans, which has deep ties to our Charlottesville defendant League of the South. [13] And a Philly journalist was allegedly attacked by a group of racist bat-wielding vigilantes. [14]

Meanwhile, a man from Illinois allegedly brought bombs to a Minneapolis protest with the goal of starting a riot. He was seen handing out explosives and encouraging protesters to throw them at police. [15]

In Queens, a racist white man with knives strapped to his arms tried to stab and mow down Black Lives Matter protesters. [16]

In Albuquerque, a man was allegedly shot by a right-wing militia group during a statue protest. [17]

White supremacist street gangs are showing up at BLM protests and telling their followers to report any “anti-white activity.” These groups are similar to Rise Above Movement, which attacked protesters in Charlottesville. [18]

The ADL's Center on Extremism has a helpful rundown of right-wing extremists' presence at protests.

--At the same time, neo-Nazi accelerationists are urging terror attacks on synagogues and infrastructure during the protests. [19]

They note that police, firefighters, and paramedics are spread thin, therefore providing an opportune moment for their attacks.

This is horrifying — and it only affirms the importance of the protests and the fight against white supremacy and extremism. At IFA, our Charlottesville case provides one specific way to tackle the systems of white supremacy, taking on the leaders and hate groups at the center of this violent movement. The case is moving full speed ahead toward trial this fall, with our team winning some critical court decisions over the last few weeks.

10,000 Voices for Charlottesville