<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail-container gmail-content-width3">
<div class="gmail-header gmail-reader-header gmail-reader-show-element">
<font size="1"><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/boogaloo-facebook-pages-coronavirus-militia-group-extremists_n_5ea3072bc5b6d376358eba98">https://www.huffpost.com/entry/boogaloo-facebook-pages-coronavirus-militia-group-extremists_n_5ea3072bc5b6d376358eba98</a></font>
<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Amid The Pandemic, U.S. Militia Groups Plot ‘The Boogaloo,’ AKA Civil War, On Facebook</h1>
<div class="gmail-meta-data">
<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time">April 24, 2020<br></div>
</div>
</div>
<hr>
<div class="gmail-content">
<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-line-height4 gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><div id="entry-text">
<p><span>Thousands of armed right-wing militants are plotting a violent
uprising against the U.S. government during the coronavirus crisis, a
new report finds, and <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/impact/topic/facebook">Facebook</a> is providing them a platform to prepare and organize. </span></p>
<p><span>A </span><a href="https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/extremists-are-using-facebook-to-organize-for-civil-war-amid-coronavirus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>report</span></a><span> published Thursday by the watchdog group the Tech Transparency Project found 125 Facebook groups devoted to the idea of the “</span><a href="https://www.adl.org/blog/the-boogaloo-extremists-new-slang-term-for-a-coming-civil-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>boogaloo</span></a><span>,”
a far-right term used to describe what they believe is an inevitable
civil war in the U.S. Members discuss weapons, combat medicine, and how
to develop explosives, the report says. One group even shared a document
detailing how to disrupt U.S. government supply lines and discussing
the possible need to assassinate government officials. </span></p>
<p><span>These groups have proliferated during the pandemic, according to the report, as </span><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/extremists-anti-shutdown-protests_n_5ea057f6c5b6b2e5b83b55cd" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>right-wing extremists grow more agitated</span></a><span> over lockdown orders aimed at slowing the spread of the virus, measures many </span><a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/antigovernment" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>militia and “patriot” groups</span></a><span> view as the oppressive maneuverings of a tyrannical government. </span></p>
<p><span>Over 60% of the groups were created in just the last three
months, according to the report. The 125 groups have nearly 73,000
members, though it’s unclear how many individuals may belong to multiple
groups. </span></p>
<p><span>About 50% of the groups’ members have joined within the last 30 days. </span></p>
<p><span>The groups have flourished despite Facebook community guidelines that </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/communitystandards/credible_violence" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>prohibit</span></a><span>
facilitating, organizing or promoting “harmful activities targeted at
people.” The guidelines also ban “statements of intent to commit
high-severity violence.”</span></p>
<p><span>Daniel E. Stevens, executive director of Campaign for
Accountability, the umbrella organization under which TTP operates, told
HuffPost in a statement Thursday that </span><span>“Facebook’s failure to stop their platform from being used as an organizing tool for extremists is completely unacceptable.” </span></p>
<p><span>“</span><span>There is nothing subtle about how these extremist
groups are using Facebook’s platform to advance their cause,” Stevens
said. “Boogaloo proponents are not simply discussing ideas or political
views; they are directly advocating for violent action and tactically
planning how to defeat government entities.” </span></p>
<img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5ea30de3300000af0f154d84.png?cache=mdcu70fdb3&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale" alt="There are 125 anti-government extremist groups on Facebook devoted to the "boogaloo," a far-right term for what they believe">
<img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5ea317c9250000a92b6b880b.png?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale" alt="A meme posted to the Facebook page of a group devoted to the “boogaloo,” a far-right term used to describe a coming civil war" style="margin-right: 25px;" width="451" height="332">
<p><span>In a statement to HuffPost Thursday, a Facebook spokesperson claimed the company is aware of the boogaloo groups. </span> </p>
<p><span>“We’ve removed groups and Pages who’ve used this and related terms for violating our policies,” the spokesperson said.</span></p>
<p><span>None of the handful of boogaloo groups specifically named in TTP’s report summary had been taken down as of Friday morning. </span></p>
<p><span>“We’re reviewing the content referenced in this report and will
enforce against any violations,” the Facebook spokesperson said. </span></p>
<p><span>The potential for real-world violence by these groups came into focus earlier this week, when an Arkansas </span><a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmanuelfelton/boogaloo-boy-arrested-texarkana-swenson" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>boogaloo enthusiast named Aaron Swenson</span></a><span> live-streamed himself on Facebook driving around Texarkana, Texas, allegedly looking for a police officer to shoot and kill. </span></p>
<p><span>Comments left on the livestream showed some users endorsing
attacking police officers. Other users suggested people call 911.
Swenson was eventually arrested, </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/texarkanapolice/posts/2831460176909180?__tn__=-R" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>according</span></a><span> to the local police department. </span></p>
<p><span>A review of his Facebook page by TTP found that he “liked” over
a dozen boogaloo pages, including a prominent boogaloo page called the
Thicc Boog Line. </span></p>
<img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5ea30f11300000af0f154d87.png?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale" alt="A series of extremist Facebook pages "liked" by Aaron Swenson, who was arrested for allegedly attempting to attack police off" style="margin-right: 25px;" width="451" height="289">
<p><span>After HuffPost’s inquiry Thursday, Facebook appears to have removed Swenson’s profile page. </span></p>
<div id="gmail-inline-newsletter_placeholder"><div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p>Subscribe to the Politics email.</p>
<p>From Washington to the campaign trail, get the latest politics news.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div></div><p><span>Facebook studies and monitors new terms, including
boogaloo, which extremists may use to mask their activities, the
Facebook spokesperson insisted, adding that the company has 350 people
on staff devoted to stopping people and organizations from using its
platform to plot or engage in violence. </span></p>
<p><span>The pandemic is proving to be a fraught period for the social
media giant, as it struggles to slow the spread of misinformation about
the virus that could put people in danger. </span></p>
<p><span>Facebook recently </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/20/facebook-anti-lockdown-protests-bans" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>banned</span></a><span> some pages and posts promoting </span><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/extremists-anti-shutdown-protests_n_5ea057f6c5b6b2e5b83b55cd" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>anti-lockdown protests</span></a><span> in California, New Jersey and Nebraska that defied “government’s guidance on social distancing.” </span></p>
<p><span>Many such protests, however, have still been organized on the
platform, resulting in crowds of right-wingers not observing social
distancing guidelines descending upon government buildings, demanding
that lawmakers reopen local and state economies despite the desperate
warnings of public health experts. </span></p>
<p><span>TTP also infiltrated private boogaloo groups on Facebook where
pages promoting anti-lockdown events were shared and attendance was
encouraged, including a page for an April 24 protest in Wisconsin. </span></p>
<div><p><span>Heavily armed militiamen, some of whom have </span><a href="https://www.adl.org/blog/extremists-involved-in-nationwide-protests-against-coronavirus-restrictions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>carried boogaloo signs or worn boogaloo patches</span></a><span>, have appeared at previous anti-lockdown rallies. </span></p></div>
<p><span>“</span><span>This is not a case of extremists outsmarting Facebook,” Stevens, of the </span><span>Campaign for Accountability</span><span>,
told HuffPost in his statement. “By allowing these pages to exist,
Facebook is demonstrating a clear unwillingness to protect the public
from possible domestic terrorists. Unless Facebook takes substantive
action to break up these dangerous online communities, there is a very
real risk of violence spilling out into the streets.”</span></p>
<img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5ea30de4300000770f154d85.png?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale" alt="A screengrab from one of the "boogaloo" groups." style="margin-right: 25px;" width="451" height="271">
<p><span>The boogaloo groups are part of a larger </span><a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/antigovernment" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>anti-government extremist movement</span></a><span>
in the U.S., which includes militia and “patriot” organizations such as
the Oathkeepers and the Three Percenters, whose adherents have been
implicated in </span><a href="https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/06/27/mcveigh-worship-new-extremist-trend" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>bombings</span></a><span>, </span><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/las-vegas-shooting-suspects_n_5472883" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>murders</span></a><span> and </span><a href="https://www.huffpost.com/topic/malheur-national-wildlife-refuge" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span>armed standoffs</span></a><span> with federal law enforcement. </span></p>
<div><div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p>There is sometimes overlap between anti-government and white
supremacist movements. TTP’s analysis of the boogaloo groups found that
some members’ profiles include white supremacist content, including
images of Adolf Hitler. Many other group members, however, claimed to
reject white supremacist ideology.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div></div>
<p><span>TTP says it identified the 125 groups in its report by
searching for different variations or abbreviations of “boogaloo,” such
as “boog,” “big igloo,” “Big Luau,” and “boojihadeen.” </span></p>
<p><span>One group, “BoojieBastards: Intelligence and Surveillance,” has
averaged 100 new members a day since its creation in February, and now
boasts some 6,500 followers. </span></p>
<p><span>The largest group, the Thicc Boog Line, has gained about 30,000
followers since its creation in October 2019. Its main page is public
and is often used to hawk boogaloo-branded clothing and accessories. The
Thicc Boog Line also operates 11 private boogaloo groups that more
explicitly discuss preparing for the coming civil war. </span></p>
<p><span>About 89% of the groups identified in TTP’s report, or 112, are
set to private. Many take their war preparations so seriously that
members are banned from posting memes, so as the discussion stays
focused on intelligence sharing. </span></p>
<p><span>“The groups engage in national-level coordination or act as
state and local chapters where users share tactical information and
survival tips, ranging from topographic map access to instructions for
evading authorities,” the report states. </span></p>
<p><span>Perhaps most concerning are the planning documents members
upload to the boogaloo groups which, according to TTP, include military
manuals, a CIA handbook, and “The Anarchist Cookbook,” a famous bomb
building guide. </span></p>
<p><span>Another alarming, 133-page document entitled “Yeetalonians”
spells out what weapons should be used for the boogaloo and instructs
members how to develop propaganda to win over others to their cause. </span></p>
<img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/5ea310f2300000e50f154d89.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale" alt="A screenshot from “Yeetalonians,” which spells out what weapons should be used for the boogaloo." style="margin-right: 25px;" width="451" height="450">
<p><span>The document discusses how “national guard depots, police
stations and factories that produce munitions are all very solid
targets” for disrupting the U.S. government supply chain.</span></p>
<p><span>It emphasizes to members that it’s deeply important “to make
the enemy (government forces) see that they are not fighting terrorists,
they are fighting their own countrymen who simply love liberty.”</span></p>
<p><span>The “Yeetalonian” document also mentions “target selection,”
arguing that while assassinations of public officials and figureheads
are often “overrated” as a military strategy, “some people have to go.” </span></p>
</div></div></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>