- VDARE, a far-right anti-immigration nonprofit, hosted a livestream where they asked anti-racism protesters to identify themselves by name and on camera, the Southern Poverty Law Center said Thursday.
- While doing so, the organizers told the protesters they were reporters for VICE Canada, according to a video viewed by the SPLC.
- The move came as President Donald Trump has promised to designate antifa as a terrorist group.
Antifa is a loosely defined term used to depict a style of left-wing protest.
A group of activists from VDARE, a right-wing nonprofit dedicated to anti-immigration advocacy, falsely identified themselves as reporters from VICE Canada while they were collecting the names of protesters who attended a Washington, D.C., protest, the Southern Poverty Law Center said Thursday.
In a video seen by SPLC but not independently verified by Insider, the individuals used the tactic to get protesters to spell their name on camera.
"Sir, would you like to say a few words? We're VICE Canada," the host of VDARE's stream told one demonstrator, according to SPLC.
The livestream was hosted by two VDARE activists on the National Mall and has since been removed. SPLC's Hatewatch, a blog that monitors and exposes the activities of the American radical right, viewed it live.
"This livestream video is in no way affiliated with VICE Media Group. Any claim by individuals in the video that they represent VICE is false," a spokesman for VICE Media Group told SPLC. "We strongly condemn any such deception, especially in an environment where accurate and objective reporting is so important."
VDARE, which refers to itself a "journalistic entity" aimed to "inform the fight to keep America American," has been widely considered linked to white nationalists, including by the SPLC.
"Diversity per se is not strength, but a vulnerability. It is a luxury that we can only afford as long as we preserve our breadwinner, American people," it says on the VDARE site.
VDARE didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
The group's efforts came on the heels of President Donald Trump classifying antifa as a terrorist organization.
The antifa movement is a loosely affiliated group of anti-fascism activists, but does not have a national organization, defined structure, or leader. Trump has blamed it for organizing the property destruction seen at some
Meanwhile, some white nationalists have advocated for the acceleration of conflict between protesters and police in order to spur race riots.
This isn't the first time a far-right group has attempted deception during the recent wave of demonstrations prompted by the police killing of George Floyd.
The white nationalist group Identity Evropa, which was renamed American Identity Movement, posed as "antifa" on Twitter Sunday. The activists urged protesters to "move into the residential areas… the white hoods… and take what's ours."
The account was removed Monday for breaking Twitter's rules against platform manipulation, spam, and inciting violence, NBC News first reported.
Twitter said it was continuing to monitor platform manipulation and posts inciting violence as nationwide protests against police brutality continue.
- Read more:
- Trump says he is designating Antifa as a domestic terror organization following widespread protests
- An 'ANTIFA' Twitter account that called for looting 'white hoods' was actually run by white nationalist group Identity Evropa
- At least 2 people were killed and 5 police officers were shot Monday night as violence continued at protests across the US