Alt-Observer Weekly Summary for 20 April 2018

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

National: Law enforcement agencies in at least eight states have recently lobbied on behalf of anti-protest bills that would increase the punishments for protest crimes such as highway blockage and interference with critical infrastructure. So far, anti-protest bills have been put forth in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Washington, and Wyoming.
(Source: http://earthfirstjournal.org/newswire/2018/04/16/law-enforcement-has-quietly-backed-anti-protest-bills-in-at-least-8-states-since-trumps-election/)

CPUSA: Communist Party USA (CPUSA) called for protests against the recent attacks on Syria, claiming that “This reckless action and the expected scrapping of the Iran Nuclear Deal increases the danger of a wider war in the Middle East and even an open military conflict with Russia.” Small protests took place across the country in cities such as New York City, Chicago, Portland, Washington DC, and El Paso. (Source: http://www.cpusa.org/article/end-the-attacks-on-syria/) (Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/city/articleshow/63769890.cms) (Source: http://katu.com/news/local/rally-planned-in-downtown-portland-to-protest-syria-bombing) (Sources: http://www.euronews.com/2018/04/14/watch-protests-against-syria-air-strikes-take-place-outside-white-house) (Source: http://www.kvia.com/news/top-stories/el-paso-residents-protest-united-states-intervention-in-syria/730028453) (Source: http://cbslocal.com/2018/04/14/chicago-reacts-to-air-strikes-in-syria/)

Greece: In Athens, Greece members of the Greek Communist Party (KKE) attempted to tear down a statue of former U.S. President Harry Truman during a protest against the U.S. air strikes on Syria. Protestors used a grinder to try and cut the feet off the statue and used ropes to try and tear it down, however, riot police intervened and fired tear gas at the protestors, which dispersed the crowd before any damage could be done. (Source: https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN1HN1NH)

East Coast

Canada: Police in Hamilton, Ontario are trying to identity a group of Antifa members who vandalized a neighborhood Saturday night. According to police they set off fireworks, damaged vehicles, threw rocks at store windows, and caused an estimated $100,000 in damage. (Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/hamilton-mob-mischief-1.4561615)

DC: The Twitter account Defend J20 Resistance tweeted an update on the upcoming J20 trials saying that the trials have been moved back to May 14th because the prosecution wants an expert witness.
(Source: https://twitter.com/defendj20/status/984874438943485957)

Massachusetts: Black Lives Matter Boston (BLMB) attempted to get a group of Proud Boys kicked out of a Hooters restaurant in Dedham, Massachusetts. BLMB posted on Facebook announcing the Proud Boys’ presence saying “WHITE SUPREMACISTS, CHAUVINISTS AT DEDHAM HOOTERS. The Proud Boys and their allies are going Dedham Hooters to celebrate after their racist, xenophobic rally in Concord. These are literal Nazis, known for violence against women. CALL NOW” Included in the post was a script for callers to read from that said, “Hi my name is ____. As a concerned community member, I want you to know that known white supremacists and chauvinists known for violence against women are gathering at your restaurant. Hate has no home in Dedham! Please ask them to leave.” (Analyst Comment: The Proud Boys are not white supremacist group.) (Source: https://www.facebook.com/BlmBoston/posts/714984668625398)

New York: The socialist magazine Jacobin announced a birthday bash to celebrate the 200th birthday of Karl Marx. The party will be held in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, 05 May. (Source: https://twitter.com/jacobinmag/status/986679254556577792)

Midwest

Illinois: A Chicago Antifa group entered and protested the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) Midwest Regional Conference on Saturday, however, they were escorted out of the event by security. After their forced removal, the antifascists continued to demonstrate outside of the event and lit toilet paper and their own signs on fire. (Source: https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=10794)

Minnesota: The Alt-Left blog site Enough is Enough released a 150-year performance review of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). The first part of the report details the history of MPD, which is described as a racist system that acts as the “enforcement arm of the economic and political elite” and “is at the front end of a system of mass incarceration that devours black, brown, and indigenous peoples.” The second part of the report is about MPD in the present and the “traumatized communities” who are impacted by the “militarized” and “combative” presence of the police. According to Minneapolis community members, “intimidation, harassment and bullying are the wide base of the police misconduct iceberg of which murder by police is just the tip.” The third and final section of the report looks towards the “police-free communities of the future” and discusses the “ancient cultural traditions, innovative social programs, and community resilience strategies” that they plan on using to address the community’s needs. (Source: https://www.mpd150.com/report/)

Southeast

Tennessee: The Tennessee House voted to punish the city of Memphis for removing Confederate monuments by taking away $250,000 in funding. Due to the removal of the statues being illegal, the city of Memphis sold the parks where the monuments were located to a non-profit organization in order for them to be legally removed. (Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tennessee-lawmakers-punish-memphis-removing-confederate-statues-n866961)

Virginia: University of Virginia Students United (UVSU) is trying to get Jason Kessler, who organized the Unite the Right rally and is a known white nationalist, kicked out of the UVA School of Law. UVSU posted on Facebook asking people to call the school and ask them why they refuse to kick out Jason Kessler, whose actions resulted in violence against students and community members. (Source: https://www.facebook.com/UVAstudentsUNITED/posts/963363710505333)

West Coast

Oregon: A Portland anarchists are having a general assembly and barbecues across Portland. According to the event’s description, anarchists are coming together to “prepare for a day of autonomous action and revelry.” The following is the full event description, which provides details about what will take place during the event, and also provides insight into it’s purpose:

THERE WILL BE EVENTS AND BARBECUES ACROSS THE CITY 5.1.18 TO HONOR THE ANARCHIST HOLIDAY, ALIBIS ABOUND

THIS WILL NOT BE A REPEAT OF LAST YEAR’S EVENT
WE ARE GATHERING TO INFORM EACH OTHERS’ AFFINITY GROUPS OF ANY REQUIRED COORDINATION OR MATERIALS

THERE WILL BE NO FACILITATION, WE MUST SELF-ORGANIZE

THIS SPACE WILL BE ANTI-RACIST, ANTI-PATRIARCHAL, AND ANTI-AUTHORITARIAN (YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO)
NO HIERARCHIES, NO OPPRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, NO BULLSHIT

IF YOU SHOW UP AND ARE NOT IN BLOC YOU WILL BE IGNORED

GOALS:
DRIVE OUT THE RICH
GET ON THE NEWS
DECOLONIZE PORTLAND

TO PROCEED GATHER THESE REQUIRED ITEMS:
– TALKING STICK: WE WILL HONOR ONE ANOTHER AND TAKE TURNS SPEAKING REGARDLESS OF PERSONAL AFFILIATION
– TIME KEEPER: TO KEEP OUR TURNS SPEAKING FAIR
– TOPICS FOR THE AGENDA

| COME WITH ASKS/NEEDS
| ASSUME INFILTRATION PLAN FOR COPS
| COME IN BLOC FASHION TIPS FOR THE BRAVE

CALLING ALL ANARCHISTS IN THE PNW, LET US ACT
– AS AUTONOMOUS CELLS IN CONFEDERATION
– OBSERVING ST. PAUL’S PRINCIPLES
– PLANNING & EXECUTING DIRECT ACTIONS AGAINST SELECTED TARGETS

(Source: https://anarchistnews.org/content/portland-anarchist-general-assembly-42918-8pm-0)

Oregon: Rose City Antifa (RCA) announced on Twitter that the Seattle IWW General Defense Committee has successfully raised money for the legal defense of their “comrades” who were arrested during a Patriot Prayer’s anti-Sharia march. According to RCA, this was achieved through the “International Anti-Fascist Defense Fund,” which was instituted by the IWW to raise money for anti-fascists who are arrested while protesting. (Source: https://twitter.com/RoseCityAntifa/status/986677282860253184)

California: An article titled “Your Black Rage is Valid As Hell” was posted on the Black Lives Matter Sacramento ran blog site Inciteaction. The author’s article, Kim Duke, argues that the modern day shootings of black men by police officers are equivalent to the historical lynching of blacks that predominately occurred in the south prior to the Civil Rights Movement.
(Source: http://www.inciteaction.com/your_black_rage_is_valid_as_hell)

California: Black Lives Matter Sacramento posted a flyer on their Facebook page asking for people to call the mayor and city council-members of Sacramento, and rescind their endorsement of District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, who according to the flier, has not brought any charges against the police officers who have taken the lives of 22 people since she took office in 2015. (Source: https://www.facebook.com/BlackLivesMatterSac/posts/2051993251744184)

Washington: On Wednesday, members of the University of Washington (UW) College Republicans were attacked and assaulted by Antifa. The UW Daily reported that one of the anti-fascists was arrested and is facing a misdemeanor assault charge. On Thursday, the students were heckled by protestors who proceeded to damage their red “College Republicans” banner. According to UW Daily, one of the College Republicans intends on pressing charges for assault and vandalism. (Source: https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/police-college-republicans-assaulted-by-antifa-affiliate-group-targeted-for-second-day/734758203?)

Southwest

Texas: Revolutionary Student Front (RSF) is calling for “revolutionary violence” against a sociology professor at the University of Texas at Austin named Robert Reece, who according to his former girlfriend, pressured her into unwanted sex six years ago using “emotional manipulation.” In addition to this, Reece apparently failed to report a student to authorities after the student expressed concern to him that “he might not have always lived up to the requirements of affirmative consent.” Reece revealed the student’s confession in an essay he wrote for Vox, in which he describes various conversations that he has had with his male students in his Masculinities in America class about whether or not they have always practiced affirmative consent. Alt-Left activists are claiming that they “find this to be direct proof that Reece is an active threat to students on campus…. Through his course, he is uniquely able to identify potential rapists, yet he does nothing to stop them – and worse, he shows them his sympathy as a fellow misogynist and abuser.” (Source: https://reason.com/blog/2018/04/16/ut-austin-antifa-robert-reece)

Texas: The Rock Against Racism show in Austin, Texas reportedly raised $700 for their comrade who is facing weapons charges. (Source: https://www.facebook.com/RSFAustin/posts/1418144104957566)

Texas: The Alt-Left group Socialist Rifle Association – Central Texas (SRA-CT) shared a local study group on Facebook that focuses on Marxism, DiaMat Feminism, racial struggles, and Imperialism. In the post, SRA-CT advised citizens to join the group to “further your learning beyond self defense” along with a quote by Thomas Sankara that says, “A soldier without any political or ideological training is a potential criminal.” (Source: https://www.facebook.com/sracentraltexas/posts/1571757576255178)

PIR2: What indicators describe the Alt-Right movement’s strength, capabilities, sentiment, initiatives, and infighting?

Richard Spencer: Facebook recently shut down the pages of infamous white nationalist and Alt-Right movement leader Richard Spencer. According to Buzzfeed News, Facebook shut the pages down because it does not allow hate groups on their site. One of the pages was for the National Policy Institute, which is a white nationalist think tank, and the other page was for Spencer’s website Altright.com,
(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/facebook-richard-spencer-pages-shut-down-alt-right-a8305621.html)

Alabama: Jared Taylor’s speech that was set to take place at the University of Alabama has been cancelled. Taylor, a prominent white nationalist, had been invited to speak at the university by a student political group called Students for America First, however, university officials announced that the group has since become inactive, and their status as a registered university group has been withdrawn. University officials wrote that, “For any student group to host an event through UA’s student event registration process, it must be a registered student organization, which requires, along other things, having a full-time UA faculty for staff advisor.” The email also stated that if the group was to become active again it would be able to re-register and “have the ability to host events and invite speakers.”
(Source: http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/04/white_nationalist_jared_taylor.html)

PIR3: What are the new indicators of future politically-related violence?

20 APR: National High School Walk-Out For Anti-Gun Violence

20-21 APR: 2018 National Socialist Movement Conference in Newnan, 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

28-29 APR: 2nd Annual ROAR Conference in Oakland, CA

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: An 18-year old Danish student named Jannich Andersen was on a field trip in New York City when he had his “Make America Great Again” hat stolen at knifepoint by two men. In a Facebook message to the New York Post, the student claimed that one of the robber’s “asked if I knew what it symbolized, and said I couldn’t leave with the hat” and then swiped the cap off of his head. Anderson said that he struggled with the robber and was able to get the hat back from him momentarily, however, the robber grabbed the hat again. After this Anderson said that “one of my friends told me one of the [robber’s] friends had a knife,” so he let the hat go. (Source: https://nypost.com/2018/04/13/tourist-mugged-at-knifepoint-for-maga-hat/)

Twitter: The conservative street artist Sabo, who ran the UnsavoryAgents Twitter account, has been banned from the social media platform. In an email to Breitbart, Sabo stated that he “was not told why or for how long. I just saw I no longer have my 32,000 followers and I’m no longer following anybody…. They want nothing less than to completely destroy us on the Right.” Earlier this month Sabo put up posters in New York City that targeted Facebook and it’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.” (Source: http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/04/13/conservative-street-artist-sabo-banned-from-twitter/) Analyst Comment: Sabo has since created a new account: @TheNewPunks.

Illinois: Three student journalists at the university of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have filed a lawsuit against their instructor, claiming that he grabbed and broke one of their phones as they were attempting to report on an anti-Trump rally. According to the suit, university officials violated the student’ first amendment rights when they punished the students for reporting on the rally. (Source: https://www.dailysignal.com/2018/04/13/3-student-journalists-sue-university-for-covering-up-teachers-role-in-anti-trump-rally/)