Researchers studying the far right have sounded the alarm over the threat posed by the rapid proliferation of conspiracy theories, disinformation and misinformation for years, noting that shifts in the extreme right’s mobilization tactics could present new challenges to stemming a tide of violence. The far-right insurrection on the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., which took place on the afternoon of Jan. 6 and has resulted in five deaths and a slew of arrests, represents a transition in far-right communities away from traditional organizational structures and toward diffuse systems of decentralized radicalization. The Southern Poverty Law Center and others have tracked the presence of numerous organized hate and antigovernment groups on the ground in the runup to and during the Jan. 6 attack. Among them were the far-right, street-fighting group the Proud Boys; a variety of antigovernment groups, such as the Oath Keepers, the Sons of Liberty NJ and the Last Sons of Liberty; extremist podcasters such as Nick Fuentes, Tim Gionet aka “Baked Alaska” and Vincent James Foxx of the Red Elephants; and at least one representative of a New England-based chapter of the neo-Nazi Nationalist Social Club. But in the siege’s wake, another alarming trend has also emerged. That is, in contrast to other major instances of far-right violence, many of those arrested for their involvement were not members of a specific hate or antigovernment group.
via splc: Capitol Insurrection Shows How Trends On The Far-Right’s Fringe Have Become Mainstream
By Tyler Merbler – <a rel=”nofollow” class=”external free” href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/37527185@N05/50812566861/”>https://www.flickr.com/photos/37527185@N05/50812566861/</a>, CC BY 2.0, Link