This report is a roll-up of activity from revolutionary communist, radical anarchist, fascist, and other ‘alternative’ political groups that fulfill our intelligence requirements for both the Alt-Left and Alt-Right for Wednesday, 28 March 2018. Activities included are from Black Lives Matter, Twitter, Identity Evropa, Richard Spencer, Virginia, and Seattle.
Alt-Left:
Virginia: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Corey Stewart and his campaign team were harassed at a restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia by Antifa. A short video shared by Stewart on his official Twitter account shows the hecklers telling the staff that Stewart and his campaign team are Nazi’s and yelling things like “fuck white supremacy” and “there are Nazi’s here” in the middle of the restaurant. (Source: https://twitter.com/CoreyStewartVA/status/978819976810332160)
BLM: Newly released documents from the FBI show that the FBI tracked Black Lives Matter activists in 2014. According to the Intercept, “Intelligence-gathering by the federal government had employed open-source information, such as social media, to profile and keep track of activists. The newly released documents suggest the FBI put resources toward running informants, as well as physical surveillance of antiracist activists. The documents were released through a lawsuit by two civil rights groups called Color of Change and the Center for Constitutional Rights. The FBI provided a statement on the released documents saying that “The FBI does not engage in surveillance of individuals exercising their First Amendment rights. However, the FBI is responsible for reviewing intelligence that indicates an individual may be involved in criminal activity or is a threat to national security.” (Source: https://theintercept.com/2018/03/19/black-lives-matter-fbi-surveillance/)
Twitter: An antifascist activist published a pamphlet that prepares people for dialogue with Nazis. In the pamphlet, the author claims that some people believe that the only way to deal with Nazis is through violence, however, there are some people who believe that they can reason with Nazis through open dialogue. The 30+ page Google Drive document teaches antifascists how this can be done. The chapters of the document are as follows, “You Can’t Punch Every Nazi,” “How Did This Happen,” “14 Ways Nazi’s Look at You,” “Symbols and Signs,” “Preparing to Engage,” and “Some Handy Tools.” (Source: https://twitter.com/VulgarEconomics/status/899304913263570944) (Analyst Comment: We reported on this last year, however, this manual looks to be getting some more attention recently.)
Alt-Right:
Identity Evropa: Identity Evropa announced on Twitter that they are no longer able to receive funds and donations from their supporters via the crowdfunding site Maker Support, and that they will now be using the crowdfunding site FreeStartr, which advocates for free speech. (Source: https://twitter.com/IdentityEvropa/status/974410346084687872)
Richard Spencer: In response to Jordan Peterson’s recent article in which he criticizes the “Jewish Question” or “JQ,” alt-right leader Richard Spencer has publicly attacked and criticized Peterson on Twitter, made an hour long podcast where he analyzes and critique’s Peterson’s article, and has challenged Peterson to a live debate on YouTube. Peterson has not yet responded to Spencer’s attacks, criticisms, or challenge. (Analyst Comment: Due to the recent halting of his college tour and announcing that he would be changing tactics, Spencer could be using Peterson’s recent popularity to stay relevant while he works on his new campaign strategy. It is also possible that this is not temporary and that Spencer’s new strategy is to attack and attempt to debate popular right and left wing figures.) (Source: https://twitter.com/RichardBSpencer/status/978117041835081729)
Notable Activities:
Website: Dame Magazine released an article on their website titled “Who’s to Blame for a Generation of Angry White Men?”. In the article, Stacey Patton explains what she believes is the cause behind the recent mass shootings and other violence that has been committed by white males in recent years. The author claims that the underlying cause of this violence is that white men turn to violence when their white privilege doesn’t reward them with success. The following is a quote from the article where Patton explains this concept, “What the media is overlooking is that white childhood has been conditioned by the narrative that white people are superior, and by effect will enjoy a superior economic and political position to Black and Brown groups in America. For poorer white Americans, their inability to access this racial legacy due to their economic declination and their fear of being overrun by non-white populations makes violence appear to be their only resort.” (Source: https://www.damemagazine.com/2018/03/27/whos-to-blame-for-a-generation-of-angry-white-men/) (Analyst Comment: Regarding violence as a last resort, there’s some truth to this. Politicized social bases, as are being found on both the Left and the Right, are more prone to resorting to violence if other methods don’t achieve their objectives. As witnessed throughout history, this is often how civil wars, insurgencies, and other domestic conflicts start, and what we’re witnessing with regard to changing demographics and polarization is tearing the fabric of American society.)
Seattle: Protestors recently blocked the entrances to the construction site of a new youth jail in Seattle in order to prevent the constriction of the jail from taking place. Protestors carried signs and banners that said “No new youth jail,” “We don’t need kids in jail, we need affordable housing,” “Stop caging kids,” and “School –> Prison.” (Source: https://twitter.com/BlocktheBunker/status/978310228016902146)
Events:
29 MAR: Rock Against Fascism II: The Punks and the Skins Strike Back, Portland, Oregon
14-15 APR: TPUSA Midwest Regional Conference, Chicago, Illinois
14 APR: Stand for the Second Amendment, National
15 APR: Free Speech Conference at Siena College
20 APR: National High School Walk-Out For Anti-Gun Violence
21 APR: March For Our Rights Pro Gun Rally, Olympia, Washington
28 APR: Anti-Racism Action Initiation Protest/American Renaissance Conference 2018, Burns, Tennessee
01 MAY: MayDay Seattle: Stand For Public Safety and Small Business Against Rioters
