Alt-Observer for 24 August 2018 – Forward Observer

Alt-Observer for 24 August 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 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?

ADMIN NOTE: Mason Reeves has taken a position elsewhere, and I’m currently training up another analyst to take his place. Thank you for bearing with us. We look forward to expanding this report in other ways, with a renewed focus on our group and event mapping.

 

PIR1: What indicators describe the Alt-Left movement’s strength, capabilities, sentiment, initiatives, and infighting?

National

Black Lives Matter: Pattrisse Cullors, one of the founders of Black Lives Matter, discussed the state of the Alt-Right, one year post-Charlottesville, in a recent interview. Cullors believes the Alt-Right is losing steam, due to the Left’s ability to organize and mobilize a response to rallies. Cullors believes that the Left still faces a racist administration and heavy handed police response. Moving forward, Cullors says, groups like BLM will continue to challenge local elected officials and draft progressive candidates to advance BLM’s “Black Platform.” Cullors cites a Global BLM Network consisting of 38-40 BLM chapters in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. [source: https://cheddar.com/videos/black-lives-matter-founder-on-where-race-issues-stand-a-year-after-charlottesville]

Black August: Ajamu Nangwaya, a Canadian educator active in the Canadian Labour Movement, opines about embracing a “Black August” while calling for a shift in tactics during a recent interview. Nangwaya defines “Black August” as a month that “should be embraced across the Americas as a commemorative month that focuses on the history and present-day resistance against the violence of the state and capital as well as the liberation agenda being pursued.” Nangwaya presents the argument that the time is right to shift Black August from a month of Remembrance, to a month of action, with emphasis on strategic and operational organization. Nangwaya asserts that the “use of all available means, including armed struggle” should be employed to bring about the end of “oppressive relations in society” in the name of a completely “just society.”

Nangwaya calls for better strategic organization by:
  1. Mass organization or cadre organizations focusing on the labor class
  2. Establishing programs and institutions that allow “the people to wage struggle on a 24/7 basis”
  3. Cultivate a self-emancipation culture that aligns with the “International Workingmen’s Association Ethos.”
  4. Teaching people how to self-organize [source: https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Why-Black-August-Should-Be-Celebrated-Across-the-Americas-20180802-0006.html]

Socialist Rifle Association: A website dedicated to providing firearm and self-defense knowledge to “working class people,” published five PDF files containing information and instruction on “Defense Education”. They include:

  • “Rifles for Rookies: A Firearm Manual for the Completely New.” A 19-page document with a brief overview of subjects covering pistols, shotguns, semi-automatics, ammo, acquisition and weapon safety.
  • “SRA Rifleer Program: Basic Training Manual.” Another 19-page document covering topics like weapons handling/manipulation, fundamentals of marksmanship, firing line commands and BZO targets. (It appears that most of the content for this pdf is taken from USMC/ARMY field manuals.)
  • “Introduction to Reloading Ammunition.” A 21-page document covering basic ammo reloading concepts, nomenclature, terms and reloading equipment.
  • “Introduction to Chemical Exposure.” A seven-page document covering chemical agent exposure (mainly CS gas) and the psychology and physiological effects, as well as immediate/remedial action upon contact. (It’s not very informative and very limited/useful info for countering the deployment of CS gas.)
  • “Shotguns for Rookies: Basics for the Uninitiated.” A 15-page document on shotgun types, nomenclature, handling, types of ammunition and operation. [Source: https://socialistra.org/edu/]

East Coast

Asheville, NC: Working under the group name Asheville Anti-Racism, It’sGoingDown.org teamed up with other “Local Anti-Fascist Groups” to dox a key leader of a White Supremacist Group in the Asheville, NC area. Asheville Anti-Racism targeted Cesar Armando Arvelo Santos of the Nationalist Front/Traditionalist Worker’s Party with the objective diminishing the turnout for Unite the Right 2 supporter turnout. Santos is allegedly a key organizer of Unite the Right 1 and Unite the Right 2. Asheville Anti-Racism claims as a result of their dox and subsequent “flyering” that Arvelo-Santos was terminated from his job. [source: https://twitter.com/FirestormCoop/status/1029522742780063746]

Charlottesville, VA: Solidarity C’ville (@solidcville) published a six tweet thread and a PayPal link that is labeled as “Self Defense Fund for Lara Rogers (paypal.me/lara757)”. The tweet claims that the self-defense fund is for “one of their comrades” who may have been “brutally arrested by police.” @SolidCville reports that this person was one of five people arrested, and also appears to be a “trans comrade” who “suffered a crushed chest” in the ensuing arrest. @SolidCville claims the arrests were “instigated by a fash Doxxer” and that this “fash doxxer filmed the arrest” and has “threatened to doxx this comrade.” @SolidCville seeks to disseminate the PayPal link to help establish a “survival and self defense fund” for Lara Rogers.[source: https://twitter.com/afainatl/status/1029790678040145922]
Atlanta, GA: In a recent blog post entitled “The Racists on Ridgeland Way”, Atlanta Antifascists publishes the private address of a house where Alt-Right organizers are believed to be meeting. @afainatl tweets an image as well as the .pdf of a flyer they created to doxx the owner of the home and its occupants. @afainatl reports that the house is owned by a Sam Glasgow Dickson, a “key player in the White Nationalist Movement” and is a “hub” of Alt-Right planning and organizing in the Atlanta Area. @afainatl claims that the houseis also the headquarters of a “White Nationalist Gentrification Gang” where the “gang enriches itself by making moves in the Atlanta Area Property Market.” [source: https://twitter.com/afainatl/status/1029074522643812352]
Washington, D.C.: Solidarity C’ville (@solidcville) tweeted out urgent notice to the protest participants of Unite the Right 2 to delete all photos and videos that may incriminate or implicate “community members.” The account advises that police are searching for footage to “trump up charges” against those arrested during the rally. [source: https://twitter.com/SolidCville/status/1028742320844431361]

Washington, D.C.: Anarchist website Crimethinc published an article entitled, “Perspectives on the August 12 Anti-Fascist Mobilization in D.C.,” where the source estimates a force of 2,000 police, 24 white nationalists, and thousands of antifascists. The author also wants journalists to seek consent before photographing or videoing antifascist protestors because police use that as evidence to identify the otherwise anonymous individuals. The source describes the Far Right as being in “political, ideological, organizational, and interpersonal disarray,” and says that the antifascist movement is emboldened due to recent successes. [Source: https://anarchistnews.org/content/perspectives-august-12-anti-fascist-mobilization]

 

 

Southeast

Orlando, FL: @OrlandoAntifa tweets an after action review with images regarding “Spontaneous Direct Action by our Tampa Comrades” where they claim to have targeted an ICE office located in Ybor City, FL. @OrlandoAntifa also tweeted a link to a communique where they detail the “spontaneous direct action” as a “multi-pronged effort” to put on a noise demonstration featuring “sound clips of migrant children calling out for their mothers” over a loudspeaker. They also brag about vandalizing the ICE office with fake blood, which represents the death of immigrants. [source: https://twitter.com/OrlandoAntifa/status/1009600422284275714]

 

West Coast

Eugene, OR: Eugene Antifa tweeted out a link to a server chat log published by Alt-Left media outlet Unicorn Riot. The server chat log appears to be from an Alt-Right group containing well-known members. @eugeneantifa identifies the following people as “being heavily involved” with the planning of Unite the Right 2:

  1. Brian Brathovd, AKA “Caerulus Rex”
  2. Eliot Kline, AKA “Eli Mosley”
  3. Cody Elkin, AKA “Gray”
  4. Marcel Stein, AKA “Zeljiko Stanjovic”
  5. Andrew Anglin of the “Daily Stormer”
  6. Andrew Aurenheimer, AKA “Weev”
  7. Robert Ray of the “Texan Daily Stormer”
  8. Mike Enoch of “Daily Shoah”
  9. Dan Kleve
  10. Greg Johnson, of the “Daily Currents” [source: https://twitter.com/eugeneantifa/status/1028804451732254726]

Analyst Comment: Unicorn Riot has published numerous server chat logs and other documents prepared by the Alt-Right, including the planning and security document — basically an operations order — for Richard Spencer’s October 2017 speech at the University of Florida. Unicorn Riot, or individuals feeding the outlet information, have successfully and repeatedly infiltrated Discord chat servers where Alt-Right members communicate and plan future events.

 

Southwest

Austin, TX: A blog post from Autonomous Student Media details the All Out ATX counterprotest on 18 August 2018. Autonomous Student Media contends that the main takeaway from the All Out ATX counterprotest is focusing ontesting the strength and future potential of both fascist forces and new autonomous antifascist networks in the area.Autonomous Student Media reports the following highlights from the All Out ATX counter-protest:

Conterprotest Element Structure:

  • “autonomous affinity groups/blocs” comprised of people with varying affiliations and ideologies, assembled at an “undisclosed location” and were tasked with different missions.
  • One group was tasked with being “scouts” who fed info on police strength and disposition to the movement, along with reported the location of the right wing rally-goers.
  • One group was tasked as a “flexible, mobile response unit that could move as needed based off of intel received from scouts.”
  • The post also references several other “armed groups” or components to their counter-protest

Counterprotest Failures:

  • Poor discipline within these smaller groups
  • Poor communication
  • Training and coordination was uneven
  • Infighting between Austin Socialist Collective, Anarchists and other antifascist elements

Autonomous Student Media asserts that by allowing these autonomous groups the freedom to act autonomously and not at the direction of antifascist coordinators, the groups are attempting to cultivate and develop leadership. [Source: https://autonomedia.blackblogs.org/2018/08/22/austin-goes-allout/]


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

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: 6

Weak Indications: 7

No/Negligible Indications: 6

We remain at 13 total indicators, and there’s been no change in the last week.


Culture War

Meet the Press Daily: Michelle Goldberg, a columnist for the New York Times, was a guest on Meet the Press Daily with Katy Tur. During a round table discussion with Tur and John Podhoretz, Goldberg argues that “President Trump is not the leader of the free world.” She further states, “He’s a sort of junior player in a bloc of authoritarian countries,” she said. “He’s part of a bloc that includes [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, [Philippine President Rodrigo] Duterte.” Tur pushes back by saying “[Trump] is not rounding people up and murdering them without any due process,” Goldberg responds by saying, “[Trump] would certainly like to.” [source: https://freebeacon.com/politics/ny-times-columnist-trump-certainly-like-murder-people-without-due-process/]



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

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