While investigators have yet to uncover and confirm the motives behind the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, at least one group, known as Groypers, has been thrust into the limelight in the aftermath of his death. The alt-right network consistently criticized Kirk’s Turning Point USA but has denied involvement in the murder. Despite this, the suspect’s alleged ties to Groypers have led to a closer eye on them. Who are the Groypers? They are a “far-right, online-based movement organized around white nationalist and ‘America First’” causes, said Newsweek. The term ‘Groyper’ is the name of the group’s mascot, a cartoon frog that’s a “variant of the ‘Pepe’ meme used widely among extremist groups.” Unlike other alt-right organizations, the Groyper movement “presents its ideology as more nuanced than other groups in the white supremacist sphere,” said the Anti-Defamation League. Groypers believe they are “working to defend against demographic and cultural changes.” They also believe many other groups on the right do not go far enough and “regularly confront mainstream conservative organizations,” including Kirk’s Turning Point USA, for “not being adequately ‘pro-white.’” The group’s main goal is to “push extremist ideas into the conservative mainstream,” said Salon. Groypers often target more moderate conservatives during “coordinated campaigns where activists would attend conservative events, ask provocative questions about immigration, race or LGBTQ+ rights, and post viral clips online.” Groypers are led in part by Nick Fuentes, an alt-right podcaster whose ”anti-Israel, anti-immigrant, anti-transgender and anti-civil-rights views seem to have gained new currency during the second Trump administration,” said The New York Times. Fuentes has become widely known for his overt antisemitism and white supremacist views and made headlines in 2022 when he dined with then-former President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club.
via the week: Groypers: the alt-right group pulled into the foreground The network is led by alt-right activist Nick Fuentes