<ul class="summary-list"><li>Six people were stabbed Friday at a <keyword id="11945515" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="supermarket" source="Orion">supermarket</keyword> in <keyword id="11895805" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-zealand" source="Orion">New Zealand</keyword> in what officials have called a <keyword id="11895713" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="terrorist-attack" source="Orion">terrorist attack</keyword>.</li><li>Supermarket chain Countdown said Saturday they removed all knives and scissors from their shelves.</li><li>An official said the suspect got the knife from within the store, according to AP.</li></ul>New Zealand supermarket chain Countdown announced Saturday it removed all knives and scissors from its shelves, one day after a man stabbed six people inside one of its stores."Last night, we made the decision to temporarily remove all knives and scissors from our shelves while we consider whether we should continue to sell them," Kiri Hannifin, Countdown's general manager for safety, said in a <a href="https://www.countdown.co.nz/news-and-media-releases/2021/september/0409-media-statement-an-update-on-countdown-lynnmall">statement</a>."This is in no way a reflection on our customers, but an act of support for our team. We want all of our team to feel safe when they come to work, especially considering the events of yesterday," she said."On Friday, <a href="https://www.insider.com/new-zealand-police-kill-isis-supporter-supermarket-stabbing-2021-9">police shot and killed a man who stabbed six people</a> in the Countdown supermarket in Auckland in what authorities described as a terrorist attack by an ISIS supporter.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> conference Friday that "a violent extremist undertook a terrorist attack on innocent New Zealanders."The suspect, who was from Sri Lanka, was already known to police due to his support for ISIS, Ardern said. She said police were able to kill him within 60 seconds of him starting the attack because they were already monitoring him.Three victims were transported to hospitals in critical condition, two were in serious condition and one was in moderate condition, the Associated Press reported.Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the suspect, who has not been named, got the knife from within the store, according to AP.The last terrorist attack in New Zealand occurred in 2019, when a gunman opened fire at a mosque in Christchurch, killing 51 people. It was the deadliest attack in New Zealand's history and prompted a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48973511">strengthening of the country's gun laws</a>.

A New Zealand supermarket chain removed knives and scissors from their shelves after an ISIS supporter stabbed 6 people in one of their stores

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Right-wing extremism is on the rise in the US. </li><li>In 2020, though, there was a sharp drop in the number of killings committed by extremists.</li><li>Of the at least 17 extremist killings, 16 were linked to right-wing movements, the <keyword id="3868255" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="adl">ADL</keyword> found.</li></ul>Right-wing extremism is on the rise in the US, and was linked to at least 16 killings last year, the <a href="https://www.adl.org/murder-and-extremism-2020">Anti-Defamation League found.</a>Every year the ADL tracks murders associated with ideological extremism, and for the last three decades, extremist killings in the US have been overwhelmingly associated with right-wing movements, according to the ADL. In 2020 an overlapping pandemic, far-reaching anti-racism protests and contested election contributed to political tension and division in the US. The beliefs and organization of extremist groups and conspiracy movements like the <a href="https://www.insider.com/proud-boys-chairman-says-members-run-for-office-election-2020-9">Proud Boys</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/boogaloo-bois-protest-far-right-minneapolis-extremist-guns-hawaiian-shirts-2020-5">Boogaloo Bois</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/three-oath-keepers-charged-with-conspiracy-over-role-in-capitol-riots">Oath Keepers,</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/qanon-conspiracy-theory-future-biden-inauguration-trump-2021-1">QAnon</a> became widely known.While right-wing extremism was spreading rapidly, and documented through the dissemination of white-supremacist propaganda, the overall number of extremism-related killings dropped significantly from previous years, the ADL found.Read more: <a href="https://www.insider.com/far-right-extremist-groups-focus-fbi-investigates-capitol-siege-2021-1">The FBI is keeping a close eye on far-right groups like the Proud Boys, Three Percenters, and Oath Keepers as it starts to determine to what extent Capitol siege was planned in advance</a>In total, there were 17 victims of fatal extremism last year - 16 associated with right-wing movements and one, the killing of <a href="https://www.insider.com/michael-forest-reinoehl-under-investigation-patriot-prayer-killing-2020-8">Patriot Prayer's Aaron Danielson,</a> was associated with a left-wing movement. It's the lowest number of ideological killings since 2004, the ADL reported.In 2019, there were 45 extremist-related murders. In 2018, there were 54 killings, according to the ADL. "There is one main reason for lower death totals in 2020: the absence of high casualty shooting sprees or other mass killings," the ADL said in its report. "Most extremist-related killing incidents have just one victim; occasionally two or three are killed in a single event."All but two of the killings were committed with guns. Read more: <a href="https://www.insider.com/trump-supporters-think-hes-going-to-rule-as-shadow-president-2021-1">Die-hard Trump supporters range from being deflated over Biden's inauguration to believing their twice-impeached leader will be running the government as a shadow president for the next 4 years</a>If there was just one mass shooting with fatalities similar to that the attack at an <a href="https://www.insider.com/el-paso-wal-mart-mall-shooting-cielo-vista-2019-7">El Paso, Texas, Walmart</a> last year, the numbers of deaths would have doubled, ADL noted.<div type="image" title="Ant-Defamation League Extremism killings" height="930" width="1484" msid="80676798" hostid="261"></div><h2>Killings are down, but right-wing terrorist attacks and plots are up</h2>In addition to tracking killings, the ADL also has a "HEAT" map - it stands for Hate, Extremism, Anti-Semitism and Terrorism - that tracks extremist-related terrorist attacks. In 2020, there were 16 right-wing related attacks or plots, up from 13 the year before. The organization also documented more than 4,500 incidents of white supremacist propaganda, which is up from 2,724 in 2019.White supremacists were responsible for more than half of all extremist killings in 2020. Anti-government extremism <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/steven-carrillo-charged-with-killing-officers-boogaloo-movement-2020-6">(including the Boogaloo movement)</a> landed at 29%. Last year was the second year in a row that no killings linked to domestic Islamist extremism occurred. "Extremist-related killings are rare compared to the total homicides in the U.S. each year. However, extremist killings can have a disproportionate effect on communities, especially when they take the form of a hate <keyword id="39494" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Crime">crime</keyword> or a terrorist attack," the ADL said in their report. "Such attacks are often intended to strike fear more widely throughout vulnerable communities and, indeed, have that effect." The numbers collected in this year's survey include several killings that happened at or near protest activity, but most deaths that happened at or near protests weren't included because they remain under investigation by local law enforcement. Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old from Illinois, charged with shooting three people - two of them fatally - during racial unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was not included in the data. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/capitol-siege-happened-because-police-ignored-right-wing-extremism-warnings-2021-1">Extremists were able to lay siege to the US Capitol because America's law enforcement ignored warnings of right-wing extremism for years</a>The ADL found that there was no evidence that Rittenhouse was involved with the Kenosha Guard extremism group or showed up as a result of their call to action. It wasn't until after the shootings that Rittenhouse started to publicly align with groups like the Proud Boys, ADL found. The widely reported killing of Ahmaud Arbery - a Black man shot to death by three white men all known to have shared racist content and beliefs - was also not included in the statistics, but might be in the future, ADL noted. The 2020 numbers also excluded the deaths that resulted from the pro-Trump Capitol insurrection this January.

Right-wing extremism is on the rise, but ideological killings dropped significantly last year

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Canadian government has named the <keyword id="7348949" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Proud-Boys">Proud Boys</keyword> a terrorist organization.</li><li>Members of the organization were among pro-Trump extremists who stormed the US Capitol on January 6.</li><li>The US government doesn't designate domestic terrorist groups.</li></ul>The Canadian federal government has named the largely far-right extremist group Proud Boys a terrorist organization, the public safety minister <a href="https://twitter.com/BillBlair/status/1357029087160786950">Bill Blair announced February 3.</a>"The listing of an entity sends a signal that Canada will not tolerate violent extremism. A listing also carries significant consequences, and enables the application of measures set out in the Criminal Code to deter terrorist activity both inside Canada and abroad," Blair tweeted. <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">News</keyword> that the government would take the step to label the Proud Boys a terror group broke in January. "As Minister Blair has said, we strongly denounce 'ideologically motivated extremists including groups like the Proud Boys, white supremacists, anti-Semitics, Islamophobic and misogynist groups,'" Mary-Liz Power, a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, said at the time. "Intolerance and hate have no place in our society."The international all-male and mostly right-wing organization joins a list of other terrorist groups that includes the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and the Islamic State.The extremist groups Russian Imperial Movement, The Base, and Attomwaffen Division were also listed this year. The Canadian government's move follows the extremist <keyword id="6355987" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Violence">violence</keyword> that broke out last month at the March for Trump, which devolved into <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-show-the-aftermath-of-a-siege-on-capitol-building-2021-1">historic chaos.</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/three-died-of-medical-emergencies-at-capitol-siege-2021-1">Five people,</a> including four demonstrators and a police officer, died amid the violence at the Capitol. <a href="https://www.insider.com/video-pro-trump-mob-crush-officers-head-2021-1">Nearly 60 law-enforcement officers were injured. </a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/second-capitol-police-officer-dies-howard-liebengood-senate-2021-1">Another police officer</a> who responded to the violence died by suicide days later.<a href="https://www.insider.com/proud-boys-trump-debate-who-what-comments-hate-group-2020-9">Proud Boys</a> - an organization that recruits members primarily online - operates under the belief that western culture, particularly that of straight men, is under attack by a culture of political correctness.The Southern Poverty Law Center has <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/proud-boys">designated the Proud Boys as a hate group. </a> <iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/2vYidkFH-IwjOPcBP.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="How the Proud Boys brought far-right extremism into the political mainstream" style="position:absolute;"></iframe> The group supports more guns, less government, and closed borders, and seeks to "<a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounders/proud-boys-0">venerate the housewife</a>."Its members are known for instigating and participating in street fights with left-wing protesters, and several of its members were among the Trump fanatics who breached the Capitol building on Jan. 6.A judge banned the group's president, Enrique Tarrio, from Washington, DC, days before the January 6 rally. The ban was in response to his arrest on charges that he <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/judge-banned-proud-boys-chairman-from-dc-ahead-of-rally-2021-1">burned a Black Lives Matter</a> banner at a historic Black church during a December Trump rally in the nation's capital.During the siege on January 6, Tarrio told Insider in a phone interview he was at a hotel in Maryland. Insider could not confirm his location, but there was no background noise at the time of the call.Other Proud Boys members <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hate-symbols-and-extremist-groups-at-the-us-capitol-siege-2021-1">were among those at the Capitol.</a>Tarrio responded to Insider's request for comment by criticizing the Canadian government, New Democratic Party, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. "They have much bigger problems than a group of drunks," Tarrio told Insider in a text. "Jagmeet Singh and the NDP have turned Canada into a [third] world s---hole."<div type="image" title="Proud Boys" height="1333" width="2000" msid="80241671" hostid="261"></div><h2>In America, the government can't designate groups as domestic terrorist organizations</h2>The FBI told Insider that it cannot designate domestic terrorist groups, and membership in groups that have domestic extremist ideology is not illegal on its own. "When it comes to domestic terrorism, our investigations focus solely on the criminal activity of individuals-regardless of group membership-that appears to be intended to intimidate or coerce the civilian population or influence the policy of the government by intimidation or coercion," an FBI spokesperson told Insider."It's important to note that membership in groups which espouse domestic extremist ideology is not illegal in and of itself-no matter how offensive their views might be to the majority of society. Membership in a group is not a sufficient basis for an investigation." The US government, through the Secretary of State's office, can designate certain foreign organizations as terrorist groups, but there is no pathway to do the same for domestic terror organizations, a DOJ spokesman told Insider."While the Department is committed to prosecuting acts of domestic terrorism, the United States government does not designate domestic organizations as domestic terrorist organizations in the same manner that we designate certain foreign organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations," spokesman Marc Raimondi told Insider. "The Secretary of State designates Foreign Terrorist Organizations in accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), as amended. No similar provision of law exists to designate domestic organizations."<a href="https://thecollege.syr.edu/people/faculty/verena-erlenbusch-anderson/">Verena Erlenbusch-Anderson</a>, an associate professor of philosophy and political science at Syracuse University who researches the genealogy and language of terrorism, told Insider the history of US agencies confronting foreign terrorism can explain the differences in classifying domestic groups. "In some way that's not surprising. Because I think that for the past 40 years, especially for the last 20 years, the word terrorism has been really tightly tied to foreign violence, foreign extremism," Erlenbusch-Anderson told Insider. "So the fact that there is a pathway to associate foreign groups, like Al Qaeda and ISIS, with terrorism, but not domestic groups, is in line with that logic." Erlenbusch-Anderson said there is an argument that US law enforcement already has measures in place to combat the violence associated with domestic terrorism and they don't necessarily require anti-terrorism legislation. Still, she said, as the country moves forward from the <keyword id="10554785" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="capitol-siege">Capitol siege</keyword>, it's important that Americans understand the roll that terrorism on home soil has played in the building of America. "US citizens have routinely resorted to terrorism in pursuit of their political goals," she said. "Until we confront that this is indeed who we are, we will not only continue to face mob violence and the corrosion of law, government, and our moral character, but also threats to national security, civil rights, democratic institutions, and global peace posed by a political system built on the idea of white superiority and the often-violent exclusion of groups perceived as threats to this system."Expanded Coverage Module: capitol-siege-module

Canada named Proud Boys a terrorist organization, but the US government doesn't have a pathway to do the same

<ul class="summary-list"><li>US electors will cast their votes on Monday, officially securing <keyword id="99719" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Joe-Biden">Joe Biden</keyword>'s election as the nation's 46th president.</li><li>While the <keyword id="229007" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="electoral-college">Electoral College</keyword> meeting is largely pro forma, it's an honor bestowed on politically involved citizens that's worth celebrating.</li><li>This year, though, electors have been the target of intimidating messages from extremists seeking to pressure them to vote for Donald Trump instead.</li><li>Several electors spoke to Insider about this experience and why it won't can't sway them from staying the course.</li></ul>Being appointed as a US elector is often a once in a lifetime honor that politically involved citizens look forward to and celebrate.But this year, a group of extremists who believe conspiracy theories that the election was rigged or stolen from President Donald Trump have dampened the experience by aggressively trying to intimidate electors not to vote for President-elect Joe Biden on Monday.Electors Khary Penebaker, of Wisconsin; Van Johnson, of Georgia; and Mark Miller, of <keyword id="18877" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Michigan">Michigan</keyword>, are among those who were on the receiving end of some of the pressure in recent weeks. All three are Democrats, and say they won't be swayed by the concerning behavior.More than a month after most US voters cast their ballots in the 2020 election, the 538 electors will cast their vote to officially make Biden the next president. Americans don't directly elect the president. The founders devised the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-electoral-college-works-timeline-2020-8">Electoral College system</a> whereby electors do. Most states use a winner-takes-all system to give all of their electoral votes to the candidate who receives the most votes in that state.<h2>This year, electors are receiving threatening messages from Trump supporters</h2><div type="image" title="Michigan election protest" height="1334" width="2000" msid="79685907" hostid="261"></div>Penebaker, who's also a vocal gun reform activist, told Insider that the threatening messages started coming as early as election night, and they were all on social media.Most of them came from Trump loyalists using irrational logic to try to convince him that he should be a "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-allies-hype-wild-plan-replace-electoral-college-he-wins-2020-11">faithless elector</a>" by casting his ballot for Trump instead. Some messages said they didn't believe Penebaker's vote should count in the electoral college."What they failed to realize, No. 1, is that I committed to <keyword id="43546" type="EVENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Voting">voting</keyword> for Joe Biden as an elector. No. 2 is that I voted for Joe Biden in the primary as a citizen," Penebaker said. "I'm a proud Democrat. The last thing I'm going to do is go against the things that I stand for just because of someone wants to harass me or come up with some crazy logic about why I shouldn't."Last weekend, one man visited Penebaker's personal Instagram page and posted a message on a photo of his son trying to pressure him to vote for Trump."I took my son to get a cool haircut, so I took the picture and put it on Instagram. This guy comes on and comments that I shouldn't vote for Joe Biden," Penebaker said. "I responded that, do you honestly think that behaving this way, commenting on my son's picture, is a way to convince me to not to do something I want to do?"While there were no direct threats in the notes to the three electors, the nature of them is concerning at a time when armed Trump supporters have surrounded the homes of Democrats and Republicans who they disagree with, the electors told Insider.<div type="image" title="Michigan election " height="1332" width="2000" msid="79685910" hostid="261"></div><h2>Mob-like protesters have targeted election officials and protested outside their homes</h2>This month, mob-like protesters have targeted elected officials in several states.In Michigan, dozens of armed protesters surrounded the home of Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, screaming at her while she tried to watch a Christmas movie with her son, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/biden-transition-updates/2020/12/07/943820889/michigan-secretary-of-state-says-armed-protesters-descended-on-her-home-saturday">NPR reported.</a>They targeted her because of her role overseeing elections in the state."At least one individual could be heard shouting 'you're murderers' within earshot of her child's bedroom," officials told NPR.Michigan's 16 electors will receive an armed escort into the state capitol on Monday, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/11/us/joe-biden-trump/michigans-16-electors-will-get-police-escorts-from-their-cars-to-the-state-capitol-as-officials-brace-for-protests">The New York Times reported</a>.In Idaho, hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters gathered outside a county health district headquarters and at least three board members' homes as the county considered changes to COVID-19 safety mandates.A county commissioner had to leave the meeting early after she learned protesters were outside her house, where her 12-year-old son was home alone, <a href="https://www.idahopress.com/coronavirus/central-district-health-cancels-meeting-amid-protesters-at-district-office-board-members-homes/article_c68a4df5-d54c-5151-bfc5-5bcb24f1ec6c.html">the Idaho Press reported.</a>Earlier this year, armed lockdown protesters <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michigan-lockdown-protesters-brought-rifles-into-the-state-capitol-2020-4">stormed the Michigan state capitol</a> in opposition to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's extension of the state's stay-at-home order. The <a href="https://www.insider.com/gov-whitmer-kidnap-plot-preceded-trumps-call-to-liberate-michigan-2020-10">FBI also stopped a plot</a> by a far-right extremist group to kidnap Whitmer.<div type="image" title="Michigan protest .JPG" height="1510" width="2000" msid="79685912" hostid="261"></div>"While I would say the overwhelming majority of them wouldn't do anything to us, I don't think they'll engage in any violence towards us, but those who are more extreme are the ones that will," Penebaker told Insider. "They will take this all personally and believe that they have been robbed of something sacred.""Those are the people who are going to lash out in violence," Penebaker, who is Black, added. "And the people that they are likely to attack are going to be people who look like me."Johnson, who is also the mayor of Savannah, <keyword id="6385073" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="georgia">Georgia</keyword>, has also been targeted by extremists that he refers to a "Trumpocrats" in the last month."These are not Republicans as I've known," he said.Johnson, a former law enforcement officer, said the messages his staff has received haven't been outright threats of violence, but that his office has increased security protocols to keep everyone safe."When it was announced I was an elector, we would get those little phone calls about, people just saying - I wouldn't say threatening things - but certainly mean and inappropriate things," Johnson said. "During the times we live in, anything is possible. You can't take your personal safety for granted."In Michigan, Miller, a town clerk in Kalamazoo, said he heard from Trump supporters in the days after the election, but the emails have since stopped.He told Insider that he's aware of the potential for protests during the Monday meeting of the electors, but isn't too worried."Several of us right immediately after the election received some emails from folks spinning wild conspiracy theories about Joe Biden and pedophile rings and all this kind of garbage, and telling us that we shouldn't vote for him," Miller said. "Yes, we did have situations in Michigan, in Lansing, with people showing up with long guns in protests against Gov. Whitmer's measures against the virus. So it's possible that people could show up, but I'm going to trust that our security will be taken care of, and I'm not overly concerned."<div type="image" title="biden pennsylvania vote count electoral college philadelphia" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79685914" hostid="261"></div><h2>A virus and political strife will dampen this year's meeting of the electors</h2>Penebaker attended a briefing over Zoom this week preparing electors for the event on Monday."Because of the pandemic, the pomp and circumstance and, you know, the funner part of it wont be happening," he said. "It's going to be pretty straightforward. There are six certificates that each one of us needs to sign, six signatures for each elector. We'll be in a large room that allows for social distancing, and we'll be masked."The event will be closed to the public, but will be live-streamed.During the briefing, there were advisories about how to avoid possible protesters, but that information is not being released to the public for safety reasons, Penebaker said.Miller and Johnson also said the meetings in their states will be a little different this year."Under COVID conditions, I'd like to get a picture next to the governor, but I dont think that will happen," Miller said. "We'll be socially distanced, we'll be masked, we will have a table where all the certificates will be laid out and there are multiple copies ... we'll sign our name on the line a number of times.""It's kind of pro forma, but it's an honor nonetheless," he added.In some states, like Nevada, electors won't even be meeting in person."The Nevada electors are meeting virtually via Zoom. While there may be increased activity at the Capitol in Carson City, we have not had any threats and do not anticipate any," Jennifer Russell, spokeswoman for Nevada Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, told Insider. "None of the meeting components are taking place here. Each of the electors will participate from a location of his [or] her choosing."<h2>Under any conditions, being an elector is a privilege</h2><div type="image" title="biden electoral college trump 2017" height="1667" width="2500" msid="79685915" hostid="261"></div>Penebaker told Insider that, on some level, he can sympathize with some of the men and women who have been consumed by the conspiracy theories and propelled into what they believe is activism."It's honestly unfortunate because these folks have been lied to by Trump and his enablers. People are being made to believe that there is this widespread conspiracy where Democrats and Republicans have stolen this election, but only from Donald Trump," he said. "They keep believing these things and it's going to drive them crazy and it's going to drive them to act violently. That's not what a democracy is supposed to be like; it's not what this country is about."Penebaker said the behavior of these people has ventured out of the realm of <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> and become "cult-like.""I think people, at their core, just want to believe in something. It's unfortunate that the thing they believe in is based on lies," he said. "With cults, those cult leaders can make you do hideous things; whether that's harming yourself, someone you love, or someone you don't even like."Johnson agrees that the divisiveness of 2020 is like nothing he's seen in politics before and believes that it will stick around for a while."I don't think we'll ever go back to normal, unfortunately. I think the lines have been drawn in the sand, and the lines of stability have been forever blurred," Johnson said. "Long after the election is over, I think for quite some time, you'll still have people who are doubting the election."Despite the negativity, though, none of the electors would let these tensions sway them from carrying out their duty on Monday."Have you considered that John Lewis walked across the Pettus Bridge knowing the brutality that was waiting on the other side and still kept going; the threats that Dr. King got and he still kept going; the threats that Malcolm X got and he still kept going?" Penebaker said. "I don't have a fraction of what those amazing human beings had, and I'm going to keep going, too. There's nothing that they can do that will stop my vote on Monday."Capitol police in Michigan, <keyword id="567797" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Wisconsin">Wisconsin</keyword>, and Georgia didn't return calls and emails seeking comment about security on Monday."I feel exhilarated and humbled and cautious all at the same time," Johnson said. "It's just a waiting game, it's running out the clock. Monday at 12 noon is the day Georgia will cast 16 votes for the president and the vice president of the United States, and I'll be blessed to be among them."<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more: </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/romney-tears-into-republicans-threatening-to-protest-electoral-college-vote-2020-12">Mitt Romney tears into Republicans who are threatening to protest the Electoral College vote that will confirm Biden's election victory</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-officially-has-enough-electoral-college-votes-to-win-presidency-2020-12">Biden officially has enough electoral college votes to win the presidency after California became the latest state to certify its election results</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michigan-lockdown-protesters-brought-rifles-into-the-state-capitol-2020-4">Lockdown protesters in Michigan brought rifles and other weapons into the state capitol</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-electoral-college-works-timeline-2020-8">How the Electoral College works and the timeline it's under this year</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/explainer-the-electoral-college-meets-monday-to-cast-votes-2020-12">EXPLAINER: The Electoral College meets Monday to cast votes</a></li></ul>

Trump supporters have intimidated and harassed the Electoral College, but electors say extremists won't stop them from casting their vote for Biden

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The owner of a website that sold devices to turn AR-15 <keyword id="6371465" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="guns">guns</keyword> to machine guns has been arrested. </li><li>The website was a go-to hub for members of the far-right <keyword id="5924267" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="boogaloo">Boogaloo</keyword> movement, including several who are now facing charges related to murder and terrorism.</li><li>Timothy Watson's 3D-printed devices were sold as mundane "wall hangers," but when customers removed a piece they could be used to alter weapons, the FBI says.</li></ul>The FBI last month arrested Timothy Watson, of West Virginia, on charges that he operated a website which illegally sold 3D- printed machine gun parts under the guise of mundane household items. Watson's website,"portablewallhanger.com," has been a go-to shop for the <a href="https://www.insider.com/boogaloo-bois-protest-far-right-minneapolis-extremist-guns-hawaiian-shirts-2020-5">Boogaloo Bois</a> movement, a far-right extremist organization who's members have been responsible for the killings of several law enforcement officials, according to the FBI.Its members have also been charged on crimes to incite violence during the George Floyd protests this year, according to the FBI affidavit, which was signed on October 30.<a href="https://www.insider.com/boogaloo-bois-protest-far-right-minneapolis-extremist-guns-hawaiian-shirts-2020-5">Boogaloo followers</a> believe that they are preparing for a second American Civil War, which they call "the Boogaloo." The loosely organized movement formed online and consists of pro-gun, anti-government groups.The FBI says that Watson, who was arrested on November 3, sold about 600 of the plastic devices in 46 states.The devices look like wall hooks to be used to hang coats or towels, but when you remove a small piece, they function as "drop-in auto sears" that can transform an AR-15 to an illegal fully automatic machine gun, according to the complaint viewed by Insider.Several of Watson's customers were high-profile members of the Boogaloo movement who have been charged with murder and terrorism.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/steven-carrillo-charged-with-killing-officers-boogaloo-movement-2020-6">Steven Carrillo</a>, a US airman who was charged with killing a federal service officer at an Oakland, California, courthouse in May, purchased devices from the site in January, according to the affidavit. The FBI also said that a cooperating defendant in Minnesota — a self-professed Boogaloo member who was arrested for attempting provide materials to a terrorist organization — told investigators that he had learned about portablewallhanger.com from advertising on Facebook Boogaloo groups, the FBI said.The FBI had also learned that the site had donated 10% of all "Portable Wall Hanger" proceeds for March 2020 to a GoFundMe campaign in honor of Duncan Lemp, a Maryland man who was killed by police during a no-knock raid in March. Police said that Lemp was storing illegally owned weapons. Lemp has since been hailed as a martyr of the Boogaloo movement.<div type="image" title="whitmer boogaloo null brothers" height="1536" width="2000" msid="79181544" hostid="261"></div><h2>Watson tried to be subtle in his communication with buyers</h2>The FBI obtained social media and email exchanges by Watson with his customers. In them, he attempted to talk in code when referring to his wall hangers, but not all of his customers succeeded at subtlety.One Instagram poster with the username "Duncan Socrates Lemp" wrote online that the wall hooks "only work in armalite Walls," according to the court documents. Armalite is an AR-15 manufacturer. Another person who went by "booglordinc" commented that he hoped the Red Coat Hangers were "sturdy.""I don't mind seeing redcoats lying on the floor, but prefer to leave em properly hanging #twitchygurglythings," the user wrote. The term "redcoat" is used to describe enemies of the Boogaloo movement in their fantasy revolution. Watson is charged with conspiracy to commit offense against United States, illegal possession and transfer of a machine gun, and unlawfully engaging in the business of manufacturing firearms. A message left by Insider for Watson's attorney Shawn McDermott was not immediately returned. <ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more: </li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/right-wing-extremist-shot-minneapolis-police-precinct-during-protests-prosecutors-2020-10">Who are the Boogaloo Bois? </a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/right-wing-extremist-shot-minneapolis-police-precinct-during-protests-prosecutors-2020-10">A right-wing extremist shot up a Minneapolis police precinct during a BLM protest and screamed 'Justice for Floyd!' prosecutors say</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/steven-carrillo-charged-with-killing-officers-boogaloo-movement-2020-6">A man charged with killing a federal officer during George Floyd protests is tied to the far-right 'Boogaloo' movement, authorities say</a></li></ul>

'Boogaloo' far-right extremists have been illegally buying 3D-printed machine gun parts disguised as wall hangers online, FBI says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The country marked the first anniversary of the deadly <keyword id="11897870" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="january-6" source="Orion">January 6</keyword> attack earlier this month.</li><li>But experts said the root causes of the <keyword id="11907536" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="capitol-riot" source="Orion">Capitol riot</keyword> have yet to be addressed in the year since. </li></ul>As the first anniversary of the deadly <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/january-6-oral-history-capitol-attack-insurrection-timeline-investigation-2021-10">January 6 Capitol attack</a> arrived earlier this month, the country reflected on the landmark event and its rippling repercussions in the year since.One expert on extremism told Insider that historians will likely look back on the siege — which saw a mob of thousands of Trump supporters storm the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election results — as the beginning of an American insurrectionist period, marked by civil unrest and a continuing rise in right-wing extremism.Another suggested January 6 will be remembered as a crossroads for the future of American democracy.But one thing has become clear to both experts in the last year — the political unrest is ongoing."I think what historians will understand most is that the insurrection on January 6 did not end on January 6," Eric Ward, executive director of Western States Center and a senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, told Insider.And experts' outlook on the ongoing fallout of the siege is not necessarily a positive one."I want to be real with people — we have hard days to go," Ward said. <h2>Increasing partisanship since the attack has made it difficult to condemn extremism</h2>Since January 6, 2021, authorities have been working to apprehend and punish perpetrators involved in the domestic terrorism incident. The federal government has <a href="https://www.insider.com/all-the-us-capitol-pro-trump-riot-arrests-charges-names-2021-1">arrested more than 730 people</a> in connection with the attack that <a href="https://www.insider.com/three-died-of-medical-emergencies-at-capitol-siege-2021-1">left five people dead</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/injured-police-officers-were-evacuated-from-capitol-hill-protests-2021-1">more than 100 law enforcement officers injured. </a>But a dangerous trend of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-praises-revoler-news-pushed-false-fbi-capitol-riot-theory-2022-1">conspiracy theories</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/qanon-network-evade-twitters-ban-capitol-riot-disinformation-study-2021-12">lies surrounding the event</a> have allowed <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/us/politics/jan-6-lies.html">a revisionist history of the attack</a> to take shape — promoted by one powerful political entity in particular, according to Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism."The rise of extremist groups like the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/proud-boys-deployed-tactical-measures-in-coordinated-attack-on-capitol-2021-3">Proud Boys</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oath-keepers-leader-arrested-in-january-6-capitol-riot-investigation-2022-1">Oath Keepers</a> are undeniably concerning and very serious," Beirich told Insider. "But even more worrying is the radicalization of the Republican party in the last 12 months since the attack."A December <a href="https://polsci.umass.edu/toplines-and-crosstabs-december-2021-national-poll-presidential-election-jan-6th-insurrection-us">survey from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst</a> found that nearly three-quarters of Republicans believe that President Joe Biden was not legitimately elected to the White House — a staggering statistic considering the number of <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/its-official-election-was-secure">election experts</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ag-barr-confirms-lack-of-widespread-fraud-in-election-2020-12">government agencies</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dhs-breaks-from-trump-2020-election-most-secure-in-history-2020-11">Trump allies</a> who have disputed the pervasive claim time and time again.A recent <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/dec-17-19-2021-washington-post-university-of-maryland-poll/2960c330-4bbd-4b3a-af9d-72de946d7281/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2">survey from The Washington Post and the University of Maryland</a> provides even more cause for concern — forty percent of Republicans think violent actions against the government could be justified in certain instances.Over the last year, high-profile Republican lawmakers have engaged in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/first-january-6-hearing-searing-indictment-gop-lies-capitol-riot-2021-7">ongoing January 6 denialism</a>, purported <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ted-cruz-ray-epps-january-6-conspiracy-theory-doj-2022-1">debunked conspiracy theories</a>, and, for the most part, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-mccarthy-says-will-not-cooperate-jan-6-committee-2022-1">refused to participate in a bipartisan Congressional committee on the attack</a>."The partisanship is making a full-throttled condemnation of extremism difficult," Beirich said. "You have one party saying this is a threat and we need to do something about it, while the other party is saying those were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gop-rep-who-called-capitol-rioters-tourists-photographed-barricading-house-2021-5">just tourists</a> on January 6." The lasting effects of Republicans' attitude post-Capitol siege extend beyond <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/polls-suggest-trump-and-the-gops-efforts-to-downplay-jan-6-has-worked-2021-12">downplaying the riot.</a> According to Beirich, the party now seems to be trending toward a disturbing new mission: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-democracy-danger-gop-voting-restrictions-over-100-scholars-warn-2021-6">undermining the US election structure.</a>That progression tracks, according to Ward, who noted that the physical violence witnessed on January 6 was an attempt to subvert the American vote."A few thousand people were close to overthrowing a critical part of American democracy, and that has galvanized that base," he said. "Republican politicians are taking note."Jessica Huseman, editorial director of <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/">VoteBeat</a>, said the Republican party swiftly made election security a "life or death issue" in the aftermath of January 6. Democrats, however, have not risen to meet them in exuding the same urgency around the topic, she said."I have very little patience for the lack of progress that has been made even though Democrats control... the government," Huseman told Insider. Much of the voting legislation proposed and passed by Democrats at both the state and federal level since last year's attack has focused on targeted issues like gerrymandering, or election technology, Huseman said."Those things are important, but at the end of the day, if we have allowed January 6 to pass us by for a whole year without dealing with the root causes of the crisis, I think we've failed," she said. <div type="image" title="Someone is seen hanging from the Capitol facade beneath an American flag." height="1000" width="2000" msid="88887190" hostid="261"></div><h2>The root cause of that crisis can be traced back to Trump's "Big Lie"</h2>The idea of voter fraud within American elections has been a persistent talking point in the Republican party for years, according to Huseman, but Trump was the first to make it an ongoing advocacy issue. Even before the 2020 election, Trump spent much of his presidency <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-voter-fraud-popular-vote-2016-11">spreading the idea that US elections are neither free nor fair.</a> His insistence only <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-mail-in-voting-fraud-but-will-still-win-election-2020-8">intensified</a> as it became increasingly clear that Biden was likely to beat him in the November election, and Trump's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-calls-mcconnell-loser-blames-him-for-gop-senators-who-wont-back-big-lie-2022-1">fixation with the "Big Lie"</a> that he won the election ballooned into obsession following Biden's victory.The ex-president <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-peppered-supporters-with-lies-in-speech-on-overturning-election-2021-1">reiterated the claim during a speech</a> he gave at the "Stop the Steal" rally that preceded the January 6 attack, and he has continued to push the idea in the year since."For democracy to function, the broad groupings of people have to agree you can lose and fight and win another day," Beirich said, "and now Trump has eroded that belief."Trump's lie has undoubtedly had long-lasting effects on members of the Republican party — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/majority-republicans-dont-believe-biden-won-election-gallup-poll-2020-12">millions of whom believe Biden should not be president</a> — a reality for which Ward laments, there is little to be done."It is a lie that has led to physical violence and an existential attack on the US," Ward said."But it's not about redeeming those Republicans who have, many through no fault of their own, been deceived," he added. "This is about inoculating the rest of Americans from that lie." <h2>Americans worry more violence could be coming, and experts agree</h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/poll-americans-believe-another-attack-like-capitol-riot-happen-soon-2022-1">More than half of Americans believe</a> an attack similar to the Capitol riot will happen again, according to a recent <a href="https://www.axios.com/jan-6-poll-axios-momentive-26ba0f30-e2b1-4530-803c-860e6302c5a9.html">Axios poll.</a> Ward and Beirich said it's possible. "I don't know what form something like this would take, but I think unrest will be coming," Beirich said.Ward predicted 2022 will bring more hate crimes, attacks on elected officials and government employees, and the continued intimidation of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/an-elementary-school-teacher-was-beaten-on-the-first-day-of-the-new-semester-by-a-father-angry-about-a-mask-mandate/articleshow/85326578.cms">educators</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/healthcare-workers-treating-coronavirus-assaulted-left-homeless-bleached-2020-5">healthcare workers</a>.But the "real fight" in the coming year, he said, will revolve around elections. With 2022 midterm elections on the horizon and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-run-again-2024-issues-shaping-his-final-decision-2021-12">Trump teasing a possible 2024 campaign</a>, a repeat of January 6 could come sooner than later."It's possible we could find ourselves right back to this moment within the next year or two," Ward said. Beirich pointed to a slate of domestic terrorism events committed around the 2018 midterms, including the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pittsburgh-synagogue-shooting-how-it-unfolded-2018-10">Pittsburgh Tree of Life attack</a> and a <a href="https://www.insider.com/yoga-student-fought-tallahassee-shooter-with-a-broom-2018-11">shooting at a Tallahassee yoga studio</a>, as harbingers of what impending elections could potentially spark later this year."Americans don't understand how fragile our democracy is at this point," Beirich said.<div type="image" title="Trump mob clashes with police" height="1000" width="2000" msid="88887191" hostid="261"></div><h2>Despite the dread spawned by January 6, Ward said the date also signals hope</h2>"January 6 also represents the day that Americans began to defend their democracy," he said, adding that more work is needed to do so.Strong sentiments from civic and religious leaders, as well as politicians speaking out against increasing violence is a necessary stopgap against rising extremism, both experts said. Ward and Beirich also said <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-lawsuit-extremist-far-right-boogaloo-content-tied-to-murder-2022-1">social media companies</a> have a crucial role to play in combating extremism."Social media can stop allowing these ideas to proliferate," Beirich said. "Same with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fox-news-tucker-carlson-defends-qanon-conspiracy-theory-movement-2021-1">Fox News</a>."Movement from Democrats on impactful voting legislation, as well as federal resources targeted toward local governments dealing with community insurgence, could also help. "We need a norms-resetting," Beirich said. "We need to try and roll back all the terrible things Trump rolled into our system." But the most important defense against rising extremism in the US, according to Ward and Beirich, lies with everyday Americans."Vote for people not undermining our system," Beirich said. People need to show that extremism is being contested; that people are fighting on behalf of democracy, Ward added."What has to happen is we have to break this illusion that we're losing," he said. "The idea that democracy has lost is to buy into the narrative of the insurrectionists. Democracy is not lost."

One year after the Capitol riot, experts warn more political extremism and violence could be on the horizon in 2022

<ul class="summary-list"><li>On Tuesday, The Institute of Strategic Dialogue unveiled a report examining hate speech on TikTok.</li><li>The think tank found that a third of the 1,030 extremist videos uncovered promoted white supremacy.</li><li>At the time of writing the report, 81.5% of these videos were still live on the platform.</li></ul>New research released by a counter-extremism think tank found that over 1,000 TikToks featuring hate speech and extremist views were uploaded to the site, with 83% posted in the three months leading up to June 4, when the research project began.The videos amount to over 8 hours of extremist content, and suggest a "considerable enforcement gap" by TikTok, Ciarán O'Connor, a researcher from the <a href="https://www.isdglobal.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Institute for Strategic Dialogue</a> (IDS) told Insider.The London-based think tank published the <a href="https://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/24/ISD-TikTok-Hatescape-Report-August-2021.pdf">report</a> Tuesday and said that 491 accounts shared a combined 1,030 videos that promoted hatred, extremism, and terrorism. The content was uncovered by researchers through a series of searches in the app using keywords associated with extremism.Over a third of the videos analyzed were identified as promoting white supremacist content. The most-viewed video, which was seen 2 million times, promoted anti-Asian hate and spread COVID-19 misinformation.Other videos the think tank reported as being the most viewed in their research sample include two that falsely deny the Bosnian genocide and the Holocaust occurred. Three videos, which were viewed a combined 3.5 million times, were reposts of content originally produced by Paul Miller, who is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/06/23/paul-miller-gypsy-crusader/">currently incarcerated</a> and is known for advocating for genocide and neo-Nazism.<div type="image" title="brenton tarrant christchurch shooter" height="683" width="910" msid="85638839" hostid="261"></div>The research found 246 videos featuring support "for extremist individuals and organizations," including footage originally produced by the terrorist group ISIS, and 13 videos containing footage produced by <a href="https://www.insider.com/new-zealand-mosque-shooters-what-we-know-2019-3">Christchurch mosque attacker Brenton Tarrant.</a> Anti-Black hate also featured in 139 videos that included blackface, praising the KKK, using racial slurs, and promoting hatred against <a href="https://www.insider.com/derek-chauvin-verdict-george-floyd-death-2021-4">George Floyd</a>, who was murdered by a white police officer last year. A total of 28 extremist videos identified by the ISD made reference to Floyd, while antisemitism was also identified as being a common theme, with 26 videos found to promote Holocaust denial. At the time of writing the report, the Institute found that 81.5% of the extremist videos they identified on the platform were still live. The think tank also found that if ejected from TikTok, some were able to return to the platform with identical usernames. <div type="image" title="Telegram app" height="1428" width="1904" msid="85638840" hostid="261"></div>Speaking to <a href="https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/08/24/tiktok-videos-hate-white-supremacy-racism-terrorism/8249286002/">USA Today,</a> O'Connor said that in the comment sections of these videos, users would ask or advise each other on how to find more extremist material and that he regularly spotted links to Telegram channels promoting white supremacist content. Telegram is a private messaging app that is <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/telegram-recent-haven-far-right-purges-extremist-content-n1254215">reported</a> to have a significant far-right and extremist user base."If we have one main takeaway, it's that content promoting hatred and supportive of extremism (in various forms) is easily discoverable on TikTok," O'Connor said in a statement to Insider."TikTok is home to communities of creators who use the platform to primarily target others, based on their protected attributes, or to promote extremist figures, groups, or ideologies," he said.He added that while "hateful and extremist content is removed on TikTok," the "removal process appears to be carried out inconsistently."<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Ciarán O'Connor (@ciaranoconnor) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1430452390256332805">August 25, 2021</a></blockquote>A spokesperson for TikTok told Insider, "TikTok categorically prohibits violent extremism and hateful behavior, and our dedicated team will remove any such content as it violates our policies and undermines the creative and joyful experience people expect on our platform. We greatly value our collaboration with ISD and others whose critical research on industry-wide challenges helps strengthen how we enforce our policies to keep our platform safe and welcoming."

TikTok extremism exposed: over 1,000 videos found including Holocaust denial, white supremacy, and ISIS propaganda, according to new report

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jake Davidson described himself as an Incel in YouTube videos, before he went on a shooting rampage in Plymouth, England.</li><li>Incel Tres Genco, charged in a federal court at the end of June, planned for a mass shooting of women.</li><li>One expert explains that even if it's easier to look away - we have to help these men before it's too late.</li></ul>Tres Genco, a 21-year-old from Ohio, charged in federal court on July 22, planned a mass "slaughter" of women at a sorority house "out of hatred, jealousy, and revenge." Genco is an 'incel.'Just weeks later, on 12 August, Jake Davidson shot five people - including a three-year-old girl - with a pump-action shotgun before killing himself in Plymouth, South England.Davidson, like Genco, self-identified himself as an 'incel.'An incel - an "involuntary celibate" - is a sexually inactive person (mostly men) who believes that they are owed sex and have hatred for women who do not give them that. In a series of YouTube videos that Davidson published, he described himself as an "incel," a "virgin," and "socially isolated." He complained about a lack of interaction with women and said he was "defeated by life."Davidson also spoke about associating with the "blackpill" ideology, a subset of incel beliefs that hinges nihilism, defeatism, and believing women are simply objects who owe you sex. In what many believe to be an event tied to these beliefs - but with motives as of yet unconfirmed by police - Davidson shot two men, two women, and a three-year-old girl. He then shot himself at the scene.His first victim was his mother, Maxine, 51. The Mail Online reported that she had begged the NHS and police to give him <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9892457/Gunman-Jake-Davison-filmed-amid-killing-spree-Plymouth.html">urgent mental health treatment during lockdown</a>, but failed to get the help he neededEspousing similar beliefs to Davidson, <a href="https://www.insider.com/ohio-incel-planned-to-slaughter-women-in-a-sorority-mass-shooting-2021-7">in a document seized by police, Genco described his world of loneliness, isolation, and anxiety</a> - all painful parts of life that can be managed and mended with the correct support. However, Genco's depression manifested into a planned killing spree and a charge of attempted hate crime and illegal possession of a firearm.Incel <keyword id="24504" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="culture">culture</keyword> mainly operates online - in a dimension called the "manosphere" - where angry young men pour out vitriol against "f--- toys" - women. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-vaccine-mandates-are-coming-its-about-time-2021-7?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Vaccine mandates are coming, and it's about time</a>The Southern Poverty Law Center has described the incel manosphere as an "underworld of misogynists, woman-haters whose fury goes well beyond criticism of the family court system, domestic violence laws, and false rape accusations... [who are] devoted to attacking virtually all women (or, at least, Westernized ones)."As this underworld comes to the surface - as it has done in the terrifying events led by Davidson and Genco - we need to confront the impulses behind this most extreme form of toxic masculinity.Born in the USA, the incel community numbers hundreds of thousands worldwide, according tosaid Laura Bates, who researched incel culture while researching her book <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/aug/27/laura-bates-on-the-men-who-hate-women-idolise-murderers">Men Who Hate Women</a>, quoted in The Guardian.There are call to banish the sprawling incel online culture but to prevent their toxic masculinty turning lethal these people need help, Dr. Alison Marganski, a criminologist and sociologist at Le Moyne College, Syracuse, New York, told Insider. Active support needs to be given before it is too late for these men.<h2>Genco's 'manifesto' against women was entitled 'Isolated'</h2>Genco was inspired by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elliot-rodgers-manifesto-2014-5?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">Elliot Rodger</a> - the misogynist killer who became the first hero of the incel movement. He killed six people and injured 14 before turning his gun on himself in a mass shooting outside a sorority house at the University of California Santa Barbara in 2014. <div type="image" title="Elliot Rodger" height="532" width="710" msid="84952038" hostid="261"></div>Before the killing, Rodger emailed a manifesto to family and close confidants, including his therapist.In a video uploaded to YouTube, he said: "I don't know why you girls aren't attracted to me, but I will punish you all for it. It's an injustice, a crime, because ... I don't know what you don't see in me. I'm the perfect guy and yet you throw yourselves at these obnoxious men instead of me, the supreme gentleman."It's clear from police reports that Genco, like Rodgers, was unhappy and lonely. His 'manifesto' against women was entitled "Isolated." He described himself as "deluded and homicidal" and signed the document "Your hopeful friend and murderer." The R/Redpill <keyword id="334157" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Reddit">Reddit</keyword> channel is an offshoot of the manosphere, described as a place to discuss "sexual strategy" for men. Depression comes up a lot on the site, often noted as an obstacle to these men's sexual conquest. Incel culture is haunted by insecurity and mental illness, low self-esteem, body dysmorphia, and depression.One post lists why he can't "get laid" because he is "really ugly.""Stop making pathetic little bitch excuses, and start looking for solutions," is the reply.<div type="image" title="Screenshot of Incel forum" height="741" width="1482" msid="84952044" hostid="261"></div>Acting out using demeaning language - women are "bitches and whores", their bodies are objects for use, their emotions and needs are manipulation tactics - pockmarked with the eruption of lethal violence by the most disturbed, <keyword id="6468642" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Incels">incels</keyword> have elicited fear and little sympathy to date.<h2>How to tackle incel rage</h2>But Dr. Marganski advocates a more nuanced approach. "We need some survivor-centered strategies wherein we can listen to and learn from those who have been hurt and harmed by these communities. Secondly, we need offender accountability. We need accountability for those who violate boundaries and expectations - but we also need to have hard conversations that challenge their ways of thinking and work towards some kind of restoration."Their ways of thinking are not innate, of course, but stem from societal beliefs about masculinity, manhood, domination, and women as inferiors. Whilst we need to change the ways incels operate - we have to drive social change to stop these views from forming in the first place, Dr. Marganski tells Insider. "Being punitive in and of itself isn't going to work. It just displaces the problem, and it does little to tackle the underlying motivation," Dr. Marganski said.But that doesn't mean we don't need punishment - just punishment with support."Restorative practices" are required, she believes. "Rather than just prohibiting or abandoning people and kicking them out of their sites and displacing them, these sites can have individuals who are trained to be crisis intervention workers. We need to teach social media companies, or platforms that host such communities, facts about safe interventions, conflict de-escalation, crisis intervention, and more."To date, the opposite reaction informed the tech companies, Reddit - one of the main sites that host Incel communities - have started cracking down on their channels, and now the main channel - the restricted r/TheRedPill - has moved to tailor-made websites, free from moderation, free from reach: free from help. Donna Zuckerberg, the author of <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674975552">Not All Dead White Men</a> that explores online misogynistic culture, told Insider she supports banning such content and creating barriers to access. "I think it is good because it makes this content less discoverable. And I think that any attempts at moderation will fail. If you attempt to moderate them, they will find another, less moderating place to go. That less moderated place, though, might then be less popular, less discoverable."However, having this as a blanket approach may be more comfortable as it displaces the threat. It also allows these communities to fester and grow behind closed doors."Prohibiting users and shutting down sites is reasonable at times - yet that it should also come with some sort of intervention instead of a punitive response alone," says Dr. Marganski. A combination of punitive practice, survivor-centered strategies, and mental health support is clearly needed.

Spree killer in the UK highlights the need for a new approach to incel rage. An expert says the men can't be ignored and need help.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="9465142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="parler">Parler</keyword> said it alerted the <keyword id="6355946" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="fbi">FBI</keyword> more than 50 times to threats at the Capitol ahead of the January 6 riot.</li><li>The platform, known for its userbase of conservatives and far-right extremists, said it reported "specific threats" to the FBI.</li><li>The Department of Justice has previously said insurrectionists used Parler to plan the violent events.</li></ul>Conservative social media network Parler asserted in a letter to a Democratic lawmaker that the platform warned the FBI of "specific threats of violence" days ahead of the January 6 <keyword id="10562031" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Capitol-Riot">Capitol riot</keyword>.The letter, addressed to Democratic Rep. <keyword id="257503" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Carolyn-Maloney">Carolyn Maloney</keyword> of New York on Thursday, said the platform reported these threats to the FBI more than 50 times, the Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/parler-fbi-capitol-riot/2021/03/25/addba25a-8dae-11eb-a6bd-0eb91c03305a_story.html">reported</a>.Parler, which advertises itself as a platform for unregulated language and "free speech," said it alerted the FBI to posts containing specific references to the Capitol, according to the Post. One post, published December 24 on the platform, was from a user who "called for the congregation of an armed force of 150,000 on the Virginia side of the Potomac River to 'react to the congressional events of January 6th.'" Another user allegedly wrote on the platform that a planned event on January 6 was "not a rally" and "no longer a protest," lawyers wrote in the letter, according to the Washington Post. "This is the final stand where we are drawing the red line at Capitol Hill," one user allegedly wrote, according to the letter. "I trust the American people will take back the USA with force and many are ready to die to take back #USA so remember this is not a party until they announce #Trump2020 a winner . . . And don't be surprised if we take the #capitalbuilding" [sic].The Capitol riot left at least five people, including one <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-capitol-police-officer-dies-after-attempted-insurrection-2021-1">police officer</a>, dead. Members of <a href="https://twitter.com/misstessowen/status/1346884690708467714">the Proud Boys, which is classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, were present, </a>according to authorities.Organizers were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-trump-in-final-weeks-incited-his-followers-to-storm-the-capitol-2021-1">emboldened by President Donald Trump's calls</a> to protest the results of the 2020 election, despite Democrat Joe Biden's election victory. While members of Congress were meeting inside the Capitol to certify the results, supporters organized an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-provoked-attempted-coup-capitol-sat-back-and-tweeted-2021-1">attempted coup</a> and stormed it.Upon <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> that the riot breached the building, lawmakers began to shelter in place and many evacuated.Parler, which has become a mainstay in alt-right communication, has been criticized and scrutinized for its alleged role in the Capitol riot. As Insider's Jacob Shamsian <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-shared-information-fbi-capitol-riot-suspect-2021-1">reported</a>, Parler's userbase is largely made up of far-right extremists. The Justice Department has previously said many of those extremists organized the violent events planned for January 6 using the platform. And after former President Donald Trump's Twitter account was disabled, top conservatives began <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-conservatives-moving-to-parler-after-trumps-ban-from-twitter-2021-1">sharing their Parler accounts on the platform</a>, encouraging their followers to gravitate there. Among them was Angela Stanton-King, a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/qanon-supporters-will-rally-for-president-donald-trump-this-weekend-2020-8">Republican QAnon supporter who ran in November</a> to represent Georgia's 5th Congressional District, the seat last held by the deceased Rep. John Lewis. In the days following the Capitol riot, Apple and Google app stores blocked Parler for violating terms of service. Amazon Web Services also dropped it. These actions <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-offline-outage-amazon-servers-2021-1">effectively took the platform offline</a>. In February, the company announced that site was up and running with a Tea Party co-founder serving as interim CEO. Mark Meckler, an attorney, political activist, and founder of the Tea Party Patriots, replaced <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-ceo-john-matze-terminated-fired-by-board-directors-2021-2?r=ts-sub">former CEO and co-founder John Matze</a>, who was fired by the company's board.Parler has previously <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-shared-information-fbi-capitol-riot-suspect-2021-1">shared information with the FBI</a> during the DOJ's investigation into the Capitol riot. It's not clear whether Parler handed over information to the FBI after the Department of Justice issued a warrant or subpoena for it or whether the company gave the information over of its own accord.Parler, Maloney's office, and the FBI did not immediately return Insider's requests for comment.Insider's Jacob Shamsian contributed to this report.

Parler allegedly warned the FBI of 'specific threats of violence' more than 50 times ahead of the Capitol riot

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="819905" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Instagram">Instagram</keyword> is a fertile ground for extremist propaganda, experts told Insider.</li><li><keyword id="67303" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Neo-Nazi">Neo-Nazi</keyword> groups are using the <keyword id="6354632" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="social-media">social media</keyword> platform to recruit teenagers, the experts said.</li><li>Parents are now being advised to spot far-right messaging to protect their kids.</li></ul>"My kids have had a pretty progressive upbringing," Joanna Schroeder told Insider. "So it was pretty shocking to me when I started looking over their shoulders to see that there was some really disturbing content showing up on their Instagram feeds."Schroeder, a parenting writer from Los Angeles, was troubled by the photos and videos being recommended to her two teenage sons on Instagram. "There was alt-right and borderline Holocaust-denial stuff, <keyword id="1605152" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Memes">memes</keyword>, showing up on there," Schroeder said.While Schroeder was shocked and appalled, the abundance of far-right content on the photo and video sharing platform is well-known to researchers.Instagram has allowed itself to emerge as a fertile ground for extremist propaganda, experts on extremism told Insider.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-billions-fake-accounts-removed-2020-presidential-election-donald-trump-2021-3">Facebook says it removed more than 1.3 billion fake accounts in the months surrounding the 2020 election</a>"Instagram is actively pulling its predominantly young users down an extremist rabbit hole,' Imrah Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, wrote in an email.The rabbit hole, in some cases, leads to kids being introduced into neo-Nazi groups. So much so, in fact, that Instagram has become the primary platform for far-right groups to recruit vulnerable teenagers in recent years, several experts said.<h2>'A premium on recruiting youth is really standard'</h2>Instagram has become the "platform of choice for young Nazis to radicalize teenagers," according to the UK anti-racism charity <a href="https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/state-of-hate-2021-final-2.pdf">Hope Not Hate's annual report</a>. Neo-Nazi groups are using it to prey on vulnerable young people and sign them up to their extremist causes, the report said.In the past year alone, Hope Not Hate found that two violent far-right groups have used Instagram as their primary mode of recruitment. The British Hand and the National Partisan Movement - two UK-based extremist groups - actively recruited teenagers on the app, the study found.Three teenage boys, all alleged to be members of The British Hand, are now facing trial on terrorism charges.Similarly, in the US, a neo-Nazi group's presence on Instagram led to two young men's arrest. Both were involved in the hardcore, white supremacist Iron Youth group, according to the <a href="https://www.adl.org/blog/two-neo-nazis-including-jew-slayer-arrested-on-weapons-charges">Anti-Defamation League</a>.<div type="image" title="iron youth logo" height="390" width="520" msid="81725966" hostid="261"></div>One of the young men had shared Instagram posts urging fellow group members to kill Jewish and Black people, according to a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/alleged-white-nationalist-charged-gun-crime">court document</a>."The idea that white supremacists and other far-right extremists would put a premium on recruiting youth is really standard," the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism's vice president, Oren Segal, told Insider. What is novel, he said, is how neo-Nazi groups are skillfully utilizing Instagram's functions."Extremists never miss an opportunity to leverage their hateful ideas through the lens of the latest <keyword id="6355118" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="technology">technology</keyword>," Segal explained.<h2>Memes are an effective way to cloak more sinister views </h2>The focus on visual media and the abundance of young users makes it "a great platform to push far-right propaganda which is stylized and punchy," said Hope Not Hate researcher Patrik Hermansson.The punchiest way to garner attention from young people is through memes, Hermansson said. "Memes are easily consumable and they are funny and they're easy to share," he added. "They spread quickly and it exposes a lot of people to them."Memes are also an effective way to cloak more sinister views under a layer of humor or irony, Hermansson said. "The humor makes them easier to swallow," he added.Some of the more inoffensive memes use characters popular with the alt-right - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doge-memes-congress-steve-stockman-massie-2013-12">Doge</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pepe-frog-meme-hate-symbol-hope-hong-kong-protesters-2019-10">Pepe the Frog</a>, Cheems - to articulate controversial sentiments.<div type="image" title="screenshot doge extremists meme" height="290" width="387" msid="81725968" hostid="261"></div>"What many extremists have learned is that explicit expressions of hatred may not attract as many people as more subtle references," the ADL's extremism expert said."It's a tried and true technique of how to win hearts and minds," Segal added. "You don't hit them over the heads with the hatred. You sort of slow roll that process."<h2>'Instagram's algorithm leads users down rabbit-holes'</h2>The "slow roll" process, which gradually introduces youngsters to more troubling material, is enabled by Instagram's algorithm, say experts. Liking a seemingly innocuous meme can, in turn, present the teenager with more radical content.Schroeder saw this process unfold when she began to monitor her teenage sons' Instagram use."A kid might like something edgy, Pepe the Frog or something, and that triggers the algorithm," she said. 'That then sends them tumbling down into anti-feminist, racist, Holocaust denial, neo-Nazi type of content."<div type="image" title="pepe the frog" height="1440" width="1920" msid="81725969" hostid="261"></div>While the Instagram algorithm is relatively opaque and constantly evolving, it is known that the Explore page is a curated page of recommended content. The content is chosen "based on an individual's historical interactions," according to social media marketing company <a href="https://later.com/blog/how-instagram-algorithm-works/#:~:text=The%20Explore%20page%20algorithm%20is,towards%20your%20Explore%20page%20ranking.">Later</a>.A <a href="https://252f2edd-1c8b-49f5-9bb2-cb57bb47e4ba.filesusr.com/ugd/f4d9b9_9877528dd81b402b948044ab10a989d9.pdf">March study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate </a>found that users are directed to far-right content on the Explore page.Liking content relating to any form of misinformation - election, vaccination, or race-based - leads to anti-Semitic and extremist content being promoted to the user, it found. "Instagram's algorithm leads users down rabbit-holes to a warren of extremist content," the study said.<div type="image" title="screenshot instagram extremist content" height="648" width="466" msid="81725970" hostid="261"></div>"Instagram's algorithm actively seeks out individuals who have not yet engaged with the extreme or radical accounts, but who have characteristics that the algorithm determines may find it appealing and then serves it to them," Angelo Carusone, president of the right-wing watchdog Media Matters, told Insider.He believes that directing younger users to problematic users makes Instagram a recruiting sergeant for extremists."Instagram isn't merely hosting the content; it is actively building extremist movements by recruiting new adherents into the fold and connecting them with like-minded extremists," Carusone said.<h2>Direct messaging can lead to 'grooming'</h2>The DM feature allows users to send a message to any other use of the app and facilitates sending messages en masse aiding the indoctrination process, said Hope Not Hate's Hermansson."They [extremists] can directly get in touch with people and say, "why don't you join my group?'"This can lead to "grooming," according to far-right researcher Miro Dittrich. "You see 30-somethings talking to 14-year-olds and kind of grooming them for the far-right ideology."It's particularly hard for social media platforms to police private messages unless a user reports them, Dittrich noted. While it is hard to moderate direct messaging, experts believe that moderation generally is insufficient on the apps."There's the question of how long viral content can stay up on the platform and, therefore, be exposed to a lot of people," Hermansson said. "On Instagram, it appears that it's too long. We see recruitment accounts for fascist groups that stay online for two months."Instagram faces an even bigger challenge in spotting and removing harmful content published on Instagram Stories. The feature allows users to host videos for 24 hours before they disappear from a user's profile. "I think they definitely have a problem with Instagram Stories," Dittrich said. "A lot more of the content that violates the terms of service is shared via Stories. I think that's a really hard space to moderate."When accounts are locked, the content reaches fewer people but has less chance of being reported. "Accounts among the neo-Nazi radical front usually have a locked account, so it's not easy for people to flag stuff. Only the inner circle is allowed in these spaces," Dittrich added.<h2>Parents have to warn their kids</h2>Every expert Insider spoke to agreed that Instagram needs to speed up the moderation process and removing the odd post isn't enough."You can't just take down one player or delete one picture someone posted," Dittrich said. "You have to analyze and see that this is a network that all post content that leads to offline violence and do a systematic takedown."Insider asked Instagram about its policy on extremist content but it did not respond to the request for comment.The responsibility isn't entirely on Instagram, Dittrich told Insider. It also falls upon parents to be aware of the sort of content that their kids are consuming.Hermansson agrees. "I think the solution to these issues comes down to the parents and schools because they are the closest to the kids," he said. "The more you know about the terminology and language of the far-right today, the easier it is to see the signs."Schroeder, who has taken it upon herself to learn how to protect her kids, said: "It's like teaching your kids to swim or teaching them to dial 911. They have to learn critical media skills, and they have to learn how to sniff out propaganda."

Neo-Nazi groups are using Instagram to recruit young teenagers, experts warn. Memes are being used to entice them.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Insurrectionist Timothy Hale-Cusanelli was "well-known" to his coworkers as a white supremacist.</li><li>An Insider investigation reveals a history of anti-Semitism and intimidating Jewish people.</li><li>The investigation also finds that the Hitler fanatic held a secret-level <keyword id="79687" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="security-clearance">security clearance</keyword> despite multiple arrests.</li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nazi-who-once-grew-a-hitler-mustache-was-capitol-rioter-investigators-2021-3">Timothy Hale-Cusanelli</a> liked to impersonate Adolf Hitler. He would strut around his workplace sporting a Hitler mustache, spouting vicious anti-Semitism while his intimidated colleagues did not dare to confront him. It's no surprise that the 30-year-old New Jersey native, a far-right fanatic, was among many <a href="https://www.insider.com/all-the-us-capitol-pro-trump-riot-arrests-charges-names-2021-1">extremists</a> that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/capitol-siege-module">stormed the Capitol</a>. An Insider investigation can reveal what is shocking is that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nazi-who-once-grew-a-hitler-mustache-was-capitol-rioter-investigators-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hale-Cusanelli</a>, a Navy contractor, held a secret-level security clearance at the Naval Weapons Station Earle and had received numerous honors for his service in the Army Reserves.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nazi-who-once-grew-a-hitler-mustache-was-capitol-rioter-investigators-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hale-Cusanelli</a> also has a history of arrests and antagonizing his local Jewish community, the investigation finds.The insurrectionist's disturbing world has only now come to light because he faces several criminal counts, including obstructing a <keyword id="6355470" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="law">law</keyword> enforcement officer and civil disorder, relating to his role in the insurrection of January 6.<h2>'The makeshift weapon was inscribed with …. a drawing of a confederate flag'</h2>Even the most cursory of background checks by the Navy or the Army would have revealed that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nazi-who-once-grew-a-hitler-mustache-was-capitol-rioter-investigators-2021-3">Hale-Cusanelli</a> began dabbling with white supremacist philosophy at least a decade ago.Hale-Cusanelli lives in Colts Neck, New Jersey. He was arrested, nearby, in August 2010 on charges of unlawful possession of a weapon and criminal mischief, Howell Municipal Court records show. According to a <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000178-2bdd-d9ef-ab7e-fbff99870000">March court filing</a>, the incident involved Hale-Cusanelli and a friend using a "potato" gun to shoot frozen corn at houses. The crude weapon used was inscribed with the words "WHITE IS RIGHT" and a drawing of a confederate flag, the documents said. Hale-Cusanelli was found guilty of criminal mischief, paid a $180 fine, and the other charges were dismissed. But this was the first of many brushes with the law and early indicators of far-right views.<h2>Run-ins with the police</h2>Since his first arrest in 2010, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nazi-who-once-grew-a-hitler-mustache-was-capitol-rioter-investigators-2021-3">Hale-Cusanelli</a> has been charged over 30 times, according to court records. Prior to the January 6 siege of the Capitol, court records show a string of minor infractions and some more serious charges - but no felonies. In 2011, Hale-Cusanelli was arrested for stabbing another man in the abdomen, <a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/freehold/report-freehold-township-man-arrested-after-stabbing">Asbury Park Press </a>reported. He was accused of an aggravated assault attempt, causing bodily injury with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes, unlawful possession of weapons, and simple assault, Freehold Municipal Court records show."There was an altercation between his mother and her then-boyfriend who became violent when intoxicated," Hale-Cusanell's attorney wrote in the <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000178-2bde-d9ef-ab7e-fbff5f4d0000">defendant's motion for modification of bond</a>. "Based upon information and belief, Mr. Hale-Cusanelli intervened to protect his mother and was subsequently arrested."The case was moved to the state Superior Court but records do not show that it resulted in a conviction.A year later, Hale-Cusanelli was charged with breach of peace, found guilty, and fined $189, according to Howell Municipal Court records. Hale-Cusanelli was arrested again in 2013 following an investigation into scrap metal theft, <a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/manalapan/freehold-man-charged-in-scrap-metal-theft-of-comtron-inc">Freehold Patch</a> reported in 2013. Most of the charges were dismissed but he was found guilty of loitering and failure to have his car inspected, Manalapan Municipal Court records show.<h2>Hale-Cusanelli threatened Jews. He said he was going to show up at their homes on the Sabbath.</h2>Between 2013 and 2020, Hale-Cusanelli added Jew-baiting to his resume of petty crime and delinquency.He was found guilty and fined for littering on state property in 2014, according to Freehold Township Municipal Court records. He also pleaded guilty to driving an unregistered motor vehicle a year later, according to Mansfield Township Municipal Court records.But a more serious charge against him emerged in early 2020. Hale-Cusanelli was reported to the police on two occasions for engaging in anti-Semitic harassment. Members of New Jersey's Jewish community had already felt the force of his Jew-hatred."Those who followed anti-Semitism in the area knew about Hale-Cusanelli," a New Jersey rabbi, who wished to remain anonymous, told Insider.The insurrectionist was a member of the 'Rise Up Ocean County' Facebook page - a controversial page rampant with anti-Semitism that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy eventually condemned.In 2019, <a href="https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562020/approved/20200103d.shtml">Murphy's administration</a> sent a letter to Facebook addressing concerns with "racist and anti-Semitic statements on the page, including an explicit goal of preventing Orthodox Jews from moving to Ocean County."Facebook eventually removed it.During the height of its popularity, Hale-Cusanelli was ominously vocal on the 'Rise Up Ocean County' page.The original group's moderator, Richard Ciullo, told Insider that Hale-Cusanelli had made multiple "incendiary" comments on the page and was eventually banned. Insider has seen screenshots confirming Hale-Cusanelli's involvement.In February 2020, the insurrectionist got into an online argument with Jewish commenters. "Hale-Cusanelli was making veiled threats, saying that he was going to show up to people's houses on the Sabbath," the New Jersey rabbi said. One of the people impacted by the Facebook feud reported Hale-Cusanelli to the police for anti-Semitic harassment on February 29, 2020. "Hale-Cusanelli made vague threats stating, 'I'm not scared of people knowing my face, I'm happy to be a lightning rod. Make me famous as your own risk,'" a police report seen by Insider said. Hale-Cusanelli also included references to the individual's address, it said.A week later, another person reported Hale-Cusanelli for anti-Semitic harassment and cyberharassment.Toms River Police Department confirmed both of these incidents.County prosecutors were also aware of Hale-Cusanelli's provocative anti-Semitic behavior. He was on their "radar," a press officer at the Office of the Ocean County Prosecutor told Insider.<h2>A social media troll</h2>Hale-Cusanelli deleted his Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts in an attempt to "obstruct or destroy evidence" before his arrest, <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000178-2bdd-d9ef-ab7e-fbff99870000">federal prosecutors</a> said.Insider, however, has seen verified screenshots of Hale-Cusanelli's now-deleted Twitter posts. In one post, the insurrectionist refers to Jews as "locusts." In another, he targeted New Jersey's Orthodox Jewish community.<div type="image" title="timothy hale cusanelli memes" height="317" width="423" msid="81617203" hostid="261"></div>He used his Twitter account to promote his YouTube show, "Based Hermes," which he also deleted after the Capitol riots.However, special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service were able to recover content relating to the show. One YouTube teaser, included in a court filing, showed the insurrectionist falsely claiming that Jewish people were behind 9/11.Hale-Cusanelli's lawyer, Jonathan Zucker, argued in the defendant's <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000178-2bde-d9ef-ab7e-fbff5f4d0000">pretrial release</a> that the YouTube channel was "controversial" but was primarily about New Jersey <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword>. Prosecutors refute this.Investigators also uncovered hundreds of anti-Black and anti-Semitic memes from his cellphone, the court filings show.A 2019 photo of Hale-Cusanelli displaying the "OK" hand gesture - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ok-hand-gesture-bowlcut-added-to-hate-symbols-database-2019-9">a hate symbol</a> associated with the far-right and white supremacy - was retrieved too.<div type="image" title="Screenshot 2021 03 20 at 16.04.38" height="327" width="436" msid="81617204" hostid="261"></div>Several images of the young man sporting a Hitler mustache and haircut were also found.<h2>Hale-Cusanelli received several honors for his service in the Army Reserves</h2>These discoveries did not surprise Hale-Cusanelli's co-workers at NWS Earle Security Forces.Many who worked with him at the Naval base were aware of his anti-Semitic views, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nazi-who-once-grew-a-hitler-mustache-was-capitol-rioter-investigators-2021-3">Insider</a> previously reported.One Navy Petty Officer said that it was "well-known" that Hale-Cusanelli did not like minorities or Jews. A Navy Seaman recalled an incident where he said that if he were a Nazi, he would "kill all the Jews and eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."An HBC contractor said that spoke about his "dislike of Jews every day" and that people were afraid to report him because he was "crazy."<div type="image" title="timothy hale cusanelli" height="607" width="810" msid="81617206" hostid="261"></div>Despite a history of arrests and racist behavior, Hale-Cusanelli received several honors for his Army Reserves service. He joined in May 2009 and is still serving in the 174th Infantry Brigade out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, an Army spokesperson said.He has never been deployed but has received four Army awards; an Army Achievement Medal, an <keyword id="2685839" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="army-reserve">Army Reserve</keyword> Components Achievement Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.One honor bestowed upon him, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, is awarded for meritorious service. The criteria for receiving it are "<a href="https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Army%20Reserve%20Component%20Achievement%20Medal%20ARCAM">exemplary behavior, efficiency, and fidelity</a>," according to the Army's website.Insider, recognizing the discrepancy between Hale-Cusanelli's problematic history and the criteria of this medal, asked the Army Reserves whether they were aware of his past behaviors."Sgt. Hale-Cusanelli's leadership was not aware of his prior involvement with law enforcement, to include run-ins, arrests, or convictions, or of the videos posted on social media," Simon B. Flake, the Army Reserve's media chief, said.Yet, despite the insurrectionist's arrest for his involvement in the Capitol riots, he has not yet been discharged by the Army Reserves.Flake told Insider: "The U.S. Army Reserve takes all allegations of Soldier or Army civilian involvement in extremist groups seriously and will address this issue in accordance with Army regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice to ensure due process. Extremist ideologies and activities directly oppose our values and beliefs and those who subscribe to extremism have no place in our ranks."<h2>'He was granted a secret-level security clearance'</h2>Similarly, the Navy had a blind spot when it came to Hale-Cusanelli and employed him as a security contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle. His open adoration for Hitler, his vocal racism and anti-Semitism, were no barrier to advancement, and he was granted a secret-level security clearance.<div type="image" title="NWS Earle" height="234" width="312" msid="81617209" hostid="261"></div>A secret-level security clearance allows individuals access to information which if disclosed without authorization could reasonably be expected to "cause serious damage to the national security," according to the <a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2007-title22-vol1/CFR-2007-title22-vol1-sec9-4">Code of Federal Regulations</a>.To receive this level of security clearance requires a background check and the provision of vast quantities of personal information. A history or pattern of criminality might raise concerns about granting security clearance but it is not an automatic disqualifier, according to <a href="https://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/security-clearance-jobs/security-clearance-eligibility.html">Military.com</a>.Showing an "enthusiasm for another Civil War," as federal prosecutors suggest the evidence indicates of Hale-Cusanelli, would almost certainly disqualify an individual from gaining clearance.Since his arrest, Hale-Cusanelli has been "barred" from the naval base, according to federal prosecutors. Insider contacted the Navy Office of Information to ask about Hale-Cusanelli's secret-level security clearance in light of former arrests. The office confirmed receipt of the request for comment but did not provide one.<h2>Extremism within US military ranks</h2>Prior to Hale-Cusanelli's arrest for his involvement in the Capitol riots, there were clues that he held a white-supremacist ideology and might later participate in a violent crime. These signs, however, were not picked up on by military officials. <div type="image" title="capitol riot military" height="2253" width="3004" msid="81617212" hostid="261"></div>Hale-Cusanelli was one of many active-duty military members involved in the deadly siege of the Capitol. Almost one in five rioters were active-duty members or veterans, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/1-in-5-charged-in-capitol-riot-veterans-active-duty-2021-1">Insider</a> previously reported.The astonishing statistic indicates a culture of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/capitol-riot-pushes-pentagon-root-out-far-right-extremism-military-2021-1">extremism within the armed forces</a> and, potentially, an inability to spot radicalization signs early on.Hale-Cusanelli's story is just one of many examples of white supremacy within the ranks of the US military going undetected. This, as the US witnessed on January 6, can have dire consequences.

Hitler-loving Capitol insurrectionist with a history of multiple arrests and Jew-baiting had an Army award for 'exemplary behavior' and secret-level security clearance

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> will kick <keyword id="9465142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="parler">Parler</keyword> off its web servers, leaving the controversial social network to scramble for a new web host.</li><li>Tech giants including Apple, Google, and Amazon have all recently backed away from Parler, an app that mainly appealed to far-right conservatives with limited content moderation.</li><li>Parler CEO John Matze said the site could be down for up to a week, as "we rebuild from scratch."</li><li>"Probably not the end to Parler," one disinformation expert told Insider. "They just have to find another server space."</li></ul>Parler <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-is-removing-parler-from-its-web-hosting-service-2021-1">will be kicked off Amazon's web servers</a> early Monday morning, forcing the controversial social networking site to go dark for at least a few days. But experts say that it's unlikely to be the end of the platform. Technology giants including Amazon, Apple, and Google <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-bans-parler-from-app-store-over-content-promotes-violence-2021-1">have taken a flurry of actions</a> against Parler since the insurrection at the US Capitol by a mob of President Donald <keyword id="6354862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trump">Trump</keyword> supporters. While the actions are likely to lead to a decline in Parler 's popularity, experts said the app isn't necessarily dead in the long-term."It is realistic to expect that Parler will find another provider to host their services like <keyword id="291131" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="AWS">AWS</keyword>," Max Aliapoulios, a computer science Ph. D candidate at New York University focused on understanding and mitigating socio-technical problems like cybercrime and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hate-symbols-and-extremist-groups-at-the-us-capitol-siege-2021-1">online extremism</a>, told Insider in an email.Read More: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-is-removing-parler-from-its-web-hosting-service-2021-1">Amazon is removing Parler from its web hosting service</a>For instance, the fringe message board 8kun and the <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/gab-reports-growth-in-the-midst-of-twitter-bans-2021-1-1029945219">social media platform Gab</a> both used Epik as a new host, Aliapoulios noted. "That being said, now the precedent is set and Parler will likely always have an uphill battle with finding a home to host them on the internet," he added.Kathleen Carley, <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/ideas-social-cybersecurity/research/coronavirus.html">a Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor studying disinformation</a>, also agreed it likely won't be the end of the network, but the decision will likely drive apps like Parler to the dark web and encrypted systems."Probably not the end to Parler," Carley wrote in an email to Insider. "They just have to find another server space."<h2>Parler grew to prominence by cultivating far-right audience</h2><div type="image" title="Captiol Hill Protests" height="1000" width="2000" msid="80202407" hostid="261"></div>In the past few months, Parler has attracted a far-right conservative audience by pitching itself as a social network with minimal content moderation. The network appeared to play a crucial role as a meeting place for many of the insurrectionists who ultimately stormed the Capitol on January 6 in a rampage that left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer.After Twitter banned Trump's account on Friday, some top conservative figures recently announced they would be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-conservatives-moving-to-parler-after-trumps-ban-from-twitter-2021-1">moving to the Parler app</a> and encouraged others to do the same.Now, the future is uncertain for the once hot social app. While it may not be dead, Parler appears to be on life support by no longer appearing on the Apple or Google Play app stores and now being kicked off of AWS' servers. Amazon said it will boot Parler off at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday. Apple and Google said the app didn't do enough moderating. Parler users <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parler-erupted-with-talk-of-revolution-as-mobs-stormed-capitol-2021-1">called for violence throughout the attempted coup in Washington</a>, according to Insider reporters Margaux MacColl and Kevin Shalvey.Parler said it was being unfairly targeted."This was a coordinated attack by the tech giants to kill competition in the market place," Matze said in a statement. "We were too successful too fast. You can expect the war on competition and free speech to continue, but don't count us out."<h2>Plan to 'rebuild from scratch' could be a daunting task</h2>Matze also said Parler could be offline for up to a week as "we rebuild from scratch." It's unclear what that would entail, or how reliant Parler was on AWS for cloud services and hosting. BuzzFeed <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">News</keyword> <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/johnpaczkowski/amazon-parler-aws">first reported Amazon's decision</a> to sever ties with Parler. "Getting booted off AWS is virtually unheard of; when people leave intentionally the planning takes months; execution can take years," Corey Quinn, chief cloud economist at The Duckbill Group <a href="https://twitter.com/QuinnyPig/status/1348118122926989312">wrote on Twitter</a>. Quinn said it takes time to move all the data from web servers, and other AWS offerings aren't directly compatible with other servers. "Making what you built on AWS's systems work elsewhere is super challenging," he added. Moving to a new provider typically takes months or years. Parler received about 30 hours of notice, Quinn said.The platform said it had about 4 million active users as of November.Beyond the problems of finding a new host, Parler could also face the challenge of actually running a profitable business.Read More: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pelosi-staff-barricaded-themselves-in-room-as-rioters-looted-office-2021-1">Terrified Pelosi staffers barricaded themselves in a conference room and huddled under a table as pro-Trump rioters ransacked the speaker's office: Report</a>Aliapoulios noted that Parler had been planning for months to launch an influence network - "basically just a portal for advertisers and influencers to make money," he added. "I think they may have a hard time finding enough companies, who want advertising on a site that is full of violent extremists, to offset the cost of their cloud provider bill," Aliapoulios said.But in the long-term, Parler may well survive given its existing popularity. Aliapoulios noted that other controversial sites like 8kun and Gab are still around. In fact, Gab said it was seeing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gab-reports-growth-in-the-midst-of-twitter-bans-2021-1">a surge in demand over the weekend</a> as other <keyword id="6354632" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="social-media">social media</keyword> sites cracked down.

You Searched For "extremisim" and got 12 results

A New Zealand supermarket chain removed knives and scissors from their shelves after an ISIS supporter stabbed 6 people in one of their stores

Kelsey Vlamis

Right-wing extremism is on the rise, but ideological killings dropped significantly last year

Haven Orecchio-Egresitz

Canada named Proud Boys a terrorist organization, but the US government doesn't have a pathway to do the same

Haven Orecchio-Egresitz

Trump supporters have intimidated and harassed the Electoral College, but electors say extremists won't stop them from casting their vote for Biden

Haven Orecchio-Egresitz

'Boogaloo' far-right extremists have been illegally buying 3D-printed machine gun parts disguised as wall hangers online, FBI says

Haven Orecchio-Egresitz

One year after the Capitol riot, experts warn more political extremism and violence could be on the horizon in 2022

Erin Snodgrass

TikTok extremism exposed: over 1,000 videos found including Holocaust denial, white supremacy, and ISIS propaganda, according to new report

Charlotte Colombo

Spree killer in the UK highlights the need for a new approach to incel rage. An expert says the men can't be ignored and need help.

Bethany Dawson

Parler allegedly warned the FBI of 'specific threats of violence' more than 50 times ahead of the Capitol riot

Yelena Dzhanova

Neo-Nazi groups are using Instagram to recruit young teenagers, experts warn. Memes are being used to entice them.

Joshua Zitser

Hitler-loving Capitol insurrectionist with a history of multiple arrests and Jew-baiting had an Army award for 'exemplary behavior' and secret-level security clearance

Joshua Zitser

Amazon's decision to sever ties with Parler might not kill the controversial social media platform

Andrew Dunn