Internet

An ideology with roots in white supremacist writings in the 20th century found renewed attention in neo-Nazi online groups in the 2010s and has inspired recent plots, say researchers. Three men with ties to white supremacist groups were sentenced to prison last month for planning to attack a power grid in the northwestern United States. Last year, federal law enforcement officials charged two people with conspiracy to destroy an energy facility and accused them of creating a racist plot to cut power in Baltimore, a predominantly Black city. And in February 2022, three men also connected to white supremacist groups pleaded guilty over a scheme to target substations around the country in an attempt to cause “economic distress and civil unrest,” according to the F.B.I. (…) There is a long history of extremist attacks on critical infrastructure in the United States. Of attacks on the energy sector made in the last half-century, most were carried out by unidentified actors. Where assailants were identified, a third of attacks were carried out in the 1970s by people associated with the New World Liberation Front, a left-wing extremist group, according to the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. But more recent plotted attacks on the energy sector have emerged from the opposite political extreme. A 2022 study by researchers at George Washington University that analyzed planned attacks on infrastructure from 2016 to 2022 found that such plans among white supremacist groups “dramatically increased in frequency” in that time. Over the course of those years, 13 individuals associated with white supremacist groups were charged with planning attacks on the energy sector; 11 of those 13 people were charged after 2020. (…) The new wave of violent, far-right plots often stem from the writings of James Mason, a neo-Nazi leader who produced a newsletter called “SIEGE” in the 1980s. Mr. Mason, who joined the American Nazi Party as a teenager, pushed for more underground and lethal approaches to achieve white supremacist goals in the United States. Rather than using the existing political process to implement racist policy, which white supremacist groups, like the Ku Klux Klan, worked to do in the 20th century, Mr. Mason wrote about wanting a “total war” against the system, a tenet of an ideology called “accelerationism.” Mr. Mason and his followers believed that a full collapse of American society was necessary to rebuild it with their extremist platform and “make way for the creation of a white ethnostate,” Mr. Lewis said.

via nytimes: Why White Supremacists Are Trying to Attack Energy Grids

Experts say websites that organised protests are inciting violence against Jewish people. Online spaces that are being used to incite and organise the far-right-led riots contain messages encouraging followers to consider Jewish people as a target, community security experts have warned. One forum, which was key to organising the first protest that turned into a riot last Tuesday in Southport, is allegedly jointly run by a suspected neo-Nazi. He is believed to be based overseas. He is alleged to have called previously for attacks overseas on Jewish places of worship, according to research by the Community Security Trust (CST). Last year he was reported to the police for alleged encouragement of violent antisemitism. One message in the forum insults “Gypsies” as well as Jews. The CST monitors and investigates antisemitism in Britain and provides safety advice to Jewish communities. It works closely with the police and Muslim groups. Generally, there is heightened fear and tension across communities that have already been attacked, as far-right organisers call for at least 30 sites around England to be targeted on Wednesday. Some are linked to immigration and asylum locations.

via guardian: Far-right forums used to plan UK riots encouraging antisemitic attacks

siehe auch: Suspected Foreign Accounts Aid UK Extremists to Incite Riots British agencies probe possible foreign government involvement White supremacist networks exploit Telegram to push messaging. Suspected foreign state-backed actors and UK domestic extremists have coalesced online to stoke racism and incite violence across the UK, taking advantage of services from TikTok to the messaging service Telegram. Over the last 10 days, channels on the social media site Telegram, prominent accounts on X and self-described British patriots on ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok have pushed users to appear at centers for asylum-seekers and take part in demonstrations that later turned violent. Other accounts have spread false allegations about members of the Islamic community. (…) Authorities are probing suspicious activity, including the manipulation of hashtags on X and use of bots to increase followers, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing inquiries. Elon Musk, the owner of X, has made several provocative posts on the platform, including one saying “civil war is inevitable” that drew sharp criticism from Starmer’s government. Neither X — formerly known as Twitter — nor Telegram responded to requests for comment. Amorphous Online Network Extremists are leveraging lax content moderation on Telegram to organize their messaging, according to researchers examining the activity. Far-right activists operate a decentralized, amorphous online network based on shared ideology, said Zoe Manzi, an analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank dedicated to human rights. “They’re being strategic about the particular platforms they use for what purpose,” she said. “It’s a combination of covert organizing and a broadcast to a committed audience.” Some right-wing commentators and Britons used #FarRightThugsUnite to criticize the use of that label by Starmer’s government to describe those taking part. The trend emerged after mosques were targeted and immigration centers came under threat during riots across Britain in the last week, with hundreds of people arrested for taking part in violent disorder and looting. Many of those posting on X with the #FarRightThugsUnite hashtag appeared to be genuine Britons complaining about being described as far-right. British authorities suspect that other accounts are part of a coordinated effort to amplify the hashtag on X, and are potentially backed by a foreign state, the people said. Dubious accounts appeared to have followed thousands of bot accounts on X in a bid to increase their own followings, and often have near-identical bios, typically describing themselves as British patriots, former members of the police or military, and supporters of Brexit or the right-wing Reform UK party. Several such accounts carry photographs purporting to be of their owners but which appeared to have been stolen from other genuine social media profiles.

The Russia-based leader of the Base, which adheres to principles of accelerationism, seeks ‘A-team leader’ in US. While far-right extremists from all corners of the internet are targeting vice-president Kamala Harris as she takes the reins of the Democratic ticket, one of the longer standing US-based neo-Nazi terror groups is also attempting to continue its covert activities as the presidential election season begins in earnest. Rinaldo Nazzaro, 51, a former Pentagon contractor and analyst at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) turned founder of the Base, wrote on his personal Telegram account that he’s seeking a stateside leader for his organization and is willing to pay them a salary of up to $1,200 a month. The Russia-based leader, who is the subject of an FBI investigation and once called a Department of Justice “matter” by a US government official, is not known to have set foot in the US in years. With the recent surge in racially motivated riots in the United Kingdom, authorities across the west have become increasingly concerned with Russian sponsorship of far-right extremists. The Base was considered a domestic terrorism threat in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election campaign. The group adheres to the principles of accelerationism; a hyper violent political doctrine calling on followers to hasten the collapse of society through acts of terrorism. (…) “Neo-Nazi accelerationist groups are mainly keeping a low profile,” he said. “Their focus on promoting chaos raises the possibility that they will encourage violence or commit acts of intimidation before the election.” First appearing in 2018, the Base was already the subject of a major nationwide FBI counterterrorism investigation netting more than a dozen of its members in prison. Over the years, members of the Base have plotted an assassination in Georgia and mass shootings, while several countries designated it as an official terrorist organization alongside the likes of Islamic State.

via guardian: Revealed: US neo-Nazi terror group aims to revive activities ahead of election