Alt-Observer Weekly Summary For 23 March 2018 – Forward Observer

Alt-Observer Weekly Summary For 23 March 2018

 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.


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: The far-left group International Revolutionary People’s Guerrilla Forces (IRPGF) released a statement on Enough Is Enough that announced the formation of a North American branch of the group, which was previously only active in Rojava, Syria. This has been achieved by the IRPGF joining forces with three North American-based far-left groups to create a North American chapter. The groups involved in the formation of the IRPGF-NA are IRPGF, Boston Mountains Anti-Racist Action (BMARA), Anti-Fascist Action Arkansas (AFAA), and the International Committee for Revolutionary Self-Defense (ICRSD).

The announcement of the new group was followed in the post by the groups mission statement, “While bloodshed is inevitable under revolutionary conditions it should be minimized to the degree possible, and by helping the marginalized through their opression we can show the possibility of systems counter to the those of their oppressors. One way to minimize violence is to create strong networks of mutual aid and symbiosis, to facilitate trade between autonomous communities, and to help train communities in armed self-defense. We of Boston Mountains Anti-Racist Action and Anti Fascist Action Arkansas are honored by the trust and friendship of the autonomist International and of the IRPGF in Rojava. We’re aware of it as a sacred connection that we’ll do all in our power to honor and fulfill.”

Following their mission statement, the group announces their first upcoming revolutionary action, “Our first action will be on May 29, Heather Heyer’s birthday, when we will initiate an offensive against fascists in their home territories.” (Analyst Comment: It is not yet clear where this action will take place or what it will entail. When more details about the event are released they will be included in the PIR3 section of this weekly report.) (Source: https://enoughisenough14.org/2018/03/21/international-revolutionary-peoples-guerrilla-forces-north-america-foundational-statement/)

East Coast

New York: Police say that the protester who attacked a Trump supporter outside of the “A Night For Freedom” event in Manhattan also attacked a NYPD officer and put him in a headlock. The protestor, named David Campbell, has been charged for the attacks, which nearly killed the 56-year-old Trump supporter who only finally regained consciousness after CPR was performed on him in the ambulance. David Campbell has been charged with strangulation, multiple accounts of assault, resisting arrest, loitering, criminal possession of a weapon (mace), and obstruction of government administration. In addition to these charges, Campbell has also been charged with attempted assault and attempted criminal obstruction of breathing for attempting to put the officer in a headlock. (Source: https://nypost.com/2018/01/21/protester-charged-in-trump-supporter-attack-tried-to-put-cop-in-headlock/)

DC: According to The Hill, federal prosecutors are planning to call a woman, known by her alias “Julie McMahon,” who was undercover in an anarchist riot during J20 last year, to testify in an upcoming round of trials for the alleged riot participants. Police believe that her testimony will help to identify some of the 200 people who were arrested during the riot. Due to the “black bloc” strategy employed by anarchists and other far-left groups, it is extremely difficult for authorities to identify rioters and then charge them with anything that will stick. A large number of the 200 protestors who were arrested during the J20 riots in D.C. have had their charges dropped due to the police’s inability to identify them with 100% certainty. According to the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, McMahon claims that in her experience, “the ‘black bloc’ tactic is only used when individuals within the group intend to engage in acts of violence and destruction.” (Source: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/377004-woman-undercover-in-trump-inauguration-black-bloc-riots-to-testify)

MassachusettsA Massachussetts based anarchist group announced their second annual, week long summer school event called the “Institute for Advanced Troublemaking” on the anarchist blog site It’s Going Down. The event is from July 21-29, is in Worcester, Massachusetts and is open to adults of all ages. The mission statement for the event is for attendees to “study anarchist theory and action, explore forms of freedom to counter domination and hierarchy, create a lasting anarchist education hub in the Northeast, develop deeper forms of mutual aid and solidarity, and building innovative new strategies that can present a revolutionary challenge to the state, capitalism, and other forms of systemic violence.” (Source: https://itsgoingdown.org/announcing-the-institute-for-advanced-troublemakings-anarchist-summer-school-year-2/)

 

Midwest

Colorado: At the Colorado Springs Rescue mission members of Redneck Revolt served food to about 300 homeless people.(Source: https://twitter.com/FrontRangeJBGC/status/975526668352724992)

West Virginia: Protestors of a Mountain Valley Pipeline in West Virginia have set up resistance camps on Peters Mountain and participated in “tree-sits” to prevent the pipeline’s construction. (Source: https://twitter.com/HollerNetwork/status/975927299026669569)

 

Southeast

Charlottesville: DeAndre Harris, who was one of the far-left protestors who attended the Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville last August, was found not guilty last Friday on misdemeanor charges of assault and battery. According to Aljazeera, Harris’s defense team argued that he was acting in self defense when he attacked right-wing protestors. Meanwhile, four of the protesters who Harris engaged with are still facing charges. (Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/charlottesville-beaten-black-man-stand-trial-friday-180315195449944.html)

TennesseeA Democratic-led push for the Tennessee General Assembly to create a new bill that would denounce Neo-nazis and white nationalists has been stopped short of becoming law. The resolution was put forth by Democratic state Rep. John Ray Clemmons, and would call for law enforcement to go after white nationalists and other far right groups in the same way that they go after groups such as ISIS and gangs. The following is a quote from the resolution, “[W]e urge law enforcement to recognize these white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups as terrorist organizations and to pursue the criminal elements of these domestic terrorist organizations in the same manner and with the same fervor used to protect the United States from other manifestations of terrorism.” This new resolution became very popular among far-left groups, especially the Nashville chapter of Antifa, who openly called for it’s supporters to attend the assembly in support of the bill. According to MSN, when the bill came before the House State Government Subcommittee, Clemmons began to talk about the bill, however, it only lasted about 36 seconds due to no one on the committee engaging in the discussion about the bill. This led to Republican state Rep. Bill Sanderson declaring the resolution dead, therefore it will not be voted on by the full legislature and will not become law. (Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/resolution-denouncing-white-supremacists-and-neo-nazis-fails-in-tennessee/ar-BBKj44H?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp)(Source: https://twitter.com/NASHAntifa161/status/971856525731028998)

 

West Coast

California: A far-left group called Northern California Anti-Racist Action (NoCARA) released an article on It’s Going Down that “chronicles the rise in white supremacist hate crimes.” In the article, the group claims that antifascist groups have increased their activity in response to this. Within the article is a list of about 75 alleged white supremacist activities dating back to February of 2016. Activities included in the article include events as insignificant as racist graffiti being found in a high school bathroom, and as significant as Neo-Nazi and TWP leader Matthew Heimbach holding a rally in Sacramento, which according to NoCARA, left 6 antiracists stabbed and 9 hospitalized. (Source: https://itsgoingdown.org/rise-in-nor-cal-racist-attacks-met-by-antifa-organizing/)

Berkeley: A former adjunct professor at Berkeley, who wore a mask and assaulted attendees of the “Patriot Rally” with a bike lock, has had his pretrial date changed. The professor, named Eric Clanton, was charged with four felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one misdemeanor offense of wearing a mask to avoid identification. According to the DVC Inquirer, the pretrial date has been moved to April 5th at a courthouse in Oakland, California. (Source: https://www.dvcinquirer.com/news/2018/02/26/former-adjunct-professor-eric-clantons-pretrial-date-changed/)

Sacramento: In response to the killing of an unarmed black man by Sacramento police officers on Sunday, protestors blocked traffic on Interstate 5 on Thursday evening, as well as blocking the attendees of a Sacramento Kings game from entering the arena. The protests stopped traffic for over thirty minutes on I5 and delayed the NBA game by 15 minutes, however, the fans that could not get into the arena were told to go home by the team. According to Sacramento police, no arrests were made during the protests. (Source: http://www.kcra.com/article/protesters-block-entrance-to-golden-1-center-call-for-justice-after-deadly-police-shooting/19567843)

 

Southwest:

Austin: Red Guards Austin (RGA) posted an update on the blog site Maoist Road detailing the recent incarceration of their comrade, Joseph Wayne George, who they refer to as “Dallas.” The blog post, titled “Defend Comrade Dallas and Fight For His Freedom,” gives a background of Dallas’ criminal history with Red Guards Austin, which dates back to the week after President Trump’s election. Dallas and five other members of the group were arrested and charged with assault and resisting arrest following a student walkout at the University of Texas where students, members of Red Guard Austin and other protesters blocked traffic for hours.

According to the post by RGA, on March 9th, after arriving at the bail bond office to meet the requirements of his bail, Dallas was surrounded by undercover officers and federal agents who arrested him for the unlawful possession of a firearm. A few days prior, Dallas and his fiancée’s apartment had been searched following a reported assault with a deadly weapon by his fiancée. During the search, police found multiple firearms, which are illegal for Dallas to possess due to him being a convicted felon. Considering the charges stacked against him, RGA claims that he could be facing up to 30 years in prison.

RGA claims that they are still determined to kickstart a revolution and they are using his martyr status to propel their movement forward. The blog post in which RGA details the incarceration of Dallas also includes some interesting details and great insight about the groups influence, determination and organizational standing. The following are two quotes from the post that are particularly notable:

“In recent years, Austin, Texas, has made international headlines for its militant antifascist struggle. Communists and anarchists have turned the streets of Austin into a battleground in the fight against genocide, deportation, and torture. Around the world, comrades have shown interest in and respect for Austin’s antifascists, who show the fascists no mercy, outnumbering them and putting up a fierce fight in all confrontations. What has perhaps attracted the most serious attention, not just from fascists but from pigs as well, is the movement’s staunch, hardened militancy and its high degree of organization—and the fact that it is for the most part led by communists.”

“Let us say this clearly: these arrests will not kill the revolutionary work being done daily here and across the country. We uphold as we always have that the bourgeoisie are a class damned by their own utterly decadent existence to bring the hatred of the masses upon themselves, to suffer blow after blow from the global working class led by the communist movement until they are subdued and snuffed out once and for all. The state is dreaming the diseased dreams of a doomed class when it thinks it can drown our movement and the masses in bloody and cruel repression. The reality is that all they can do is hasten their own destruction. They cannot break the will of the movement guided by the sharpest weapon the proletariat has ever wielded: Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, principally Maoism. Though we have many lessons to learn from our errors, and though it grieves us unspeakably that someone we treasure has fallen into the hands of the enemy, we have never been embarrassed by our work and our struggle, and we never will be. We will uphold, defend, and apply Maoism until our deaths.” (Source: https://maoistroad.blogspot.com/2018/03/usa-defend-comrade-dallas-and-fight-for_21.html) (Source: http://cbsaustin.com/news/local/anti-trump-protests-continue-at-the-capitol)

Arizona: The owner of a pro-Trump store in Arizona says that he will be arming himself after he received what he considers to be a death threat. According to Steve Slaton, the owner of the store, he found stickers that said “Kill all the Trumpkins” and “Trump is a dirty little fascist” on a picture of the president that was on the outside of the shop. This is not the first time that the store has been vandalized says Slaton. In August of last year suspected members of Antifa spray painted “Nazi Scum” on the front of the store. Slaton has expressed concern for what far-left groups like Antifa will do to his store during upcoming events such as the March For Our Lives event that will be held this Saturday. Slaton claims that he has reached out to police, who have offered their presence during the events to prevent any disturbances. (Source: http://www.wmicentral.com/news/latest_news/trumped-store-vandals-strike-again/article_6b13ba4c-456c-57e1-a8e5-747a6777cd97.html)


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

National: Banner drops and other highly visible messages deployed by alt-right groups have been occurring more frequently in the last year. According to CNN, there are no records for banner drops and other messages by far-right groups in 2016 because it was such an uncommon form of activism. However, since May of last year, the alt-right has deployed at least 72 different highly visible messages. The ADL’s Center on Extremism stated that far-right banner drops and other messages are not a new tactic by white supremacists, however, they have never been used this much and they have never been as widespread as they have been in the last year. According to the ADL, banners have been hung in 21 states and 40% of them have been by Identity Evropa, covering 13 states, with the Oregon, California, Texas, and Georgia chapters being the most active. Banner drops by Identity Evropa and other groups typically say things like “For Race and Nation,” “White Lives Matter,” “Secure Our Border,” “You Will Not Replace Us,” and “Send Them All Back.”

Austin: Members of the far-right group Patriot Front held a flash demonstration in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas on Tuesday. The group released a short thirty-second video of the demonstration via their official Twitter account. In the video, about two dozen men wearing navy blue shirts, khaki pants and face coverings can be seen marching in front of the capitol carrying a banner saying “Reclaim America,” and chanting things like “America first” and “Blood and soil.” (Source: https://twitter.com/PatriotFront_/status/976177899404488704)

Illinois: Arthur Jones, who was a former leader of the American Nazi Party and is holocaust denier, has won the Republican nomination for one of Illinois’ congressional seats. According to CNBC, Jones won the nomination because the Republican party could not find anyone to run against Jones, however, the party will try to get an Independent to run. In response to Jones’ victory, Illinois GOP Chairman Tim Schneider said in a statement that “Arthur Jones is not a real Republican — he is a Nazi whose disgusting, bigoted views have no place in our nation’s discourse.” (Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/21/neo-nazi-wins-republican-nomination-for-illinois-congressional-seat-.html)


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

24 MAR: Revolutionary Student Front Community Self-Defense Class

24 MAR: March For Our Lives: Boston

24 MAR: March For Our Lives: Portland

24 MAR: March For Our Lives Phoenix

24 MAR: Defend The 2nd Amendment Rally: Boston

24 MAR: Rally Against Racism & Racial Profiling, Flagstaff, Arizona

25 MAR: Patriot Walk On Locke and Anti-Fascist Counter Protest, Hamilton, Ontario

25 MAR: March to take down all racist monuments, New Orleans, Louisiana 

14-15 APR: TPUSA Midwest Regional Conference, Chicago, Illinois

15 APR: Free Speech Conference at Siena College

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

28 APR: Anti-Racism Action Initiation Rally Amren 2018, Burns, Tennessee

01 MAY: MayDay Seattle: Stand For Public Safety and Small Business Against Rioters


PIR4: What is the current threat index score for the Alt-Left movement?

Indicators of Revolutionary Activity

Strong Indications: 

Weak Indications: 

No/Negligible Indications: 

We remain at ____ total indicators, and there’s been no change in the last week.


Culture War Roll-Up

Pennsylvania: A conservative professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School named Amy Wax will no longer be allowed to teach her mandatory class for first-year law students. Tensions between Wax and the university began to rise after she co-authored an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer last August where she stated that, “All cultures are not equal. Or at least they are not equal in preparing people to be productive in an advanced economy. The culture of the Plains Indians was designed for nomadic hunters, but is not suited to a First World, 21st-century environment. Nor are the single-parent, antisocial habits, prevalent among some working-class whites; the anti-“acting white” rap culture of inner-city blacks; the anti-assimilation ideas gaining ground among some Hispanic immigrants. These cultural orientations are not only incompatible with what an advanced free-market economy and a viable democracy require, they are also destructive of a sense of solidarity and reciprocity among Americans. If the bourgeois cultural script — which the upper-middle class still largely observes but now hesitates to preach — cannot be widely reinstated, things are likely to get worse for us all.” In September, Wax appeared on an episode of “The Glenn Show” where she discussed the “mismatch hypothesis,” which is the belief that affirmative action in in higher education actually harms minority students because it places them in elite academic environments that they are not prepared for. On the show, Wax stated that she doesn’t think she’s “ever seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the [Penn Law School] class and rarely, rarely in the top half… I can think of one or two students who’ve graduated in the top half of my required first year course. Well, what are we supposed to do about that? You’re really putting in front of this person a real uphill battle, and if they were better matched, it might be a better environment for them. That’s the mismatch hypothesis, of course.” These, along with the many other comments Wax has made, finally brought enough negative attention for the university to ban her. (Source: https://reason.com/blog/2018/03/14/controversial-law-professors-comments-on/amp)

Twitter: In a tweet, Canadian comedian and actor Jim Carrey posted a portrait that he painted of what appears to be White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders with a caption saying “This is the portrait of a so-called Christian whose only purpose in life is to lie for the wicked. Monstrous!” In response, Sanders’ father, former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee tweeted saying, “Pathetic BULLY, sexist, hater, bigot & “Christaphobe” @jimcarrey attacks @PressSec for her faith; what would be hypocritical Hollywood reaction if he called someone a “so-called Muslim” or “so-called Jew?” #classlessCarrey.” Carrey responded to Huckabee saying “I am so gratified by the reaction to my little drawings. It is the job of a political cartoon to vex those who abuse power or enable those abuses. This administration has been lying to the American people from day one while plundering the country and debasing our values. And those who cover for this shameful mobster of a President are putting makeup on a melanoma and telling the cancer patient that everything’s fine. Monstrous? You bet!” (Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2018/03/19/jim-carrey-criticized-portrait-believed-sarah-huckabee-sanders/437239002/)

Canada: Ryerson University in Toronto will be having an event called the “White Privilege Conference Global – Toronto,” from May 9-12. According to their website, this conference will “explore Canadians’ challenges with privilege and oppression” and will “be a great opportunity to engage openly in honest, critical, solutions-based discussions that address obstacles as they relate to issues that focus on and go beyond race.” (Source: https://www.ryerson.ca/wpc-global/)

Twitter: David Haskell, a professor at Laurier University shared a picture on Twitter of a tweet by a professor from Pennsylvania University as an example of what people will learn at Ryerson University’s upcoming white privilege conference. In the tweet, the Penn U professor claims that she “will always call on my Black women students first. Other POC get second tier priority. WW come next. And, if I have to, white men.” The Laurier University professor claims that the conference will teach attendees how to “de-center whiteness” and that this Penn U professor discriminating against her white students is an example of this de-centering. (Source: https://twitter.com/DMillardHaskell/status/974637975911976963)

Minnesota: A student was assaulted during a high school walkout to protest gun violence in Minnesota. The student was carrying a Trump flag as a counter-protest when he was confronted by eight other students who took the flag and then assaulted him. The attack was stopped short, however, due to a school resource officer intervening before any major damage could be done. According to police, the student suffered minor injuries and no arrests have been made. (Source: https://nypost.com/2018/03/15/student-carrying-trump-flag-assaulted-during-school-walkout/)

LA: The southern California teacher who was recorded bashing members of the U.S. military was fired this week. The Board of Education President Aurora Villon said in a statement that “His comments do not reflect what we stand for, who we are,” and that “the classroom should never be a place where students feel that they are picked at, bullied, intimidated.” In the video, the teacher can be heard saying “Think about the people who you know who are over there. Your freaking stupid Uncle Louie or whatever. They’re dumbshits. They’re not like high-level thinkers, they’re not academic people, they’re not intellectual people. They’re the lowest of our low.” (Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/03/21/teacher-who-called-military-lowest-low-is-fired.html)



Mike Shelby is a former Intelligence NCO and contractor. He's now the CEO of Forward Observer.

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