The Alt-Observer Weekly Summary highlights activities from revolutionary communist, radical anarchist, fascist and other ‘alternative’ political groups that fulfill our intelligence requirements for both the Alt-Left and Alt-Right groups. This report is available for Alt-Observer subscribers.
InFocus: Is Antifa winning the war against the Alt-Right? In previous weeks, several prominent Alt-Right figures, including Richard Spencer, addressed recent failures and flat out admitted that Antifa is winning. Being harangued by protestors and low turnout is a large part of why Spencer stopped his campus tour.
Certainly Antifa has “won” a majority of Spencer’s speaking engagements, bringing more protestors than supporters. But outside of Spencer’s cancelled college campus tour, online and at other rallies, the Alt-Right is still an ideology with a draw. The Alt-Right and its periphery are still very active on YouTube and Spencer regularly posts videos and podcasts to his Alt-Right channel.
Later this month is the American Renaissance Conference (27-29 April), an annual white nationalist event hosted by Jared Taylor and others outside of Nashville, Tennessee. This year Taylor will give a speech entitled, “Irreconcilable Differences: We Need a Divorce” about why whites deserve their own country apart from minorities. [source: https://www.amren.com/2018-american-renaissance-conference/]
Last month, white nationalist group Identity Evropa hosted their first national conference, which brought 150 members. IE activists routinely sticker and poster college campuses across the country, as the campus draws a large focus for their recruit efforts. Neither of these events were shut down. Additionally, there have been several White Lives Matter rallies that haven’t been shut down. The only thing that seems to be defeated is Spencer’s physical presence.
The Alt-Right is still very much alive and well online, and they continue to grow due in large part to their online activities. When Spencer says that Antifa is winning, he may be right that Antifa is winning against him. But white nationalism is a growing counter-culture which is using demographic change and its effects to recruit. In short, as long as the tide of demographics is going against young white men, the Alt-Right will continue to grow.
Priority Intelligence Requirements
- PIR1: What indicators describe the Alt-Left movement’s strength, capabilities, sentiment, and capabilities?
- PIR2: What indicators describe the Alt-Right movement’s strength, capabilities, sentiment, and capabilities?
- PIR3: What are the new indicators of future politically-related violence?
- PIR4: What is the current threat index score for the Alt-Left movement?
- Culture War Roll-Up
PIR1: What indicators describe the Alt-Left movement’s strength, capabilities, sentiment, initiatives, and infighting?
National
IWW: The Link, an independent student newspaper at Concordia University recently published an article where they claim that the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) is “making labour anti-fascist again.” In the article, they claim that the IWW has historically been in opposition to capitalism and fascism and has now brought the fight into the 21st century by adding an anti-fascist stance to their constitution. This resolution will “oppose the growth and open expression of fascist and far-right movements” by engaging in a “strategy of mass anti-fascism and community self defense.” In the article they also claim that the Alt-Right appeals to and is targeting disenfranchised blue-collar workers for recruitment, which is a problem for the IWW because the majority of it’s membership is made up of working class citizens. A member of the IWW stated that “if workers are anxious about the future, they should work to take down capitalism and directly advocate for their own rights, instead of scapegoating their co-workers.”
“We engage in a mass attack against fascism where we do coalition building with liberal organizations in the city. And more militantly [organize] by blocking them from taking space.”
“Another part was the understanding that if the IWW ever gets close to its goal of genuinely challenging the foundations of capitalism, we will have to have a group and an orientation capable of defending the union and its workers. We didn’t feel that we should wait until the attack came to organize to fight it.” (Source: https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/the-iww-is-making-labour-anti-fascist-again)
Website: The anti-capitalist news website Insurrection News announced that they will be going on hiatus. The announcement was made via their Twitter account in a tweet that said, “We’re on hiatus..not sure if it’s a permanent one or just short term but we need a break. Timeline will go back to unrestricted and the blog will be unlocked as they are both important archives. As for us, we are taking a well deserved break to think about things.” (Source: https://twitter.com/InsurrectNews/status/981425109251575809)
Website: The anarchist news website Anarchist News is calling for writers to write essays and commentary on current events. According to their website, they are paying writers $25 for the first article that they publish and are “particularly interested in anarchist commentary on current events.” In addition to wanting writers, the website is also willing to pay people to do audio recordings of feature articles, essays, mutual exchange contributions, and book chapters, with the payment being $10 per recording. (Source: https://anarchistnews.org/content/call-anarchist-writers)
East Coast
New York: The New York based Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council (MACC) recently released a browser plug-in that helps to report offensive content on YouTube. According to the MACC’s website, “a team of researchers” curates YouTube videos deemed to be hateful and fascist, which are then sent to users of the new plug-in for them to report. Chrome and Firefox users can install the plug-in by downloading it from their official website, and so far, 17 videos have already been removed by YouTube. (Source: http://noplatform.macc.nyc)
Washington DC: So far, 129 of the nearly 200 defendants facing charges following the January 20, 2017 Inauguration protests have had their charges against them dropped, however, 59 of the defendants are still facing charges. The next trial block is set to begin on 17 April, and prosecutors are hoping to convict the remaining defendants and use them to set an example. In response to this, the far-left anarchist website CrimethInc has released a new poster in support of the J20 defendants, announced a call-in campaign to pressure the US Attorney’s office to drop the charges on 2-3 April, and a “day of solidarity” on 10 April to support the defendants. (Source: https://crimethinc.com/2018/04/02/j20-fighting-the-trumped-up-charges-a-poster-call-in-campaign-and-day-of-solidarity)
West Virginia: Protestors continued to take action on Peter’s Mountain in West Virginia against the construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. According to an update posted on the anarchist blog site It’s Going Down, the tree sitters are not leaving, but expanding, and so far the police have failed to shut down the protest.(Source: https://itsgoingdown.org/tree-sits-west-virginia-aint-going-anywhere-expanding/)
Midwest
Michigan: According to police documents obtained by The Intercept, Michigan State University sent nine undercover police officers to the protest of Richard Spencer’s event at MSU on 05 March 2018. The document contained a list of 250 officers with their platoon and squad assignments for the protest. Included in the list were nine undercover officers. An MSU press release also revealed that the officers who attended the protest came from eight different law enforcement agencies including the MSU Police Department, Michigan State Police, Lansing Police Department, East Lansing Police Department, Meridian Township Police Department, Eaton County Sheriff’s Office, Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, and Ingham County Sheriff’s Office. What the documents do not reveal, however, are the details of this undercover operation, if the officers were in plain clothes or in black bloc, if any arrests were made by the undercover officers, or if they were able to help identify any of the Antifa protestors. (Source: https://theintercept.com/2018/03/30/msu-richard-spencer-antifa/)
Cincinnati: The Cincinnati chapter of Black Lives Matter has announced that it is changing its name to Mass Action for Black Liberation (MABL) and is distancing itself from the national movement, citing a “stark difference in principles, politics and methods of functioning between our independent organization and the national leadership”. The MABL writes:
“The continuous shift towards electoral and liberal Democratic Party politics and away from revolutionary ideas is too great. The consequences for Black, brown, and poor people are too great. The possibilities to build a truly independent movement on a national scale for Black liberation are too ripe.”
“They capitalized off a nameless groundswell of resistance sweeping the nation, branded it as their own, and profited from the deaths of Black men and women around the country without seriously engaging, as a national formation, in getting justice for fighting families. All the while raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars from high-end speaking engagements and donations from foundations that support the Black struggle (or want to co-opt it). They have gained access to high profile associations, including invitations to the White House and celebrity events; have been on magazine covers; are on the way to profiting as authors and subjects of books; and have accepted numerous awards and accolades as so-called founders of the movement — while families struggle, unassisted, to keep their fights going.” (Source: http://blacklivescincy.com/home/2018/03/28/why-black-lives-matter-cincinnati-is-changing-its-name/)
Southeast
Tennessee: An anarchist-antifascist Twitter account tweeted out nearly 60 different posters that call for antifascist protestors to organize and protest at the upcoming 2018 American Renaissance Conference (AMREN) that will be taking place in Burns, Tennessee on 28 April. One of the posters is a picture of the park where the conference will be held that says, “This beautiful park will soon be occupied by white supremacists in suits. For around 6 years, white supremacists have held their American Renaissance Conference here. Last year saw the biggest crowd to protest the event yet. Which made Jared Taylor consider cancelling the event for good. After Charlottesville, Shelbyville, & Murfreesboro, we can expect the crowd protesting to be much bigger this year. On April 28th, @ 1000 Hotel Ave in Burns, TN. Let’s show up and let them know that the alt-right are not welcomed in our communities! Let’s make this the last AMREN.” [Source] (Source: https://twitter.com/TheAnarchoRaver/status/979907975476383744) (Analyst Comment: In previous years, antifascist and anti-racist groups attempted to shut down this event. It’s held in a private facility with access control, and law enforcement presence is likely to deter violence. Still, it’s something that we’re keeping an eye on.)
Louisiana: Protestors in Lousiana are still protesting the Bayou Bridge pipeline, which is at the tail end of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Meanwhile, state legislature is attempting to pass an anti-protest bill that would further criminalize the protests that are currently taking place. On Thursday morning, protestors set up a a blockade of a key supply yard for the pipeline’s construction. During the blockade at least one protestor was arrested, and in response the group organizing the protest, Leau Est La Vie Camp, has asked via their Twitter account for people to call the local Sheriff’s Office, and demand that the arrested protester be released. (Source: https://itsgoingdown.org/lock-down-halts-bayou-bridge-pipeline-construction-as-state-tries-to-ram-through-anti-protest-bill/)
West Coast
Sacramento: During a vigil for Stephon Clark on Saturday night a protestor was hit by a Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department vehicle. According to witnesses, after the the protestor was struck, the sheriff’s vehicle left the scene. The hit and run was captured on video by a member of the National Lawyers Guild named Guy Danilowitz. On Sunday morning Sgt. Shaun Hampton gave a statement where he confirmed that the accident had occurred, saying that two of the sheriff’s department vehicles were surrounded by protestors who proceeded to kick the vehicles and yell at the officers. The press release states that “vandals in the crowd” scratched, dented and shattered the rear window of one of the vehicles. Video of the protest shows a sheriff’s department vehicle with it’s lights flashing being surrounded by dozens protestors. The sheriff’s deputy can be heard sounding his siren four times and saying “Back away from my vehicle” over the loudspeaker. After this the officer slowly moves forward and left the scene, however, a second sheriff’s vehicle followed behind and struck a protestor. According to the sheriff’s department the vehicle was traveling at “slow speeds” when the collision occurred. After the collisions about 100 protestors remained at the scene and shut down traffic in all directions at the intersection of Florin Road and 65th.
Black Lives Matter Sacramento released a statement via Facebook about the protests and collision that occurred Saturday night, “The events scheduled for Saturday, March 31st were not organized by BLM Sacramento. However, we stand in solidarity with this community as we champion through the pain. In response to a vigil last night for Stephon Clark, the Sacramento Sheriffs Department struck an innocent female pedestrian and left the scene. This is their response to a community in outrage and pain, this is another glaring example of the dehumanization of of our community by law enforcement; a state bodyguard intended to protect and serve. We will continue to demand justice for not just Stephon, but for all lives that have been unjustly taken at the hands of law enforcement. (Source: http://www.sacbee.com/news/article207598209.html) (Source: https://www.facebook.com/BlackLivesMatterSac/posts/2044779712465538)
Oakland: About 150 people marched through downtown Oakland on Monday to protest the killing of a man by a BART police officer on 03 January 2018. According to police, 28-year-old Sahleem Tindle was shot and killed by Officer Jospeh Mateu after Tindle refused to drop his gun. The Tindle family’s attorney claims that video of the shooting and other evidence do not line up with the police department’s narrative. In order to draw more attention to the case, family members have held protests and gatherings. The latest protest organized by the Tindle family room place at a BART station where around 150 protestors prevented at least two trains from leaving the station. After leaving the station the protestors then headed near the Oakland police headquarters at 7th and Broadway where they blocked traffic for hours during rush hour. According to the East Bay Times, the DA’s officer and the Oakland Police Department are both currently investigating the shooting independently (Source: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/04/02/protesters-disrupt-oakland-rush-hour-traffic/)
Southwest
Austin: Red Guards Austin recently posted a “red salute” on their Facebook page to Red Guards Kansas City and Red Guards Charlotte after both groups announced their transition from being individual and autonomous communist groups to becoming a part of the Red Guards national collective. Red Guards Kansas City, formerly known as Kansas City Revolutionary Collective, announced their transition on 09 March, and Red Guards Charlotte, formerly known as Queen City Maoist Collective, announced their transition on 30 March. In the Facebook post by Red Guards Austin, the group claims that they are “honored and excited to have a higher level of unity with two collectives that are so principled, militant, and devoted to the masses.” (Source: https://www.facebook.com/redguardsaustin/posts/1650258311726983)
Austin: The University of Texas professor who has been harassed by Revolutionary Student Front (RSF) for the last few weeks was found dead in his home on Thursday. The cause of death is not yet known, but the Sheriff’s Department does not suspect foul play. (Source: https://www.facebook.com/RSFAustin/posts/1408815422557101)(Source: https://www.dailytexanonline.com/2018/04/06/ut-pharmacy-professor-richard-morrisett-found-dead-in-south-austin-home-thursday)
PIR2: What indicators describe the Alt-Right movement’s strength, capabilities, sentiment, initiatives, and infighting?
Montana: Police in Missoula, Montana are investigating a recent political stunt by the violent Neo-nazi group Atomwaffen Division after they filled Easter eggs with propaganda fliers and distributed them throughout the town. According to ProPublica, Atomwaffen does not does not have members in Montana, however, they do have active members in 23 other states. A local business owner named Michael Savasuk was one of the residents of Missoula who found one of the Easter eggs. Savasuk claims that he found the Easter egg on his front door, which contained a small rubber bunny, a golden plastic coin with a four-leaf clover on it, and a flier that read “White revolution does not start a thousand miles away, it starts with you!” Savuskuk said in an interview with NBC Montana that, “It is somewhat alarming that there seems to be roots in the community… It’s serious enough that, if something like this were to continue, we need to keep our eyes peeled.” According to NBC Montana, the Missoula police department is investigating the case, however, illegal activity may not be discovered due to city and state law that allows people to distribute printed materials. (Source: http://nbcmontana.com/news/local/eggs-stuffed-with-nazi-propaganda-surface-around-missoula)
Washington & Oklahoma: The alt-right group Identity Evropa recently put up fliers at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, Washington and at Redlands Community College (RCC) in El Reno, Oklahoma. One of the fliers at WSU features members of IE at a rally smoking pipes and speaking into a microphone with the words “Action, Leadership, Identity.” The second flier at WSU features a picture of a book by Jared Taylor called “White Identity” with the words “Your professor is scared of this book.” The fliers put up at RCC closely resemble the ones that were put up at WSU and depict members of IE at a rally speaking into a microphone with the words “Our Generation, Our Future, Our Last Chance.” (Source: https://twitter.com/IdentityEvropa/status/979825740916166656/photo/1)(Source: https://twitter.com/IdentityEvropa/status/979555058495971328/photo/1)
Atlanta: The alt-right group Patriot Front dropped off hundreds of fliers in an Atlanta, Georgia neighborhood on Sunday. The fliers were put in clear plastic bags and read “Keep America American,” while also urging citizens to report illegal aliens because “they are not immigrants, they are criminals.” According to the local news station WSB-TV 2, local residents are stunned and very offended by the fliers and called them “racist,” “ridiculous” and “stupid.” (Source: https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/families-wake-up-to-find-flyers-calling-to-keep-america-america-in-their-driveways/725840583)
Daily Stormer: Due to a new lawsuit against The Daily Stormer’s founder Andrew Anglin, the Neo-nazi website may have to reveal it’s funding. Anglin is facing a lawsuit by a contributor for the Daily Beast named Dean Obeidallah after Anglin accused Obeidallah of orchestrating the bombing of an Ariana Grande concert in England in 2017. Obeidallah has requested that the judge let him “enter a discovery process for Moonbase Holdings, LLC, a shell The Daily Stormer used to make its financial transactions look more legitimate.” If this request is granted it could reveal who funded The Daily Stormer. (Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-daily-stormer-might-have-to-reveal-its-funding-in-libel-lawsuit)
Florida: The Florida middle school teacher who hosted a white nationalist podcast has resigned. (Source: https://www.theroot.com/unapologetic-white-nationalist-podcast-host-and-middle-1824278561)(Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/florida-public-school-teacher-white-nationalist-podcast_us_5a99ae32e4b089ec353a1fba)
Alabama: According to Tuscaloosa News, University of Alabama President Stuart Bell is “encouraging students not to attend an event featuring a speaker who has been called a white nationalist.” Bell did not name who organized the event or who the speaker would be, however, the registered student organization Students For America First have organized an event taking place on 19 April that will feature Jared Taylor, an editor for the online website American Renaissance. Bell stated in a statement that “As a public university, the law and our commitment to free speech do not allow us to refuse a speaker based on the content of speech… The best way to demonstrate distaste for hateful dialogue is not to give it an audience… Many in the campus community, including campus leadership, have strong feelings against the messages this person may espouse. The security of our campus is our absolute priority. Hate and bigotry have no place at The University of Alabama. Our community is diverse, inclusive and accepting, and we are committed to treating one another respectfully. We value the ways diversity enriches our University community.” (Source: http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20180329/ua-student-group-plans-to-host-white-nationalist-speaker) (Analyst Comment: Jared Taylor routinely says that his message is not about hatred of other races, but about love of his own people.)
PIR3: What are the new indicators of future politically-related violence?
06 APR: Socialist Analysis & Discussion – Is the U.S. Preparing for Another War? — San Fransisco, California
06 APR: Enough Occupation: Mourning for Gaza + Confronting Our Community – Texas State Capitol, Austin
07 APR: Black Women’s March, New York
14-15 APR: TPUSA Midwest Regional Conference, Chicago, Illinois
14 APR: Stand for the Second Amendment, National
14-16 APR: Rock Against Racism – Austin, Texas hosted by Revolutionary Student Front
15 APR: Free Speech Conference at Siena College
19 APR: Jared Taylor to speak at the University of Alabama
20 APR: National High School Walk-Out For Anti-Gun Violence
20-21 APR: 2018 National Socialist Movement Conference in Temple, Georgia
21 APR: March For Our Rights Pro Gun Rally, Olympia, Washington
28 APR: Anti-Racism Action Initiation Protest/American Renaissance Conference 2018, Burns, Tennessee
29 APR: Black Lives Matter March and Protest – Downtown Dallas, Texas
01 MAY: MayDay Seattle: Stand Against Rioters
PIR4: What is the current threat index score for the Alt-Left movement?
Indicators of Revolutionary Activity
Strong Indications: 7
Weak Indications: 5
No/Negligible Indications: 8
We remain at 12/20 total indicators, and there’s been no change in the last week.
Culture War Roll-Up
New York: NYPD officers shot and killed an unarmed black man on Wednesday nigh while responding to 911 calls about a black man with a metal object that was believed to be a gun. When they arrived on the scene four officers shot and killed the man after he turned towards them and took a two-handing shooting stance aiming the object at them. No firearm was found at the scene and the man was found holding a metal pipe with a knob on the end. The man was identified by family members as 34-year-old Saheed Vassell, who according to his father has struggled with Bipolar disorder for years. Shortly after the shooting, a crowd formed on the edge of the investigation scene where people shouted at the police for killing the man.
Protests erupted Thursday night when thousands of protestors marched to the local NYPD precinct, surrounded the police headquarters, projected the words “Justice for Saheed Vassell” on a wall across the street, chanted things like “shut it down” and “fuck these racist police,” and carried hundreds of signs saying things like “Justice for Saheed Vassell,” “NYPD: rapists, murderers, thieves,” “Black lives matter,” “Abolish the NYPD,” and “NYPD: Stop the racial profiling and harassment.”
(Analyst comment: The protests that inevitably occur after an event like this usually last for at least a couple of weeks. The larger and more violent and destructive protests tend to take place in the area where the event occurred, so it’s no surprise that we’re already seeing massive protests in less than 24 hours in New York. Given the fact that this event took place just two days ago, the NYC area and the NYPD can expect multiple protests to occur over the coming days and weeks.)
(Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/nypd-cops-shoot-kill-bipolar-black-man-metal-pipe-nyc-article-1.3914960)(Source: https://twitter.com/JamesFTInternet/status/982058679750021120) (Source: https://twitter.com/JamesFTInternet/status/982043199152803842)