Internet

The far-right accelerationist ‘Terrorgram’ network on Telegram is a neo-Nazi subculture centred on promoting white supremacist terrorism and connected to at least one deadly terrorist attack and two arrests in Europe. Terrorgram encourages violence by calling for attacks, glorifying far-right terrorists, and distributing instructional guides on bombmaking or infrastructural sabotage. The most distinct characteristic of the subculture is its unique visual style which plays a major role in its strategy of glorifying militancy and terrorism. Sharp and visually appealing aesthetics define the Terrorgram brand and build subcultural cohesion. Their in-group formation is developed through the fetishisation of the terrorist image in propaganda and ‘terrorwave’ – a visual style in which the aesthetics of the militant are worshipped. This Insight will briefly explore the importance of the aesthetics of violence in this community and how it has been incorporated into both calls for violence and real-world terrorism. Terrorwave Edited ‘terrorwave’ graphics depicting militants in conflict or post-collapse environments first emerged on 4chan around 2018 but have persisted as a common style on Terrorgram. Journalist Jake Hanrahan has described terrorwave as removing “the reality of the violence war brings” while revealing how “bored young men in the West desire a violent past they’ve no perception of.” Content is often altered with a glitchy VHS-style effect to make it resemble old film footage, or with neon colour grading, emitting a sense of nostalgia (Fig.1). Militants and scenes from decades-old conflicts in Northern Ireland, Chechnya or the Balkans are regularly repurposed for accelerationist propaganda, while images from contemporary conflicts are often edited with VHS degradation to appear older.

via gnet research: Terrorwave: The Aesthetics of Violence and Terrorist Imagery in Militant Accelerationist Subcultures

Neo-Nazis have found a new way to recruit men to their cause – body-shaming them into joining extremist workout clubs, reported VICE News. The article profiled one such group, called “Rundo’s Spot” — named after a neo-Nazi who fled the United States in 2017 to avoid being prosecuted on riot charges. One user, who goes by the name of “Fascist Jumping Spider,” posts images of himself on its Telegram channel tearing into raw steak with his teeth, gives “updates about his extreme weight-loss efforts, sends pictures of his lunches and goes on rants about his struggle with body image — sometimes to the annoyance of the rest of the group.” “‘Rundo’s Spot’ is part of a growing network of neo-Nazi men’s groups operating under the guise of fitness or martial arts that have become one of the most important recruitment tools for white nationalists in the United States, the report states. “Euphemistically referred to by their members as ‘active clubs,’ the network now has at least 30 groups in 17 states and 60 Telegram channels. To appeal to disaffected, young, white men, these groups tone down their overt racism and sexism, at least initially, in favor of messages of self-improvement and brotherhood. Rundo, who dreamed up the idea, refers to the clubs as part of ‘white nationalism 3.0′ — a class of cleaner-cut neo-Nazis with a more palatable image, as opposed to the skinheads of the ‘80s and other, more recent terrorist groups.” According to the report, these groups — which collectively may have some 500 members — routinely get together either at a member’s house or a public park, where they will lift weights and train in martial arts, led by the most experienced member since neo-Nazis can’t easily hire a professional coach. “The groups also hold large tournaments where neo-Nazis travel cross-country to fight, network, and participate in creating propaganda.” The report notes that these groups’ members have been spotted at far-right events to protest and intimidate LGBTQ events, like drag shows. Such clashes have happened around the country and sometimes led to standoffs with armed counterprotesters.

via vice: Neo-Nazi gyms body-shame new recruits into extremism: report

siehe auch: Neo-Nazi Fight Clubs Are Fat-Shaming Men Into White Nationalism Fitness groups and fight clubs exclusively for white men, known as “active clubs,” have become a crucial recruitment tool for white nationalists in the U.S. In a grainy Android video posted to his favorite neo-Nazi influencer’s Telegram page, a man wearing a balaclava, emblazoned with a neo-Nazi black sun, clutches a raw steak and rips into it with his teeth like an animal. “Forty pounds gone in two months and still going,” he wrote in the group, called “Rundo’s Spot.” He then broke down his weekend diet in a series of rapid posts. “I hardly ate anything and when I did, it was a raw bell pepper,” he wrote. “I fucked up bad toward the end of the week on lunch break at work but aiming to be down another five pounds on Friday.” The user, whose frequently changing username was recently “fascist jumping spider,” is a prolific poster on the channel. It’s named after Robert Rundo, a 32-year-old neo-Nazi who fled the United States to escape riot charges in 2017. Within the chat, the user constantly posts updates about his extreme weight-loss efforts, sends pictures of his lunches, and goes on rants about his struggle with body image—sometimes to the annoyance of the rest of the group. “I’m in fat-recovery, so I’ll take whatever you got,” he wrote to one neo-Nazi giving him workout advice. “Headed out with a 20 pound weight vest as we speak.” “Fat-shame me, I need it,” the user added. “Rundo’s Spot” is part of a growing network of neo-Nazi men’s groups operating under the guise of fitness or martial arts that have become one of the most important recruitment tools for white nationalists in the United States. Euphemistically referred to by their members as “active clubs,” the network now has at least 30 groups in 17 states and 60 Telegram channels.