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Network-Enabled Anarchy: How Militant Anarcho-Socialist Networks Use Social Media to Instigate Widespread Violence Against Political Opponents and Law Enforcement
Rutgers -- Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience ^ | September 14, 2020 | Joel Finkelstein et al.

Posted on 10/01/2020 4:53:29 AM PDT by karpov

Three tactics characteristic of extremist online communities have allowed them to become influential in recent years: 1) they use memes as propaganda, 2) they employ sophisticated communication networks for both planning and recruiting, making use of both fringe and private, online forums, and 3) they organize militias, and inspire lone wolf actors for violent action.

On social media, memes—images, videos, and/or slogans—permit extremists to plant hateful, antisemitic and/or revolutionary ideas in the public eye. Often, they are disguised with humor or through using coded language, and originate in online forums. The somewhat private nature of these forums allows extremist groups to use them to shield themselves from view while sharing extremist ideas and coordinating action. Finally, many extremist movements, from radical Jihadi to libertarian-anarchists, now use social media memes and other propaganda to recruit for militias with apocalyptic and revolutionary ideology (such as global Jihad or apocalyptic confrontations with police). Organized violent networks that support these ideas generate both lone-wolf and cell-like attacks against law enforcement and the general public.

During opportune moments of vulnerability, these groups take advantage of social unrest over major events such as the Covid lockdowns and George Floyd’s killing. The target of much of the recent outrage in these events has been the most visible institutional manifestation of state authority and raw power: the police.

Extremists use opaque memes and coded language at a massive scale. They often communicate simultaneously across several web platforms as well as in the offline world. Our previous, big data approach in unveiling online emerging threats was rapid and proved effective.

(Excerpt) Read more at ncri.io ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: anarchists; antifa
Related thread: The Truth About Today’s Anarchists. “Insurrectionary anarchists” have been protesting for racial justice all summer. Some Black leaders wish they would go home.
1 posted on 10/01/2020 4:53:29 AM PDT by karpov
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To: karpov

This? Out of Rutgers? Surprising!


2 posted on 10/01/2020 4:54:43 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Thanks To Biden Voters Oregon Is Now A Battleground State!)
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To: Gay State Conservative

I was thinking the same thing.


3 posted on 10/01/2020 5:04:25 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: karpov

This story is in the NYT and Forbes, too. It’s like someone realized that hey, they’re coming after ME and flipped a switch or something.


4 posted on 10/01/2020 5:09:09 AM PDT by beef (Use a VPN, use Tor, and get a shortwave radio. Oh, and ACAB- All Commies Are Bastards)
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To: karpov

Here is what we do know, if this has been about conservative or right-wing militant anarcho-socialist networks, they would have been shutdown and Rutgers would have had nothing to write about concerning this matter.......


5 posted on 10/01/2020 5:10:05 AM PDT by cranked
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To: Gay State Conservative

They demonize Constitutionals more than the left.


6 posted on 10/01/2020 5:10:59 AM PDT by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
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