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 Intelligence subscribers.
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
Sweden: Swedish police have discovered a container of automatic weapons, wigs, and police uniforms, which they believe may belong to members of Antifa. So far two men connected to the container have been arrested and are suspected of being members of a local Antifa movement. If their suspicions are true, this would be the third time an Alt-Left group has been tied to discovered weapons cache’s, with the previous two cache’s being found in Germany. (Source: http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/06/14/swedish-police-find-container-fully-automatic-weapons-linked-far-left-extremists/)
Antifa: For their 4th anniversary month Antifa International is putting some of their apparel on sale on their website and have promised to donate all of the proceeds to the International Anti-Fascist Defense Fund. The on sale apparel includes black Antifascist International hoodies, t-shirts, and sweatshirts. (Source: https://www.facebook.com/antifaintl/posts/226023834661766)
US Army: A West Point graduate named Spenser Rapone has been discharged from the United States Army for being a Communist. According to The Guardian, Rapone wore a Che Guevara shirt to his graduation and tweeted saying “Communism will win.” Following Rapone’s discharge West Point released a statement saying that his actions and statements “in no way reflect the values of the US Military Academy or the US Army.” US Senator Marco Rubio also released a statement saying “While in uniform, Spenser Rapone advocated for communism and political violence and expressed support and sympathy for enemies of the United States…. I’m glad to see that they have given him an ‘other-than-honorable’ discharge.” (Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/19/west-point-commie-cadet-us-army-socialist-views-red-flags)
East Coast
Washington DC: The U.S. District Attorney’s Office of Washington DC announced this week that it is dropping charges against eight more of the Alt-Left activists who were arrested for violently protesting President Trump’s inauguration last year. As of 22 June, 2018 36 of the defendants are still facing charges and are awaiting trial. (Source: https://wamu.org/story/18/06/14/doj-drops-felony-charges-eight-inauguration-protesters-exactly-going-rioting-cases/)
Washington DC: Black Lives Matter DC posted on their Facebook page this week saying that people who are silent and ignore the murders of black people by DC police are complicit in the injustice by the police. The following is a quote from the post:
“By ignoring and staying silent the world is complicit in allowing DC Police to lie and cover up their murders of Black people and the constant police terror of Black people in DC. Do people not know we can fight multiple injustices at the same time? MPD has murdered 3 Black men in the last 6 WEEKS. No one knows their names, shows up to support the mothers whose children were taken or the children who have lost their parents. If you live in DC and know the names of those killed by police in the last ) month’s in other places but not here, there’s a problem. The silence, inaction in DC is killing us. #JeffPrice #DQuanYoung #MarqueeseAlston. #StopMPD #BlackLivesMatter” (Source: https://www.facebook.com/BLMDC/posts/2043718529033021)
Boston, Massachusetts: Black Lives Matter Boston (BLMB) released a statement on their Facebook page this week concerning the Trump administrations zero-tolerance policy at the U.S./Mexico border. The following is the full statement from BLMB:
“Furthering the aggressive immigration policies of the Obama Administration, the Trump Administration’s decision to establish and enforce a zero-tolerance policy at the border towards immigrants seeking asylum is reprehensible and, in our ongoing work to dismantle oppressive systems and policies, is firmly against the values of Black Lives Matter Global Network. As a pro-Black, pro-Queer, anti-fascist organization in
a nation populated by immigrants of all races, creeds, and colors, including Black immigrants from every country, ripping children out of their parent’s arms does nothing to keep us or this country safe. We condemn this; the Black Lives Matter Global Network believes that public safety, especially the safety of all Black people, is best served by the provision of resources. The Black Lives Matter Global Network stands with all those calling for compassion to help solve this manufactured crisis that President Trump can terminate at any time without violating the law. We must find a better way forward because detention camps are not the answer.” (Source: https://www.facebook.com/BlmBoston/posts/760379334085931)
New York, New York: The New York City chapter of the Revolutionary Abolitionist Movement posted a video on their Facebook page with the caption “Destroy the slave masters flags!!! #Juneteenth #CaptureTheFlag.” In the video a group of Black Bloc activists burned an American flag and a Blue Lives Matter flag.” (Source: https://www.facebook.com/RevAbolitionistNYC/videos/vb.310788875929056/641648289509778/?type=2&theater)
Midwest
Nebraska: A Nebraska Antifa activist has compiled a list of nearly 1,600 ICE employees’ names, photos, cities, and job titles. The Nebraska Antifa Twitter account shared a link to the list saying “Some enterprising hero archived the ICE employees listed on LinkedIn.” The activist stated in an interview that he was “just trying to pose the question of who is responsible for implementing ICE policies.” The list was originally posted by the activist on Medium, however, it has since been removed. In the post the activist stated that he has “downloaded and made available the profiles of (almost) everyone on LinkedIn who works for ICE, 1,595 people in total. While I don’t have a precise idea of what should be done with this data set, I leave it here with the hope that researchers, journalists, and activists will find it useful.” (Source: http://www.newsweek.com/antifa-shares-names-photos-1600-ice-employees-987454)
Tennessee: Following a Alt-Right conference held in Burns, Tennessee last weekend, Jam City Antifa (JCA) published a report back on It’s Going Down that details their recent actions to “gain media traction and bring awareness to Nashville’s community of what kind of people were in their parks.” Their first action was a banner drop near the office of a Vanderbilt University professor who spoke at the conference. Their second action, which took place during the conference, antifascist protestors heckled police on horse back, held up a banner that said “God Condemns White Supremacy” as they floated across a nearby lake in a canoe, and shouted “Nazi” with a siren-megaphone. (Source: https://itsgoingdown.org/opposing-the-nationalist-solutions-conference-in-tennessee/)
Southeast
Virginia: An article was published on The Republican Standard this week which puts forth a theory that Green Antifa could be responsible for a recent hack into the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s website. In the article The Republican Standard states that “Of course, the timing of the hack raises questions as to who benefits. Certainly Green Antifa activists have promised to retaliate over the coming months after their attempt to physically block two energy projects failed miserably — having failed to do so, was this their next promised attack?” According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, no data was lost or compromised in the hack. (Source: https://therepublicanstandard.com/did-green-antifa-just-hack-virginias-department-of-environmental-quality/)(Source: http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/state-officials-say-malicious-party-hacked-deq-s-website/article_d9179b0f-372d-5977-af0b-83a5bac3343b.html)
Tampa, Florida: Antifa International posted a report back on their Facebook page this week from Tampa, Florida. The post featured pictures of anti-ICE posters and banners that were put up around Tampa by Tampa Antifa activists. One of the posters depicted read “Zero tolerance for Trump’s xenophobia,” while another said “As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression – In both instances there is a twilight. It is in such twilight that we all must be most aware. Lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.” The banner that was hung over a Tampa overpass said “Stop the American Gestapo — Abolish ICE.” (Source: https://www.facebook.com/antifaintl/posts/231147227482760)
West Coast
Berkeley, California: The five Antifa activists who were facing assault charges for their violent actions at a pro-Trump rally that took place in Berkeley, California last year have been found not guilty. An article was published on the Berkeley independent news website called Berkeleyside, which details the five activist’s trial. The following is a brief synopsis of the trial that is included in the article:
“The jury has found all five defendants not guilty of misdemeanor assault, and not guilty of assault causing great bodily injury, also a misdemeanor. About 30 supporters of the defendants were in the courtroom for the reading of the verdicts, which began at about 3:40 p.m. Some cried quietly as the clerk read the decisions for each person. After the reading, there was a brief round of applause before the judge released the jury… Several jurors told Berkeleyside the group found itself in agreement relatively early on regarding the not guilty verdicts. But they wanted to make sure they worked through the process carefully. They deliberated for nearly a day. Ultimately, they said, they were not convinced a crime had occurred. There were other viable explanations for what took place, they said.”
The article also revealed that the defense filed a motion to keep any mention of Antifa out of the trial. According to Berkeleyside, “The defense team had filed a motion before the trial began to ask the judge to exclude “references to ‘black bloc,’ ‘anarchists,’ ‘antifa,’ or ‘people wearing masks’ and statements about violent actions taken by anti-Trump non-defendants on that day.… Such references have no probative value and cause substantial danger of undue prejudice, confusing the issues, and misleading the jury.” (Source: http://www.berkeleyside.com/2018/06/18/jury-deliberates-over-alleged-berkeley-protest-attack-of-trump-supporter)
Portland, Oregon: The Alt-Left group Black and Black Anarchists (BBA) posted a picture on their Facebook page that depicts a Portland, Oregon Antifa activist posing next to a hacked electronic construction sign that says “ABOLISH ICE.” (Source: https://www.facebook.com/blackandblackanarchists/posts/2066009886945020)
Portland, Oregon: ICE announced this week that they are temporarily closing their Portland, Oregon facility due to protests by Alt-Left activists. The following is a transcript of ICE’s statement:
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fully respects the rights of all people to voice their opinion without interference. ICE remains committed to immigration enforcement consistent with federal law and agency policy. The Federal Protective Service was called to the ICE office on Macadam Avenue Tuesday afternoon due to security concerns resulting from ongoing protests at this location. Questions regarding arrests that took place should be directed to the Federal Protective Service. ICE operations at this location have been temporarily halted due to security concerns. Normal operations will resume once security concerns have been addressed.” (Source: https://twitter.com/ryanjhaas/status/1009509771857104896)
Sacramento, California: Black Lives Matter Sacramento led a die-in at the Sacramento Police Department headquarters on Wednesday, 20 June to protest the killing of two black men by Sacramento PD. (Source: https://www.facebook.com/BlackLivesMatterSac/posts/2087424034867772)
Sacramento, California: Black Lives Matter Sacramento posted on their Facebook page this week saying “This is a Black space. White folks be humble in this space or get gone.” (Source: https://www.facebook.com/BlackLivesMatterSac/posts/2081351442141698)
Southwest
San Antonio: An antifascist student group called Revolutionary Horizon, which is based out of the University of Texas at San Antonio, is working to send out text message alerts that will warn subscribers of the presence of ICE agents. The group announced their plan in a tweet the read, “In light of the increasing severity of ICE’s presence in the San Antonio community, we’re working with trusted radicals in the community to implement a text alert ICE-watch. text ‘satx161’ to 84483 to sign up to receive alerts anytime ICE is spotted in our community!” (Source: https://thelibertarianrepublic.com/antifa-students-working-with-trusted-radicals-to-blast-out-ice-text-alerts/)
Austin, Texas: The Austin, Texas chapter of Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) posted report back on their Facebook page summarizing their actions of solidarity that took place this week for Juneteenth. According to the anarchist group, the day before Juneteenth on Monday, 18 June, “an autonomous group of anarchists in Austin, TX held two separate actions in solidarity with prisoners, as part of the end prison slavery movement.” For their first action activists raised a 20 foot long banner in front of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles Office that said “Slave Masters Work Here. Abolish Prisons!” The second action took place at the Texas Correctional Industries showroom where “Two people posed as students doing a research project, and asked for a tour of the showroom. When they were denied a tour, they threw “confetti” (strips of paper with printed statements from prisoners about their slave conditions, prison abolition essays, demands, as well as some “friendly” messages to the TDCJ board members. Once the office was littered in hundreds of messages from prisoners, the two comrades left and a group of about 20 protestors showed up to hold down space with banners and noise.” In addition to their report back, ABC announced in their post that their activists are “gearing up for the second nationwide prisoner work stoppage which will take place from August 21 through September 9.” (Source: https://www.facebook.com/AustinAnarchistBlackCross/posts/2203388636343017)
PIR2: What indicators describe the Alt-Right movement’s strength, capabilities, sentiment, initiatives, and infighting?
Washington, DC: A second Unite the Right rally is scheduled to take place in Washington DC on 11-12 August. According to USA Today, the National Park Service has approved an application by Jason Kessler to hold the rally outside of the White House at Lafayette Square, however, a permit for the rally has not been issued. Kessler organized last years Unite the Right rally that was held in Charlottesville, Virginia, which led to a violent confrontation between hundreds of Alt-Right protestors and Alt-Left counter-protestors, and resulted in the death of one counter-protestor. (Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/06/20/application-unite-right-anniversary-rally-approved-d-c/720058002/)
Identity Evropa: In California Identity Evropa activists engaged in team building by backpacking in the Sierra Nevadas this week. In addition to their team building exercise, activists put up propaganda flyers in the following locations:
California: Campbell, Gilroy, Morgan Hill, San Jose, and Willow Glen
Michigan: Ann Arbor
Oklahoma: Tulsa
PIR3: What are the new indicators of future politically related violence?
22-24 JUNE: Second Annual “Another Caroling Anarchist Bookfair” — Asheville, North Carolina (Source: https://anarchistnews.org/content/annoucing-second-annual-another-caroling-anarchist-bookfair-june-22-24-2018-asheville-nc)
24-30 JUNE: Call for an international week of action against borders (Source: https://anarchistnews.org/content/call-international-week-action-against-borders-624-30)
25 JUNE: IWW Solidarity Actions With J20 Defendants (Source: https://www.iww.org/content/solidarity-actions-j20-defendants)
25 JUNE: Worldwide Day of Action in Solidarity with J20 Defendants (Source: https://itsgoingdown.org/a-call-for-a-worldwide-day-of-action-in-solidarity-with-j20-defendants/)
30 JUNE: Patriot Prayer’s Freedom and Courage Rally — Portland, Oregon (Source: https://twitter.com/1776RealNews/status/1009254701840326656)
30 JUNE — 1 JULY: Call to resist anti-immigrant groups in Montreal (Source: https://itsgoingdown.org/welcome-to-hell-call-to-action-june-30-and-july-1-to-resist-anti-immigrant-groups/)
04 JULY: Day of Action in Memory of Dan and Spit, Las Vegas, Nevada (Source: https://twitter.com/afainatl/status/989568441597202437)
05-08 July: Socialism Conference 2018 — Chicago, Illinois (Source: https://socialismconference.org)
11-12 AUG: Unite the Right 2 — Washington DC (Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/06/20/application-unite-right-anniversary-rally-approved-d-c/720058002/)
21 AUG – 09 SEPT: National Prison Strike (Source: http://libcom.org/news/south-carolina-freedom-fighters-call-national-prisoners-strike-aug-21-sept-9-2018-10062018)
22-23 SEPT: 13th Annual Victoria Anarchist Bookfair (Source: https://anarchistnews.org/content/13th-annual-victoria-anarchist-bookfair-call-participaiton)
PIR4: What is the current threat index score for the Alt-Left movement?
Indicators of Revolutionary Activity
Strong Indications: 7
Weak Indications: 6
No/Negligible Indications: 7
We remain at 13 total indicators, and there’s been no change in the last week.
Culture War Roll-Up
Charleston, South Carolina: The Charleston, South Carolina City Council decided to adopt a resolution that apologizes for the city’s participation in the slave trade. The resolution denounced slavery and promises “a more tolerant future.” In addition to their apology and their denunciation of slavery and intolerance, the Charleston City Council also proposed the creation of an office of racial reconciliation. (Source: https://www.theroot.com/charleston-s-c-apologizes-for-its-role-during-the-sl-1826983623)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: According to Philadelphia Magazine, LGBTQ protestors are demanding that no cops be present at Philadelphia gay pride events. A trans-activist has stated in an interview with the magazine that “it’s time people start listening to trans people and not the police force’s manipulations… If the police are only at Pride to protect us, why would they put trans women in men’s prisons? The police are an oppressive force and nothing more. We need to return Pride to its radical roots and make it a display of righteous queer anger.” (Source: https://www.phillymag.com/g-philly/2018/06/20/cops-reeanna-segin-philly-pride/)
Proud Boys: The fraternal organization the Proud Boys successfully raised enough money to put the words “FREE TOMMY” on the Trump Unity Bridge that was in a 2nd amendment march that took place in Lansing, Michigan this week. The Proud Boys and their founder Gavin McInnes have publicly displayed their support for UK activist Tommy Robinson after he was in-prisoned for reporting on an alleged Muslim rape gang in London. (Source: https://www.facebook.com/ProudBoysInternational/posts/233017520627543)
Article: The New York Post recently published an article titled “Gay Americans are arming themselves to stay alive,” which features an interview with an activist who is a member of the gay guns rights organization called the Pink Pistols. In the interview the activist states that she is arming herself because she doesn’t “want to get beaten to death, stabbed and burnt alive… I want a gun to feel equal.” According to their website, the Pink Pistols have 45 regional districts, over 10,000 members nationwide, and exist to “teach queers to shoot.” (Source: https://nypost.com/2018/06/12/gay-americans-are-arming-themselves-to-stay-alive/)