Tim Gionet is an online personality known as “Baked Alaska.” (He is from Alaska and, at least at one point, attested to having enjoyed becoming intoxicated or “baked” using the drug marijuana.) As is documented in this New York Times piece, he came to prominence as an employee of the website BuzzFeed for making short videos in which he did things like pouring milk on his face. Because of some combination of personal impulse and recognition of a market niche, Gionet became involved in far-right politics during the 2016 presidential campaign. He continued to do and say outrageous things for attention, but now his statements sometimes involved white supremacist slogans and sentiments like the so-called “fourteen words.” He attended the infamous Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia and, on Jan. 6, 2021, livestreamed himself entering the U.S. Capitol after others had busted through doors and windows (and a police line) to interrupt Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election. On the video, he can be seen entering offices and encouraging others not to leave the building. This is what professionals in the prosecution community refer to as a “layup,” and Gionet was charged with a misdemeanor.
Categories: Rechtsextremismus