Among the most visible ideological adherents at state capitol protests after Jan. 6 and in Richmond, Virginia, on Jan. 18 for pro-Second Amendment rallies were people involved with the boogaloo movement, easily recognizable in most cases because of Hawaiian-themed shirts and masks along with their weapons, signatures of boogaloo followers. The shirts are a reference to “big luau,” which is an adaptation of the word “boogaloo.” Following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that resulted in five deaths, large swaths of the American right have continued to falsely claim that former President Trump won the election and that President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party “stole” it. Right-wing protests were also slated for state capitols the weekend of Jan. 17, and boogaloo adherents (self-proclaimed “boogaloo boys”) were among those either planning the protests or planning to go. (…) Regardless, rallies and protests have continued across the country in support of false claims that the election was stolen. Boogaloo boys participated in the rally in Richmond, distinct in Hawaiian shirts and other Hawaiian-themed clothing and gear, but a few also sported Black Lives Matter (BLM) patches and others rainbow flag patches, in alleged support of the BLM movement and LGBTQ rights. It’s unclear how much of this support is genuine, and how much is simple political opportunism as the movement attempts to muddy ideological boundaries in order to triage their image and draw in more adherents. The thread that binds boogaloo adherents is their belief that the country is headed toward a civil war – and that mass civil conflict of this kind is the only way for the country to right its path. These antigovernment beliefs have found appeal beyond the movement’s racist roots, making it adaptable and easily spread.
via splcenter: Who Are Boogaloos, Who Were Visible at the Capitol and Later Rallies?
